Members of Support Our Schools Nebraska turned in over 117,000 signatures on their petition to put a new state voucher law on the state ballot in November 2024!
Supporters of the petition needed 60,000 signatures, which must now be verified by the Secretary of State. They collected far more than was necessary in case some were not valid. If they had collected 200,000 names, the law would have been suspended but that was an impossible goal.
Vouchers have never won a state referendum.
This is a wonderful challenge to privatization.
The governor vowed to keep fighting for private school funding no matter what happens in the referendum.
In a statement, Gov. Jim Pillen said the petition drive failed to suspend the law, and it will go into effect.
“We should not be fighting this fight. With the support of the Legislature, I provided the largest funding increase in the State’s history for public education. The signatures collected will now have to be certified by the Secretary of State. If this initiative makes it onto the 2024 ballot, I can promise you the fight will not be over. I have confidence in education, both public and private. I will continue to make sure each student in Nebraska has the educational freedom to choose where they want to attend school. We will never give up on our kids,” Pillen said in a statement.
Organizers took the podium Wednesday in Lincoln, discussing the results of their petition drive against LB 753, which commits public dollars into tax credits for scholarships to kids across Nebraska.
But these advocates said this law doesn’t help children at all.
They want public schools to be better funded, as Nebraska ranks 49th in the nation in state aid to public schools.
“The future of Nebraska is the future of our children. All children, not just some children, all children,” one organizer said.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
So, Republican Gov. Jim Pillen is another fascist, huh?
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If you are correct Lloyd, we should be scared because he’s got a very powerful and well-funded Church backing him.
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The Governor of Nebraska doesn’t think democracy matters. He will do what he wants regardless of what the voters want. #fascism
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Nebraska Catholic Conference site- “School Choice Under Attack: Decline to Sign”…
“dozens of empirical studies show school choice programs improve academic outcomes, save taxpayers money, and reduce racial segregation.”
Gov. Jim Pillen and Sen. Lou Ann Linehan who “championed” school choice in the legislature (as described by the Nebraska Catholic Conference at its site), are both Republican Catholics.
The USCCB “represents one of the most powerful lobbying groups in America” (the recent book, “Playing God”, by Mary Jo McConahay).
Republican Catholics may well be racists based on the story told in, “Exploring the Experience of Black students in a Predominantly White, All-Male, Suburban Catholic High School.” We know the Church discriminates against women and LGBTQ. So, it’s not a reach to speculate.
The article referenced is posted at Seton Hall dissertations and theses, spring 2-22-2021. The article describes, “micro-aggressions,” “normalization of the N-word,” etc.
Support Our Schools will need a plan to counter the money and politicking of the Church. And, they’ll need to know what the book “Playing God,” by Mary Jo McConahay tells us. There’s an unholy alliance with Charles Koch.
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Vouchers are like a bad penny that gets passed around from one state to another. Kansas should vote vouchers down as they are bad policy that cost a great deal, but they make little academic or economic sense. They are particularly harmful to rural school districts.
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Does Kansas have a voucher issue on the ballot also?
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I just toss all my Pennie’s into a bin that sits in the closet. That way I don’t have to worry about passing bad ones.
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I established that practice years ago and now rest easy at night as a result.
I did have to double up the floor joists under the closet, but it was well worth the effort for the peace of mind I gained.
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I should probably ship the bin to Canada when it’s full.
DAM Canadian pennies!
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Given the strong community feeling I get in Nebraska, this does not surprise me at all. What does surprise me is that there is an demand for schools to choose from, given the rather small population. Of course, I have not spent much tome in any of the population centers.
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Agreed. This is surprising. Must be related to wanting to substitute small church-run schools (barely more than home schooling) for public schools.
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“Gov. Jim Pillen said the petition drive failed to suspend the law”
Funny how these people always make a loss seem like a win.
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We did this 15 years ago in Utah only to have the legislature in the following years restrict referendum laws, reverse referendums that were passed, and finally reintroduce and pass voucher laws in a “limited” but already overfunded and used form. Good luck in Nebraska but know the fight is not over and Republicans are not men/women of their word. They want what why want and will do anything to get it.
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On Aug. 8, Ohio citizens had to fight off an attempt to destroy the opportunity for citizens to pass referendums.
The Ohio Catholic bishops publicly said they didn’t have a position on the issue because it had no moral content. However, the Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland dioceses together spent $900,000 to promote the anti-democracy measure. They were one of the top 5 spenders along with the American Principles Project founded by right wing Catholic activist, Robert P George.
Will do anything to get what they want.
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I recall the anti-voucher vote in Utah was decisive, like 62% opposed. But the legislature didn’t care.
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I’m surprised at how many power-mad people have converged to topple American democracy. With justice, Trump’s co-conspirators will be found guilty. Public shaming of Ohio’s bishops works for me but, even better, empty churches. If right wing religious are steering the anti-democracy Utah legislature, I want their churches empty too.
Raw Story wrote recently about an organization, Recovering from Religion. One of the people instrumental in the success of the organization described her husband as a member of Promise Keepers. (Wikipedia ‘s entry for the founder of Promise Keepers shows that his wife didn’t flourish in her patriarchy.) The Church didn’t support the woman who later increased the reach of Recovering from Religion nor her kids during alleged abuse at the hands of a violent man. She was told to be more submissive. Her homeschool support group pulled away when they heard about the divorce.
Any woman who votes Republican is just not the person she should be.
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It was and 15 years later they didn’t care and jammed it down the citizen’s throats without public comment suspending the rules in both houses to push in through the legislature in the first week of the session 2023 session in Jan. Now in August more vouchers have been issued that was planned for, partly I’m sure because home school were included ($8000 per child is a good incentive) and legislatures are congratulating themselves for how it worked.
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Thanks for adding your comment, InStereo
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