107TH LEGISLATURE INTERIM 

It is my hope that as your summer progresses, you have the chance to take vacations and see the people and places that refresh you. I have truly enjoyed the extra time I have had with Mike and our children and grandchildren. The kids and the crops are growing and life continues to be so good in Nebraska!

Tri-state Governor’s Conference

Since the inaugural conference in 1988, the Governors of Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota have met almost every other year to exchange ideas on topics of regional importance. I had the privilege of joining Governor Pete Ricketts, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem at the Tri-state Governor’s Conference this week where they interacted with several key issues, including the challenges Siouxland businesses currently face while trying to fill job openings, affordable workplace housing, medical malpractice and telehealth and the KC-135R Aircrew Training System placement in Sioux City. 

I appreciated Governor Rickett’s update about how Nebraska compares to other states across the country in regard to Covid responses, low unemployment and successes in the Legislative Session this year where spending was controlled, tax relief, military and social security tax exempted, and broadband significantly expanded in Nebraska. It was very encouraging to hear from all three Governors and I greatly appreciate the strategic leadership of each one of them.

Ag-Land and School Bonds

This last session, LB 2 was enacted to correct an unfair property tax burden on ag-land owners. Over the last 25 years ag-land valuations have skyrocketed. In rural Nebraska, residential and commercial property has increased at a much slower rate, or in some instances stagnated or even decreased. LB 2 addresses this inequity in school bond elections; it attempts to bring back a fair proportionality of who pays when new school buildings are erected.

 Adding to the injustice, while small town populations may have declined, farmer numbers have declined even faster. Farmers today are more productive, and in order to be profitable larger farms are a necessity and thus fewer workers are needed. Ag-land owners in most school districts have very little voter representation and are simply out voted when it comes to bond elections. If you have your home in a rural school district, you may have noticed over time that what you pay in school taxes have actually declined–if so, you can thank a farmer, because due to rising farmland valuations the cost of operating your school and paying off existing bonds has shifted to them.

To address the problem, LB 2 lowers the unadjusted valuation of ag-land from 75% to 50% for school bond levies only. Residential and commercial values remain the same at 100%. The effective start date of the legislation is January I, 2022. Ag-land will still be valued at 75% for all present schools bonds or any new projects approved before that date.

 In government sometimes when you fix a problem, another is broadened. LB 523 is a sister bill to LB 2 that is still on General file, and it needs to be enacted to plug a loophole in present law. Because ag-land valuations have skyrocketed, many school districts can fund their operations with a levy well under the 1.05 limit. Districts have the ability to levy up to 14 cents for a building fund if their total levy stays under the lid. As long as a school district doesn’t use bonds to pay for a building project the school board–using the building fund–can on its own approve it without a vote of the people. Since LB 2’s 50% ag-land valuation only applies to bond funding, more school districts will be tempted to build schools with general funds where farmland remains at 75% of appraisal. Nebraskans historically have expected to vote on major school construction projects, LB 523 would force all school boards to honor those expectations.

NDE Health Standards

The first draft of the Health Education Standards are available for review at: https://www.education.ne.gov/healthed/health-education-standards-development/

You can submit a formal comment by emailing nde.standardsinput@nebraska.gov.

The NDE has communicated that the next draft will be available for review by August 1. It is vital that we all stay engaged in the process to ensure that our local voice is heard so that our children’s education is representative of the desires of our District.

The August 2021 meeting of the State Board of Education will be held at the Nebraska Innovation Campus, 2021 Transformation Drive, Lincoln, NE 68508.  The agenda for the August meeting will be posted on or about July 29, 2021; check back to this site at that time for additional meeting details. Access to the meeting will be made available to members of the public and members of the media at the meeting site and by live internet broadcast via the Nebraska Department of Education’s YouTube channel. The meeting will be recorded and available after the meeting on the NDE YouTube channel.

Link to Live Internet Broadcast:  https://www.education.ne.gov/live/

In the meantime, contact your state and local school board members and representatives and ask them to sign on the Resolution rejecting the first draft of the proposed Health Education Standards.

I always appreciate hearing from you, the Constituents of District 17. Your input helps me know how to effectively serve you in the Legislature. If you have any comments or concerns, please contact me at 402-471-2716 or jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov.