‘The voters will reject this’: Petition in motion against Nebraska school choice bill

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Protesting and petitions plague a pair of school choice bills in Nebraska.

History repeated itself Tuesday as opponents moved forward with another petition.

Last year, Legislative Bill 573 became law.  It allows up to $25 million a year in tax credits for people who donate to private school scholarships.

But it has seen great opposition, with many believing it will take away funding from public schools.

Support Our Schools Nebraska and the Nebraska State Education Association turned in a referendum petition with more than 91,000 signatures, putting LB 573 on November’s ballot.

SEE ALSO: Nebraska voters will decide fate of school choice bill in 2024 election

But now, a new bill is going into effect.

LB 1402 does two primary things.

First, it cancels out the original school choice bill. Instead, it provides $10 million a year in direct state funding for private school scholarships.

The teachers union sees this approach as a way to sidestep a vote.

“The lengths they’re willing to go to avoid letting the people decide in November speaks volumes,” said Tim Royers, the president-elect of NSEA. “They know what we know, which is the voters will reject this.”

SEE ALSO: Rally cry from public school supporters: ‘Let us vote!’

On Tuesday, the teachers union and Support Our Schools Nebraska filed paperwork with the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office for a referendum petition on the new bill.

“We’re here to collect signatures again to make sure we definitively give voters the chance this November to have the say on whether public dollars should go to private schools,” he said.

SEE ALSO: Poll: More than half of Nebraskans want repeal of Opportunity Scholarships Act

The petition is targeting only part of LB 1402, the allocation of the $10 million.

The petition would leave in the section that cancels out the first bill, LB 573.

“There’s still a lack of clarity as to where 753 stands on the ballot,” Royers said. “We don’t have time to wait for clarity because the clock starts as soon as the legislative cycle is done. So we only wanted to focus on the piece of 1402 that we feel is impactful and harmful to the schools and students of the state.”

SEE ALSO: Supporters of private and public schools debate Nebraska’s school choice law

Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, who introduced LB 1402, said the petition is not a surprise.

“The teachers’ union is determined to prevent parents from choosing the school that is best for their child,” she said in a statement. “The union puts the union first and kids last. … This scholarship program is about empowering parents to choose a school that best helps their child learn and reach their potential.”

Opponents need to gather 60,000 signatures within the next 80 days to get the issue on the November ballot, which they feel confident about.

Sen. Dave Murman, the chair of the Legislature’s Education Committee, said it’s not true that LB 1402 will take money from public school.

“It is shocking and saddening to see these groups attack even the humblest legislation aimed at giving low-income families a choice in their education,” he said in a statement.