Why it's
bad
LB 753 is expensive
These tax credits benefit corporations and the
wealthy while shifting the burden of funding
critical programs and services — like public
health and safety and affordable housing — to
less affluent taxpayers. Its dollar-for-dollar
tax credit to individuals and businesses creates
a significantly more lucrative incentive than
the state offers for any other type of
charitable giving, including churches, food
banks and cancer research. The first-year limit
on the total amount of vouchers is $25 million,
and the cost to Nebraska’s general fund will
likely grow exponentially, as it has in other
states, to nearly $250 million a year in just 10
years.
LB 753 does not help all children
In Nebraska, 9 in 10 students attend our public
schools. Voucher tax schemes like LB 753 funnel
money away from our already-underfunded public
schools and children and redistribute tax
dollars to private schools, including those that
discriminate against children and their
families. Research shows that school vouchers do
not improve students' academic
performance and they fail to support disabled
and special-needs students.
School voucher schemes are unaccountable
Private schools that receive funding under LB
753 would not be held to the same accountability
and reporting requirements as public schools, as
only minimal academic standards are required for
schools to be eligible. This lack of oversight
and accountability will leave students, their
families, and the state in a precarious position
with no ability to gauge whether the funds are
being used effectively or appropriately.
