Aaron Sanderford
LINCOLN — Voters on Tuesday resoundingly rejected Nebraska’s new school voucher or scholarship program, steering public dollars spent to public schools.
Supporters of using state tax dollars to offset the costs of a private K-12 education have argued that families unhappy with their public schools need more options.
But rural and urban supporters of public schools, the Nebraska State Education Association and private foundations supporting public schools won the day.
Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, said he was proud to see right- and left-leaning counties agree that vouchers were the wrong choice.
“It confirms what we knew, the majority of Nebraskans don’t want public dollars going to private schools,” Royers said. “What really stood out to me is the consistency.”
Royers hopes state senators move on
Royers said he is hopeful that state senators will follow the will of the voters and move onto other more pressing issues in education that teachers and parents can work on together.
Support Our Schools argued that diverting even small amounts of public money toward private K-12 schools with a scholarship program or vouchers risked long-term support for public education.
They pointed to the experiences in other states with voucher programs, including neighboring Iowa, which has seen the national rankings of its public schools slide since that program began.
They argued that school choice programs typically end up largely benefiting the people already making the choice to send their children to private schools.
And they said such programs risked creating greater concentrations of poverty in some schools by draining them of students who often act as stabilizing force
Lawmakers plan to keep working for choice
State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha and other lawmakers backing “opportunity scholarships” have already said they plan to keep working for school choice regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s election.
Linehan, in a statement, said the teachers union and Support Our Schools spent two years and $7 million distorting the truth “in their endless pursuit to keep opportunity away from kids.”
“I am confident Nebraskans and the leaders in this state will continue fighting to keep kids first,” Linehan said.
The first version of Nebraska’s school choice law, passed in 2023, provided a tax credit for those donating to a scholarship fund for private K-12 education. After passage, those opposing the law launched a petition drive to put the issue before voters.
2023 law replaced in 2024
Linehan sidestepped that referendum by replacing the law in the 2024 legislative session.
She and other lawmakers transformed the program into a $10 million annual state appropriation for private school vouchers, to be run through the office of State Treasurer Tom Briese, a Linehan ally.
The Support Our Schools campaign, with support from public school proponents, including Omaha Public Schools supporter Susie Buffett, collected the necessary signatures a second time to challenge the law on the ballot.
Royers, new president of the NSEA, and Jenni Benson of Support Our Schools, the previous NSEA leader, have said Linehan should not have tried to avoid letting voters weigh in on an unpopular program.
Families of some children attending private schools through the precursor program, Opportunity Scholarships, or through the latest version have said they can’t afford private school tuition without such financial help.
State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, a Democrat who supports school choice, has said parents cannot afford to wait for public school systems to improve. They need help for their kids now, he said.
Jeremy Ekeler, executive director of Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska, said his group and supporters of the program have focused on helping families who couldn’t wait for school districts and systems to change.
“While tonight we did not see the results that we hoped for, those thousands of Nebraska families who finally have access to the right educational fit for their children thanks to LB 1402 will make their voices heard for years to come,” he said.
It remains to be seen whether other lawmakers will offer a similar proposal in 2025. Linehan and Wayne are both term-limited and won’t return to the Legislature next year.