Emma Wordsmith
OMAHA — The final group of petition circulators aiming for a spot on Nebraska’s November ballot are still appealing to voters, even after the deadline last week for other organizations to submit signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office.
Support Our Schools has an extended two-week window to gather signatures due to a legislative change that modified the school choice law the group’s previous petition had aimed to overturn.
They have until July 17 to amass 61,000 valid signatures from approximately 5% of registered voters statewide to trigger a referendum on repealing the most recent version of the school choice law.
Tim Royers from Support Our Schools expressed confidence in reaching the signature goal and meeting the mandatory 5% threshold from voters in at least 38 of Nebraska’s 93 counties.
Royers highlighted a major challenge faced by the group, which involves informing voters that previous signatures on the same issue from last year don’t apply and they need to sign again.
“That honestly has been one of our largest obstacles this time,” Royers stated. “Obviously we know who signed last time…. We’ve reached out to them, and we’ve gotten pushback (that they’ve already signed).”
State Senator Lou Ann Linehan from Omaha openly shared that she revised the Opportunity Scholarships Act passed in 2023 to partially circumvent a potential petition drive against it.
Linehan and other proponents of the 2023 law, such as State Senator Justin Wayne from Omaha, emphasized the significance of providing parents with additional choices for their struggling children within public schools.
“People aren’t putting themselves in a position of parents who have a child who is not succeeding that is miserable and they have an option here that might work,” Linehan remarked.
Linehan clarified that the new law addressed numerous concerns raised by some education advocates about the predecessor of Legislative Bill 1402, LB 753. The legislators also allocated new funds for K-12 schools, including $1 billion directed towards baseline state aid and special education.
LB 1402 will supersede its predecessor, LB 753, in late October, ending the $25 million annual tax credit for individuals supporting scholarships for underprivileged students attending private K-12 schools.
Instead of the tax credit, LB 1402 allocates $10 million annually in state funds to establish and sustain Nebraska’s inaugural voucher program for private K-12 school students.
Advocates aspire to raise the appropriation over time and expand the eligibility criteria for students.
Unlike past instances, supporters of school choice have not launched a “Decline to Sign” initiative. Some cited the over $700,000 spent by Support Our Schools on this petition drive, following a $1.4 million expenditure in 2023 to oppose LB 753.
A substantial portion of the funding originated from state and national teachers unions, many of which have engaged in similar campaigns in other states in previous years.
Linehan acknowledged the financial challenge of competing with teachers unions and philanthropist Susie Buffett from Omaha, who oppose LB 1402. The school choice laws have received support from U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
Support Our Schools asserted that the majority of Nebraskans do not support using public funds for private K-12 education, emphasizing the effect of such programs on education funding in states with established and growing voucher systems.
Advocates for public schools contend that voucher programs in other states initially targeted children with limited resources but eventually expanded to cover predominantly students already enrolled in private schools.
Some view these programs as diminishing support for public schools, while others see them as bolstering religious education amid declining church attendance.
Karen Kilgarin from the Nebraska State Education Association, assisting Support Our Schools, remarked that Nebraskans simply desire an opportunity to express their stance to the Legislature.
“It shouldn’t be so hard to let people vote, especially when they’ve already made it clear they want to vote on this issue,” she stated.
Linehan noted that some parents cannot afford to wait for public school improvements and require assistance immediately for their children who struggle, lacking the financial means to opt for private schooling.
Over 2,100 families of students have enrolled in the initial program through the state’s largest scholarship-granting organization for the upcoming 2024-25 academic year.
Lauren Gage from Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska disclosed that their group has garnered over $2.15 million in pledged scholarship funds and numerous inquiries from parents seeking additional details.
“Contributions have been picking up this summer,” Gage remarked. “And we expect many more taxpayers taking advantage of the tax credit as LB 753 sunsets.”
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