Breaking up Initiative 435 in hopes of repealing $10 million in annual private scholarships

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – On Tuesday, November 5, Nebraskans will consider whether to repeal LB 1402, which earmarks $10 million a year in state funds for scholarships for K-12 private schools.

Initiative 435 will be one of the last things voters see on the ballot.

VOTER’S GUIDE: 2024 Nebraska General Election

A similar initiative that was approved last year would be on the ballot and give voters a chance to repeal the Opportunity Grants Act passed by the Legislature in 2023.

Instead, the bill was rejected this spring and replaced by LB 1402, rendering the initiative moot. With all this discussion, both sides said this vote would once and for all allow Nebraskans to make a decision on the state’s school voucher laws.

“We are not against school choice. We believe that parents should have an influence on where their children go. “Our concern is that the schools they choose from should be publicly accountable and have an obligation to admit all students,” said Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association.

Supporters of 435 say that while funding is currently just $10 million, it could grow rapidly as similar voucher programs in other states.

“Every time voters went to the ballot and were asked the question, ‘Should public money go to private schools?’ They said no,” Royers said.

Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, author of LB 1402 and the Opportunity Scholarship Act, said both are intended to help low-income families pay for private schools by giving them more choices about where to enroll their children.

“I don’t think this right should only be available to those who are lucky enough to earn enough to move and pay their tuition fees. And I don’t think there’s anything more important than a child’s education,” Linehan said.

He says if the initiative is successful, Nebraska will be one of only two states without a school choice program.

“There will be 5,000 students and they will be low-income students, students who have been victims of bullying, who have been denied the option of enrolling in public school – they are the ones who qualify. And if you vote for this, you will take away these scholarships from these children. That’s what you do,” Linehan said.

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