Group says it’s submitted enough signatures to put ‘school choice’ repeal on Nebraska ballot
LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) - North Omaha resident Tia Houston says she watched her adopted daughter struggle in a public school.
“She has ADHD,” Houston said. “So being able to learn in an environment where there’s 30 people in a class, it just was not a right fit for her.”
Houston said she couldn’t afford to send her or her other two kids to a private school until after lawmakers passed the original Opportunity Scholarships Act in 2023, in which they were funded by contributions made to scholarship granting organizations.
LB1402 repealed that law and instead allows the state to distribute $10 million in scholarships for private education.
Houston said her kids also qualify under that.
“That bill really gave me hope that...despite whatever financial situation that I’m in, my kids get to go to the school that fits their needs,” she said.
The law goes into effect Thursday, but it isn’t without opposition.
Support Our Schools Nebraska believes voters should decide if the money can be used for those scholarships.
“We took these 2,800 volunteers and we had 800 signing events across Nebraska, and we’re going to repeal Section 1 of LB1402 on November 5,” said President Jenni Benson.
The group needed about 62,000 signatures on its petition. It Lincoln Wednesday, it announced it turned in more than 86,000 signatures.
They said they collected those signatures in 67 days, which is the shortest timeline for a petition drive in the state’s history.
“We’re going to take this to the ballot because we have enough signatures,” Benson said. “We have way more than enough signatures, and Nebraskans rose to the occasion as they always do because they love their public schools.”
The nonprofit research group Open Sky Policy Institute supports the ballot initiative.
Dr. Rebecca firestone/executive director, open sky policy institute
“Open Sky has taken an extensive analysis of the school privatization efforts making their way across the country in recent years,” said executive director Dr. Rebecca Firestone. “The evidence base very clearly shows the policies to divert public funds to private schools fails to meet the needs of all children and, if anything, they actually widen the opportunity gap.”
But the Nebraska Catholic Conference disagrees.
In a statement Wednesday, it said in a statement:
“This ballot referendum is frustrating beyond measure. It demonstrates a blatant disregard for thousands of students in need of more educational options, and it undermines the fundamental rights of parents as the primary educators of their children. The good news is opponents of school choice failed to collect enough signatures to prevent children and families in need of these scholarships from getting them. Evidenced by 30,000 fewer petition signatures than last year’s efforts, opposition to school choice is clearly declining as more Nebraskans become educated about the truth of school choice and its benefits for students. I’m excited knowing that LB1402 goes into effect this Thursday, July 18th, and can’t wait to witness the joy and excitement of children and families benefiting from more educational freedom in Nebraska.”
Secretary of State Bob Evnen still needs to verify the petition signatures to see if they have enough to put it on the November ballot. His office has 40 days to do that.
Copyright 2024 WOWT. All rights reserved.
