Nebraska public school advocates hold rally outside of Capitol

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) -Teachers and public school advocates held a rally in opposition to LB753 on Saturday at the State Capitol.

The bill, known as the ‘Opportunity Scholarships Act’, would allocate $25 million to go to dollar-for-dollar tax credits for people who make donations to organizations that provide scholarships to private schools.

According to a report from the Nebraska Examiner, credit could eventually rise to $100 million a year. An estimated 5,000 students could switch to private schools, a legislative fiscal note said, and some senators predict it would lead to opening of more private and religious schools.

Opponents of the bill said it would intentionally discriminate against kids based on race, gender, sexual orientation and disability and said state dollars need to fund public schools.

LB 753 is in final reading and is likely to pass in the coming weeks.

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