Offering tax credits for scholarships to private schools has been a controversial issue in Nebraska.

After tax-credit bills failed to pass in 2020 and 2021, this year the Opportunity Scholarships Act was signed into law. Legislative Bill 753 provides donors to scholarship-granting organizations a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for up to 50% of their income tax liability.

Carlie Jonas, policy associate at the Center for Rural Affairs, said public schools are a big part of rural Nebraska. She predicts communities will be affected by any loss of funding this bill creates, regardless of whether they have any private schools.

"In 48 of Nebraska's 93 counties, there are not any private schools and, as you move from the central to the western parts of the state, that's even more true," Jonas pointed out. "Only seven counties west of Kearney County have a private school," which is seven of the 38 counties in the region.

Jonas said the Center's analysis found a huge disparity between the Opportunity Scholarships Act tax credit and the standard tax credit for donations. Someone owing $100,000 in income taxes could reduce their tax liability by $50,000 by donating $50,000 to a scholarship-granting organization. But donating that $50,000 to a charitable group would reduce their tax liability by only around $3,300.

Supporters of the bill maintain it gives Nebraska families more freedom to pick the school that best fits their child's needs.

Dave Welsch, a retired Nebraska organic farmer and longtime school board member from Milford, said he worries about the losses other Nebraska charities may experience if the law stands.

"With LB-753, it takes one brand-new charitable organization, the scholarship-granting organizations and elevates them," Welsch noted. "And it actually incentivizes people to give to them because they're offering a dollar-for-dollar income tax credit."

Welsch also anticipates lost tax revenue from the measure, combined with the 2023 income tax breaks, will lead to a revenue shortage. His decades on a school board have shown him that usually means cuts in public school funding.

He also believes providing public dollars for private schools goes against the state Constitution.

"That's why they had to create this scheme to create scholarship-granting organizations," Welsch contended. "So that when individuals and corporations donate to them, then they can offer up this dollar-for-dollar income tax credit."

Jonas emphasized that the experience of other states, such as Arizona, where its scholarship fund has grown to an annual $250 million, should be a warning to Nebraska.

"It leads them to rely more heavily on local taxes, like property taxes, to fund the budget deficit," Jonas explained. "In Nebraska this is an issue, with the amount of property taxes used for public schools."

A petition drive is underway to get the measure on the ballot in the 2024 election, as is an opposing drive aimed at keeping people from signing.

Colorado, already considered a national leader in workforce development, is aiming to raise the bar even higher.

Gov. Jared Polis recently issued an executive order calling on state agencies to create a more integrated system which meets learners where they are so they can access the education and training they need to get good jobs in Colorado's evolving economy.

Angie Paccione, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, said the challenge is to restructure siloed agencies and initiatives and design a system to work even better.

"Bring together the best of what each individual division and department is doing," Paccione recommended. "Bring it together in a way that's going to make it easier for individuals to navigate and also ultimately get the skills and training that they need for the jobs that they want."

Colorado ranks first nationally, tied with Massachusetts, for its percentage of residents who have a credential or degree beyond high school but there is room for improvement. There are currently two available jobs for every unemployed person in the state. More than 90% of top-paying jobs require some form of postsecondary education but just half of graduating seniors are signing up for college or certificate programs, well below the national average of 61%.

Paccione stressed the new order aims to find out what's keeping high school graduates from taking the next step and then eliminate barriers so all Colorado students have a clear pathway toward a sustainable wage. She added it is not just about creating worker bees.

"We're all going to work 40 to 45 years," Paccione emphasized. "We want to make sure that students are getting the education and training they need for the jobs of the future and the jobs that will inspire them and fulfill them as well."

The executive order called for the Colorado Departments of Labor and Employment, Higher Education, and Regulatory Agencies, working with the Office of Economic Development and International Trade and key staff in the governor's office to submit a comprehensive plan by Dec. 1.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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Washington's Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction has revised its public school discipline policies, and advocates for children said the changes weaken student protections and OSPI did not seek enough community feedback.

One of the new rules removes requirements for schools to consider alternative forms of discipline before suspensions or expulsions.

Derick Harris, executive director of the Black Education Strategy Roundtable, said since Black students are twice as likely to face disciplinary actions compared with white students, they will be unfairly affected by the change.

"This appears to me to be some rollback to a bygone era of zero-tolerance policy," Harris contended. "Which we know within the Black community is a streamlined pathway from the school to the prison."

OSPI said it followed all the required procedures in creating the new rules, including gathering public comment at four public hearings across the state. All school districts are required to follow the new rules, which take effect in July.

Eric Holzapfel, chief engagement officer for the League of Education Voters, criticized OSPI for doing only the bare minimum to engage the community about the new rules, arguing they did not give enough notice for the public hearings and there were not enough of them.

"There was one in the whole Puget Sound, so that's close to three million people," Holzapfel pointed out. "Only one public hearing from 4 to 6 p.m. How is a working parent going to make that?"

Harris explained most of the Black residents in Washington live around Seattle and SeaTac, yet the nearest OSPI meeting to comment on the new rules was in Federal Way, more than an hour's drive during rush hour.

"This represents an intentional neglect of voices that this would impact the most," Harris asserted.

Data show just one suspension can lead to decreased academic performance, a higher chance of involvement with the criminal justice system and lower wages.

Hunger among college students in California has jumped dramatically since the pandemic, yet Cal-Fresh -- a statewide low-income food assistance program -- fails to reach more than 70% of eligible students.

So, food pantries at colleges and universities are finding creative ways to meet student needs.

In the 2023-24 school year, 46% of students at Cal Poly Humboldt used the school's Oh-SNAP! food pantry, 4% more than the year before.

Mira Friedman - lead for health education and clinic support services there, who coordinates the program - said people may think that if students can afford tuition, they can afford food.

But that's often untrue.

"It's a misconception, because oftentimes financial aid is not significant enough to pay for all the expenses," said Friedman. "Food is very expensive, housing insecurity is very real, and food insecurity is very real for our students."

Data from the California Student Aid Commission found that more than two-thirds of college students surveyed were food insecure in 2023.

Humboldt's Oh-SNAP! program offers cooking and gardening classes, sponsors a weekly farm stand with organic fruits and vegetables, and even has a pop-up thrift store with furniture and kitchen items.

Students are also notified to pick up extra food from dining halls.

Contra Costa College, a 2-year school in San Pablo, recently launched a pilot program with 20 refrigerated lockers where students can pick up groceries they order online.

Basic needs coordinator Hope Dixon said the program also helps students with Cal-Fresh applications.

"The eligibility requirements around CalFresh are incredibly challenging," said Dixon. "I have a flow chart that helps students pre-review if they have some eligibility. In order to apply, there's an interview, and students are often in classes. If they miss the call, it's very, very hard."

Students who are on a school food plan only qualify for Cal Fresh if it is the most minimal plan.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.



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