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by Jack Bartlett
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AXTELL, Neb. — A legislative bill that has been introduced in the Nebraska Legislature three times – and voted down by voters last fall – is now being brought up again in the unicameral.
State Senator Tony Sorrentino of Elkhorn has proposed LB 509, the Opportunity Scholarships Act. If passed, this legislation would approve public funding to private schools and give scholarship money to public school students looking for more educational opportunities at private institutions.
Back in November, Nebraska voters struck down similar legislation with about 57% of the vote.
Some state politicians and Nebraskans think it is a waste of time to attempt to pass legislation on this issue again and feel as if this bill is not representative of voters’ thoughts and opinions.
“I thought Nebraskans provided a pretty clear indicator about how they feel about bills like this, and so to not even wait a year before trying again I think is profoundly disappointing," said Tim Royers, Nebraska State Education Association President. “It’s not just the 57% that we’ve been stressing to lawmakers. It’s the fact that in more than 80 of Nebraska’s counties, a majority voted to repeal.”
In addition to these frustrations, there are concerns this bill would negatively impact public schools across the Cornhusker State.
“All the research has shown that large-scale voucher programs don’t improve academic outcomes at all for anybody. It doesn’t improve the outcomes of students that take a voucher. It doesn’t improve the outcomes of the students who stay in public school. So bottom line. It doesn’t improve student learning. It drains resources away from our schools and so no one’s a winner," Royers said.
The proposal comes as lawmakers grapple with a projected budget shortfall of more than $400 million.
"There are substantial cuts being proposed, including the state is proposing cutting $50 million out of our educators' retirement system. So, at the same time that they're looking at supporting our educators less, they want to set up and divert $25 million to this, so that’s a very real threat," Royers said.
Royers also mentioned that State Senator Tony Sorrentino proposed the bill and his own district of Elkhorn which has a higher concentration of private schools also voted in majority to repeal LB 1402 in November.
A hearing on the bill is set for February 6th. The Nebraska State Education Association is also hosting a press conference in Lincoln at the State Capitol Rotunda Tuesday morning to discuss the legislation along with several state senators and organizations.
Tim Royers also told NTV News that around 2,700 volunteers were out on streets and sidewalks during most the of the summer in 2024 to collect petition signatures on similar legislation being pushed last calendar year and expects significantly more volunteers this summer if this bill does pass.
NTV News will provide more coverage of the conference on Tuesday.
