Will Nebraska State Senators Prevent Low-Income and Working Class Families from Enjoying the Same Opportunities They Themselves Enjoyed?

Many Nebraska state senators have personally benefited from a private school education. Their parents decided that a private school education was right for them, and many of them have made the same decision for their own children.

Such a decision is not a rebuke of the public school system; it’s simply a personal decision based on a variety of factors such as natural strengths and challenges, curriculum preferences, learning style, educational goals, family traditions, and more.

As the legislature debates LB295 today, many people are wondering if the senators who personally benefited from private education will vote to prevent poor children from accessing these same opportunities. Or will they extend educational freedom to those who are not privileged enough to have education options?

Burke Harr attended one of the state’s elite private schools, Creighton Prep. The school currently offers 19 AP courses and has a student-to-faculty ratio of 13:1. Harr’s prestigious education has served him well; he went on to attend St. Thomas University and Notre Dame law school, both private schools supported in part by public dollars. Hopefully, he’ll recognize that low-income children deserve access to the kinds of options he has enjoyed.

---

Adam Morfeld attended St. Teresa’s Parish School in Lincoln, a small, tight-knit Catholic school currently serving approximately 300 students in the city he represents. Some students thrive in smaller school settings with traditional discipline, school uniforms, and religious instruction. Hopefully, Senator Morfeld will recognize that some low-income children would thrive in the school environment his family was fortunate enough to access for him.

---

Sara Howard attended Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart in Omaha. Duchesne focuses on college prep, and traditionally, 100% of the graduates go on to attend 4-year universities and colleges. Many low-income parents in Nebraska would love to be able to send their children to a school with such a focus and such a track record. Hopefully, Senator Howard will vote to extend her privileges to others.

---

Lynne Walz chose to send her children to Archbishop Bergan Catholic School in Fremont. This school prides itself on “recognizing the individual learning styles and abilities of each student.” With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1, it’s very possible to do so. This is the kind of attention and focus that many parents would like for their children. Hopefully, Senator Walz will vote for education freedom for low-income parents because she knows how important it was for her own family.

---

Dan Quick sent his children to Grand Island Central Catholic. It’s the only school in Grand Island that offers foreign languages in middle school, and it also offers a variety of other innovative courses including AP, dual-credit, distance learning, and tech prep. Hopefully, Senator Quick will understand that he’s not the only parent who would love to be able to access these options for his children. And his children aren’t the only ones who just get one shot at their K-12 educations.

---

It will be interesting to see in the debate today how many senators will send the message to low-income Nebraskans that school choice is “for me but not for thee.” Here’s to hoping that today is the day Nebraska shows its commitment to equal opportunity for all children. It’s time.