LB 986 is a bill introduced by Sen. Briese. It would limit how much a school district could raise property taxes from one year to the next to the greater of 2.5% or the consumer price index (inflation). It has provisions to exempt rapidly growing schools from this limitation. Sen. Briese has introduced similar bills every session we have been here together. It needed thirty-three votes. It received twenty-eight. Twenty-one senators voted against it.

Sen. Linehan introduced LB 364 which would have created a tax-credit scholarship program so parents of children from a poor family could afford to attend a private school. We spend about $4.5 billion dollars of tax payer money on public K-12 education in Nebraska. This bill would be capped at $5 million. It also needed thirty-three votes. It also only received twenty-eight votes. It also had twenty-one senators against it, fourteen voting no, seven present but not voting.

These two bills have something in common:  The same seventeen senators voted “no” or “present-not voting” (the same as “no”) on both bills.

There is a very simple truth that becomes blindingly obvious when you examine the votes on these two bills. The same people who oppose limits placed on how much a school district can take in property taxes also oppose school choice. Nebraska is one of two states that have absolutely zero school choice, and we’re rapidly becoming the state with the highest property taxes in the country. Until the Legislature has at least thirty-three votes willing to place limits on how much property taxes can be used to fund public schools, we will never have either school choice, or any reduction in the property taxes killing our state. 

That brings me to the coming election in November. Of the forty-nine legislative districts, the twenty-four even-numbered legislative districts will be on the ballot this time. Twelve Senators are termed-out (served eight years). Twelve Senators are seeking re-election. Two senators are running for higher elected office, so the total may be twenty-six open seats. How many of these races will produce a senator willing to change how this body views these subjects? 

With the exception of a couple votes cast either way, I have seen scores of votes on bills dealing with taxation and schools break down just like this. Year after year, Senators Briese and Linehan and others introduce bills trying to address issues that overwhelming majorities of Nebraskans support. Year after year, these bills are defeated by a handful of well-funded lobbyists who have just enough senators supporting them. I hope the people send a very clear message this fall and send representatives to this body that will finally respect the tax-payers more than the tax-spenders.