OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Nebraska joins federal voucher program for private schools despite 2024 voter repeal of similar state plan. Program starts 2027.
- On Monday, Governor Jim Pillen announced that Nebraska will opt into a new nationwide scholarship tax credit program.
- Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, says the governor's decision goes against what voters wanted.
- Supporters like Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska say the plan gives families more choices.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Nebraska will participate in a new federal school voucher program that allows taxpayers to help cover private school costs, even for high-income families, despite critics saying it contradicts last year's voter decision and could drain public school funding.
On Monday, Governor Jim Pillen announced that Nebraska will opt into a new nationwide scholarship tax credit program created under President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" signed earlier this year.
I spoke to Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, who says the governor's decision goes against what voters wanted. In 2024, voters repealed a state program that would have sent state money to private schools through tax credits.
"He genuinely does not think that Nebraskans voted to repeal the voucher bill last year," Royers said.
Royers says the federal program goes even further with no cap on tax credits or on individual voucher amounts.
"The way the federal program is set up, families that make 300% of the average income in the area are eligible to receive a voucher, so that means if you make nearly a quarter of a million dollars, you're going to get a handout so you can send your kid to private school," Royers said.
Supporters like Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska say the plan gives families more choices.
The new voucher program isn't set to start until 2027, giving Nebraska families and educators time to prepare.
