LINCOLN, Neb (KMTV) — There are two issues that pop up in the legislature year after year: school funding and property taxes.
Every year legislators try to strike a balance between the two but always come up short.
“We are addressing the needs of kids and property taxes, which was promised over three decades ago and this is what will deliver it,” said Gov. Jim Pillen.
On Tuesday Pillen, along with several state senators, unveiled their plan to fix school funding.
The centerpiece of their plan is a billion-dollar bill that would drastically change how schools are funded.
“You will be hearing a lot about the Education Future Fund. It is only three pages but there is quite a bit there,” said Sen. Robert Clements.
If it were to be established, the state would invest one billion dollars from its general funds into the Education Future Fund, and appropriate an additional $250 million dollars per year for six years to bring the total to $2.5 billion.
The rest of the agenda utilizes those funds to disperse more aid to schools.
Senator Rita Sanders' bill, LB583, uses that aid to provide a flat $1,500 per student to every district in the state, increasing aid to 180 districts.
It also requires the state to provide special education supplemental aid in the TEEOSA formula to each school district equal to 80% of their special education expenses.
Pillen had originally wanted to scrap the TEEOSA formula entirely but changed his mind after consulting with educators across the state.
“This is a compromise and a way to make sure every school district that has been part of TEEOSA that they are held harmless,” said Pillen.
The final piece of the plan comes from Senator Tom Briese.
Briese’s LB589 caps the amount of property tax increases a district can ask for based on the needs of the school.
The cap is not set in stone though and districts will be able to override it if they choose.
“There will be ways to override the cap with a supermajority vote of the school board or a super-majority vote of the public. So it will be a soft cap, if the locals see fit to override the cap they will have the ability to do so,” said Briese.
So far these bills have only been proposed and so far none have been scheduled for debates or committee hearings.
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