Teachers Union: Enough $ for Us But Not for Low-Income Students

The teachers unions are saying that Nebraska cannot afford $2 million in statewide tax credits to help low-income students get scholarships for K-12 private school tuition; meanwhile, OPS (a single district, mind you) passed a measure to issue over $300 million in pension obligation bonds, which actuaries estimate will pull nearly $21 million out of the classroom every year to pay bondholders due to the district’s out-of-control pension debt. Plus, state taxpayers are annually spending over $1 billion for K-12 state per-pupil funding (this doesn’t include local property taxes for local school districts).

In other words, the Nebraska teachers unions are willing to take hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars out of classrooms for the ill-managed pensions of a single district, but they’re not willing to consider a $2 million program that goes directly to classroom learning for low-income children across the state. And when you consider that within a few years the $2 million will actually be saving the state money, it’s inconceivable that they’re trying to block this program.

Unfortunately, that’s not where the hypocrisy ends. Let’s take a look at the union rhetoric surrounding this issue. It helps us to understand the unfathomable.

This morning I wrote some of our Nebraska state senators to express support for LB295, Opportunity Scholarships, and I got three replies back. One was non-committal, one was very positive, and one included many false statements, including the following:
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• LB295 would cost Nebraska $10 million when it’s facing a budget shortfall.

    FALSE: The amendment for LB295 calls for $2 million in tax credits.

• LB295 wouldn’t save Nebraska money.

    FALSE: States that have implemented similar programs are saving a great deal of money. Florida, for instance is saving $1.49 for every $1 forgone in tax revenue, and Oklahoma is saving $1.24 for every $1.

• LB295 would have a negative impact on public education.

    FALSE: A study of Florida’s tax-credit scholarship program found that the public schools were strengthened as a result of the competition from private schools. Additionally, public schools end up having more money per student as a result of tax-credit scholarships.

This senator also emphasized that she personally benefited from private education (as did Senator Harr who is threatening to filibuster the bill), and she also recognized that the legislature has a responsibility to make sure a free public education is available to all children in the state. Yet she didn’t recognize the fact that private schools in the state are currently saving taxpayers roughly half a billion dollars per year. For all the whining and crying over $2 million in tax-credits, TEEOSA is currently costing taxpayers over $1 billion every year.

In conclusion, we’re spending over $1 billion each year (on a state level alone) for public education that is getting poor results (only about half of the students are reaching reading proficiency). LB295 would help low-income children in failing schools to access additional education opportunities that are currently out of their financial reaches. In addition to helping these children, Nebraska taxpayers would save money in the long run, and public schools would benefit from increased per-pupil funds and standards-raising competition.
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How can the unions rationalize their opposition to LB295? It’s unfathomable.

-Rachel Terry