51¶ÌÊÓƵ

Keep Kids First on Friday announced a "decline to sign" campaign that seeks to keep the Opportunity Scholarships Act — introduced as LB753 by Sen. Lou Ann Linehan this year — in place.

A week after the bill passed with the support of 33 senators and was signed into law by Gov. Jim Pillen, the Nebraska State Education Association and other groups launched a referendum to put the measure before voters in 2024.

The committee said it plans to "correct the endless misinformation about the program from the teachers union and their well-funded political allies" in order to keep Nebraska's first school choice program in place.

In a statement, Linehan said the bill creating the tax credit program had support from rural, urban and suburban senators, and was backed by both Republicans and Democrats.

"After the Legislature passed historic increased funding for public education this session, the NSEA's efforts to strip families, especially lower-income families, of greater education opportunity shows they will do and say anything for their own self-interest, but not for Nebraska kids," Linehan said.

"The Keep Kids First campaign will put kids first," she added.

Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne, a registered Democrat who crossed party lines to support the bill along with Omaha Sen. Terrell McKinney, called LB753 "a pro-parent bill."

"Parents need more options when the only existing option has been failing kids for generations, which is the case too often in my community," Wayne said in a statement. "This is not just about school choice, it is about equal opportunity, hope, not being defined by your zip code or income, and ending the pipeline to the criminal justice system."

The Opportunity Scholarships Act allows individuals and entities to receive tax credits by donating to the scholarship funds for private and parochial schools in Nebraska.

A total of $25 million in tax credits will be available to donors in the first two years the law is in place, with the cap set to increase to as much as $100 million by year 10.

Supporters said the tax credits will help create opportunities for youth to access educational opportunities they couldn't otherwise.

But opponents, in a coalition called Support Our Schools Nebraska that has started circulating petitions throughout the state, argue the law will divert public funds to private schools, which they say are not required to serve all students, and gives the program favorable status over other tax credit programs.

Jenni Benson, president of NSEA, said in a statement in response to Keep Kids First, said support for the petition "has been overwhelming."

"Thousands of Nebraskans have already signed the petition to give Nebraskans the opportunity to vote on this issue," Benson said in a statement. "Nebraskans understand the importance of our public schools and keeping public funds for their local public schools."

Other members of Keep Kids First, including Sens. Dave Murman of Glenvil, Rob Clements of Elmwood, Tom Brewer of Gordon and Joni Albrecht of Thurston, accuse opponents of spreading misinformation about the program.

"This is about giving families a choice and kids a chance, not about taking anything away from our public schools," Brewer said.

Clarice Jackson, executive director of Voice Advocacy Center in Omaha; Dr. Britt Thedinger of Omaha; Kim Schroll, executive vice president of NebraskaLand Bank in North Platte; and John Dinkel, a business owner in Norfolk, also joined Keep Kids First.

"This year, Nebraska has taken a big step forward in giving parents and kids, especially those from lower-income families, a choice in education in our state," Dinkel said in a statement. "It's critical that we protect this progress so that we can help more kids and families achieve their dreams."