John,
It’s National School Choice Week, and I wanted to take a moment to share with you why education and school choice are so near and dear to my heart. While serving in the Nebraska Legislature, education has been a top priority for me.
I am especially proud to have passed two key education initiatives. The first ensures that children are properly assessed and supported for dyslexia, while the other made reading a classroom priority so that children who needed extra resources for reading help could be identified in grade school. These initiatives passed with overwhelming support several years ago.
But there is more work to do for our children. Nebraska is one of only TWO states without any form of school choice. We must do what we can to ensure that Nebraska children and families have the best opportunities possible.
That’s why I have championed the scholarship tax credit bill for four years. This program would give students, especially low-income students, a chance to have a great education by offering tax credits for donations made to private schools’ tuition assistance and scholarship programs. These credits will open up more resources for kids who wouldn’t have a chance to attend a school of their choice otherwise. My friend, State Senator Tom Brewer, has introduced the scholarship tax credit bill this Legislative Session, and we are committed to getting it across the finish line.
It’s a step in the right direction towards funding students, not systems. We’ve seen over and over that children who have the benefit of school choice tend to do better overall than their peers who don’t have the same opportunities.
We’re spending more than we ever have in the history of public education in America, and some schools are still falling short of providing a quality education–especially for kids in lower socioeconomic areas. It’s time for Nebraska to move forward with school choice, and give families freedom and opportunities for their kids to get the best education possible.
For our future,
State Senator Lou Ann Linehan
