LB753 would hurt NE public schools

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Dear Editor:
The Nebraska Legislature’s revenue committee heard testimony Feb. 3 on a bill that would create a school voucher program. This voucher program would allow individuals, corporations, estates and trusts to claim non-refundable income tax credit of up to 50 percent of their state income tax liability on contributions they make to nonprofit organizations that grant scholarships to students to attend private schools.
Proponents of this bill hide the word voucher and replace it with “opportunity scholarships” and “tax credit scholarships” because “voucher” has a negative connotation. In last week’s article, Sen. Loren Lippincott gave a history lesson on public schools. I would like to remind him of the history of school vouchers. Vouchers were first created after the Supreme Court banned school segregation with its ruling in Brown v Board of Education. The school districts used vouchers to enable white students to attend private schools which could limit admission based on race. As a result, schools that served black students remained chronically underfunded.
I have many concerns regarding LB753. One concern I have with LB753 is that these tax credits benefit corporations and the wealthy while shifting the burden of funding to less affluent taxpayers. This hurts public school funding. Voucher tax schemes take money away from already underfunded public schools and redistribute tax dollars to private schools. In his article, Sen. Lippincott said it did not. I am not an economist and perhaps I’m missing something, so I have called Sen. Lippincott three times asking him to call me back so that I can understand his reasoning. To date, he has not called me back.
Another concern I have is school accountability. LB753 does not help all children. In Nebraska, nine out of 10 students attend public school. Private schools that receive funding under LB753 would not be held to the same accountability and reporting requirements as public schools. Public schools educate all students. Private schools do not. If you doubt this, please contact a private school and ask them about their enrollment process and educating students with significant learning needs or students who do not speak English.
I am not against school choice. I am not against private schools. I support education in many forms and at all levels. I support parents who choose to send their children to private schools or that choose to homeschool. But I do not support LB753 because I believe it has the potential to hurt public schools.
People can absolutely donate to private schools and get a tax break like they do for any charitable organization. My question is, why should they get a tax credit for it? We must ask ourselves who is truly benefitting from this bill.
I believe in public schools. Public schools educate ALL students. We do not discriminate on who is served. We educate students with special needs, physically, behaviorally, academically and emotionally. We have exceptional public schools in the state of Nebraska.
As a public school educator for the past 29 years, I have had the privilege of working with phenomenal teachers who are committed to their students. My husband, my dad and my brothers are all public school educators. My children received an excellent public school education. But I’m very concerned about what is happening politically in our state. LB753 is just another example of greed, distrust, and political gain. Unfortunately, public schools, public school children, and public school teachers are in the crossfires.
If you believe in public schools, please contact Loren Lippincott and let him know you oppose LB753. He can be reached at 402 471-2630 or by email at llippincott@leg.ne.gov
Jennifer Badura,
Aurora

 

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