A bill that would allow students from Nebraska’s lowest-performing schools to get vouchers to attend private schools drew a crowd Monday, including proponents who argued it would level the playing field for low-income students and opponents who said it would hurt public education.
Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, who introduced LB608, said Nebraska’s current open enrollment policies that allow students to attend schools outside their attendance areas or districts cannot accommodate all students.
For instance, 87 students requested to opt in to Elkhorn Public Schools, she said, but there were only 13 seats available, and the same situation exists with high-performing schools in Omaha Public Schools.
“Clearly there are more parents and students wanting better options than there are currently afforded them by open or option enrollment,†she said. “Consequently, to say that choices aren’t currently limited to your income or zip code are disingenuous.â€
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More than 20 people testified in opposition to the bill during the nearly four-hour hearing, raising questions of its constitutionality, the lack of state accountability required of private schools, the potential for discrimination and the damage opponents said it could do to public education, especially high-poverty schools.
“I am adamantly opposed to having my tax dollars used for a private school,†said Michele Tilley of Lincoln. “It’s not in the best interest of the state or our students.â€
If she lived on a private road, Tilley said, she wouldn’t expect taxpayers to pay for it.
LB608 would allow students in 87 schools in the state classified by the Nebraska Department of Education as needing improvement to get vouchers -- or scholarships -- to attend private schools. The vouchers would equal 75 percent of the district’s per-pupil revenue or the cost of private school attendance, whichever is less. The remaining 25 percent would go toward lowering property tax rates in the district.
A fiscal note attached to the bill estimates that if 10 percent of students in those 87 schools -- 3,047 students -- opted for vouchers school districts would pay $23.8 million to private schools. About $7.8 million would be available for property tax relief.
Linehan said she’d be willing to look at returning that money to the schools, when senators questioned whether a loss of students would cause financial hardships for public schools.Â
Amy Shane, the superintendent of O’Neill Public Schools, said although her district isn't currently one of the lowest-performing, losing 30 students to vouchers could cost $100,000 and it could jeopardize the good relationship between O'Neill's public and private schools.Â
“I think this is a very dangerous thing,†she said. “This is a bill that could divide our community."
Lincoln Board of Education member Kathy Danek said she was concerned that the bill would transfer public money to a private school without the same requirements for public accountability. While private schools must be approved or accredited by the state, their students don't have to take statewide tests, which are used to classify school performance.
Danek said she’s also concerned private schools don’t operate under the same budget transparency rules required of public schools, nor do they have publicly elected boards.
Michael McHale, general counsel for the Nebraska Catholic Conference, was among those who said they supported the bill because it put parents in charge of their students’ education.
“Parents have a fundamental right to direct the education of their children,†he said.
In answer to questions of the bill's constitutionality, Linehan said there’s been no legal test to see if the bill would pass state constitutional muster, but federal level courts have determined there’s no conflict between church and state.
Two officials with a school choice organization in Wisconsin said despite the political debate, school choice programs have continued to grow in Wisconsin because of parent interest.
Christine Starr Davis, who works at LPS, said test scores say more about the demographics -- the number of children living in poverty, with disabilities, who move frequently -- than the quality of the education.Â
“I just want to hoist the flag that scores on schools don’t tell you they’re bad schools and (students) should be able to get out of there,†she said. “What they tell you is there’s a population in that school that’s more diverse. And that’s not a crime in this country.â€