Sign the petition
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Dear Editor:
The public schools in Hamilton County, in particular, and in Nebraska in general, consistently provide quality educational opportunities for the students attending them. In addition, open enrollment is a feature of Nebraska public schools, as evidenced by students who live in Aurora who attend Hampton and Giltner schools, and, conversely, by Giltner and Hampton residents who attend school in Aurora.
Supporters of LB 753 are denigrating public schools and the teachers who teach there and in trying to convince voters not to sign the petitions to put LB753 on the ballot to let Nebraskans decide the issue, imply that private schools do a better job of educating their students than do the public schools.
The following are FACTS about the effects LB753 will have on public education in Nebraska and why voters need to sign a petition to put this issue on the ballot this November.
1) Public tax money sent to private schools is public money taken away from supporting public schools and other essential services;
2) Private schools can -- and many do -- refuse to admit certain students, while public schools accept all students;
3) Reduced money for public schools hinders attempts to address teacher shortages and fund vocational education, lowering the quality of education for a public education system that was once the envy of the world;
4) Private schools are not held to the same level of accountability for their performance as public schools;
5) The tax incentive included in this bill is far more generous than donations to other nonprofits;
6) More than one half of Nebraska’s 93 counties do not have a private school;
7) Public schools serve 9 out of 10 kids in Nebraska;
8) The history of similar laws enacted in other states reveals that while starting out fairly small in size, they balloon in cost to taxpayers over time (Arizona,Louisiana,Virginia, Florida);
9) Tax savings from this type of bill in other states have been shown to overwhelmingly flow to the highest earning parents (Texas and Georgia);
10) The decision to send hard-earned taxpayer dollars to private schools is a momentous decision that should be put before all Nebraskans for a vote.
Several aspects of LB753 are potentially in violation of the Nebraska State Constitution. The law does indirectly what the Legislature cannot do directly, which is appropriate tax funds for private schools.
These tax credits are the functional equivalent of direct spending and, therefore, constitute appropriation.
If this method of sending public monies to private schools is allowed, then there is no effective restraint on what the Legislature can reimburse through a tax credit program. Nebraska voters have at least twice defeated similar proposals in the past (1970 and 1976). Research into the effects of similar laws enacted previously in other states show that public school funding is decreased over time, most of the recipients of these funds go to students already attending private schools, wealthy families are overwhelmingly the recipients of the tax credits, educational outcomes are not significantly improved and in many cases, student achievement did not improve as a result, but rather showed worse academic outcomes, and in some cases, students performed better after
transferring from private to public schools.
In conclusion, you should also know that, when you see TV and print adds urging you not to sign
the petition, these ads are in many cases funded by out-of-state groups supporting a national agenda.
Voters in Nebraska, not outside interest groups, should decide this issue for themselves. Nebraskans are traditionally very practical and are strongly supportive of their public schools. We trust that Nebraskans will agree that this issue should be on a ballot so that all Nebraska voters can decide the issue. We urge you to sign the petition to put this issue on the ballot this November.
Dave Long
Julie Jensen
Glen & Patsy Beran
Steve Jacobsen
Bruce Ramsour
Dawn Haymart
Sandy Howland
Monte & Cindy Burger
Craig & Jenn Badura
