Latest news with #NebraskaStateEducationAssociation
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers unlikely to lower minimum retirement age for Nebraska school employees
Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, center, talks about 2025 priorities for the teachers union. Jan. 28, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — Senators and school administrators expressed hesitation Wednesday in lowering, back to age 55, the minimum retirement age at which Nebraska school employees can step down with full benefits. Currently, eligible school employees face what is known as the 'Rule of 85,' whereby if someone's age plus years of service exceeds 85, that person can retire without any reductions in benefits. Employees who started before July 2018 can retire as young as 55, but employees hired after have to wait until at least age 60. Tim Royers, president of the NSEA, said an amendment to reverse that 'poor decision' would have little financial or staffing impact and could incentivize young educators to look ahead to retirement. 'Our young educators deserve the same flexibility that I and other veteran teachers enjoy when it comes to deciding when we turn off the classroom lights for the last time,' Royers said at a Wednesday hearing on the proposed amendment, which he supported. The Nebraska Council of School Administrators and the Nebraska Association of School Boards opposed the change. Lawmakers advance changes to Nebraska school retirement plan to help close budget hole Royers said it would be in the best interest of a teacher who, at age 55, already has 30 years of service, to step back if they're exhausted rather than being forced to work five more years. State Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln, chair of the Legislature's Nebraska Retirement Systems Committee, proposed the change as a deal with the NSEA. In return, the State of Nebraska would agree to withhold annual contributions to the school retirement plan for the next two years before going to a stair-stepped contribution system based on the plan's funding level. The amendment comes to Legislative Bill 645, which was introduced by Ballard on behalf of Gov. Jim Pillen and seeks to change the annual contribution levels for the state, employees and school districts. The school retirement plan for employees statewide outside of Omaha Public Schools (who have a separate pension plan) is currently 99.91% funded. If passed, the current version of LB 645 is expected to save the state about $80 million. With the new amendment, the state would save approximately $20 million more. State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, who has consistently opposed a shaky negotiations process behind LB 645, has repeatedly asked why the school plan had to be changed now. Royers said the original LB 645, which would have offered no reduced contributions to school employees or employers, was a 'poor bill' that he said was brought for the wrong reasons, mainly to help plug the state's nearly half-a-billion-dollar projected budget deficit. However, Royers said it presented a rare chance to 'force' a conversation on the plan, leading to an amended bill that could give the average school teacher more than $1,000 in annual take-home pay because of reduced contributions. Now, he views the amended bill as a way to give hard-working employees a benefit and put them on a more 'equal playing field.' Royers said he has to look for any wins for educators in a political environment where he said the 'political will' makes such victories 'candidly, limited.' Conrad asked Royers what happens if he is wrong about the feasibility of the amended bill, to which Royers responded that he hopes he's not. He pointed to an actuarial study showing that the amended LB 645 and a lower Rule of 85 could be financially feasible. Tim Hruza, appearing on behalf of the school administrators association, said the organization wanted a new actuarial study to fully understand the impact of a modified Rule of 85. But if the changes have to wait another year, Royers said he's OK with that. 'If the end result of this is we've had this conversation, it's on the radar but it's not going to be something we get to until next year,' Royers said, 'I'm perfectly fine with that.' LB 645 will return for the second of three stages of debate on Thursday. Ballard said he is likely to withdraw the amendment that was considered Wednesday. The full state budget will need to advance from the Appropriations Committee by next Tuesday, with debate beginning May 6. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Not quite there yet': Nebraska teachers union now ‘neutral' on proposed retirement tweaks
Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, leads a news conference highlighting 2025 priorities for teachers statewide. Jan. 28, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — Nebraska's teachers union will no longer oppose a governor-backed bill to tweak the state's school retirement plan, partly due to an amendment that could also benefit teachers. The Nebraska State Education Association formally shifted its stance this week, two months after urging caution and encouraging teachers statewide to speak out against Legislative Bill 645, which was introduced by State Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln at Gov. Jim Pillen's request. The bill would create stepped-down contribution levels from the state to the school retirement plan, depending on its actuarial funding level. As of July 1, the plan was 99.9% funded. If passed, LB 645 would drop the state's annual contributions toward the retirement plan based on statewide school employee payroll. Once the plan reaches 100% funding, the state would no longer automatically contribute year over year. A Feb. 13 amendment from Ballard proposes similar changes to teacher and other employee contributions depending on actuarial funding, which could save teachers money each month, helping lead to the changed NSEA position. 'I think this is a win-win,' Ballard said of the amendment. 'In my opinion, this is the teachers' money. It's a real-world take-home pay increase for teachers.' The amendment would also limit the modified state contribution levels to three tiers, instead of six as in the original LB 645. The teachers union had originally said the bill would 'raid' teacher pensions, which director Kenny Zoeller of the governor's Policy Research Office said was a 'flat-out lie' because LB 645 wouldn't touch 'hard-working dollars.' NSEA President Tim Royers, in a Feb. 20 emailed video to NSEA members addressing the Ballard amendment, credited his members for the change. 'We would not be here delivering this good news without you using your voice the way that you did, to help those lawmakers see that we need to build a better version of this bill that puts the educators of the state at the forefront of what it intends to do,' Royers said at the time. He described the amendment as 'version 2.0 of the bill.' The state currently contributes 2% of school employee payroll statewide to the pension plan, while employees contribute 9.77% of their salaries and school districts contribute 9.88% of their employees' salaries. This means that for the current fiscal year, with an estimated $2.5 billion payroll for school employees statewide, the required contributions would be: State of Nebraska (2%): $50.1 million. School employees (9.77%): $244.8 million. School districts (9.88%): $247.6 million. Zoeller said that the changes for the state would free up funds for education investments and are not designed to help plug a projected budget shortfall of $457 million prior to any legislative action. Royers has said it was OK for the state to reduce its contributions but that school employees and the teachers he represents should also be part of the conversation. Under Ballard's amendment, the plan would require different contributions at three levels of funding: less than 96% actuarially funded, between 96% and once the plan is 100% actuarially funded. When the plan is 96% or more funded, but not 100%, school employee contributions would fall to 7.28% of their salaries, and the state would contribute 0.7% of school employees' payroll. Once the plan reaches 100% funded, the state would pull out of funding. Lawmakers would continue to need to add funding in volatile years in which legally set contribution levels aren't enough to keep the plan afloat. Contribution levels would revert to current levels if the plan drops below 96% funded. Laura Strimple, a spokesperson for Pillen, repeated Pillen's firm stance that efficiencies can be found 'in all aspects of state government,' which she said includes the school retirement plan. 'With a nearly fully funded plan, the Legislature should decide how we can save taxpayer money and directly increase teacher pay,' Strimple said. Such changes to state retirement plans require an actuarial study on possible impacts. The study for LB 645 and its amendment was completed late last week, with actuaries writing that the changes would create more volatility and risk. The study does not specify a 'yes' or 'no' to whether the state could afford the changes. The full actuarial study on Legislative Bill 645 and its amendment is available here. Actuaries predicted the school retirement plan, if Ballard's amended bill became law, would be fully funded about 68% of the time, and at least 96% funded nearly three-fourths of the time. However, the actuaries also gave a 43% chance that the retirement plan could drop below 96% funding before 2035, and a 52% chance before 2045. This would return the 2.5% payroll fee to teachers in a given year, which the actuaries wrote could catch some employees off guard. 'Given the probability of such an event, it might be prudent to ensure members are fully aware of the likelihood of such an adjustment occurring to avoid a surprise on the members' behalf,' the study states. Royers said the study didn't provide all the information his union wanted about the proposal's viability and that a new review methodology left him and his team 'not quite sure, candidly, how to parse the data.' 'That's honestly one of the main reasons why we're coming in neutral,' Royers said Wednesday. 'We want to make sure that what we're doing is going to keep the plan sound for the next 10, 20 years, and we just don't feel that what that study said tells us one way or another.' Royers described the study as asking 'how much oil is in the car,' yet the response was about 'how the brakes are doing.' Ballard's bill and amendment would not decrease contribution levels for school districts, but Royers said there is some 'wiggle room' to bring districts to the table while benefiting the state and teachers. Doing so could lead to property tax relief, repurposing those payroll obligations toward teacher salaries or both, Royers said, and could be a win for communities on tax relief or educators on pay increases. Asked whether the bill could pair with a separate NSEA priority, LB 440, to cover 6 weeks of paid family and medical leave for all teachers during or after significant life events, Royers said it's possible. LB 440, the 2025 priority bill of State Sen. Ashlei Spivey of Omaha, would impose a 0.35% payroll fee on teachers, which school districts would also match, to cover the group benefit. The current estimated payroll this fiscal year for all school employees (not just teachers as under LB 440) would mean the state's 245 school districts, mostly funded through property taxes or state dollars, would need to cover about $8.8 million. This would be less if limited to teachers. 'Synergy is great when you have multiple bills, but we also recognize a bill could fail,' Royers said of the Spivey and Ballard bills. 'We don't want to build our plan around both bills passing.' Royers said he's confident that the NSEA, Ballard and Pillen can find a path forward on school retirement. 'We think ultimately we'll land on a good bill,' Royers said. 'We're just not quite there yet.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Nebraska teachers praise bill for 6 weeks paid family, medical leave for all state educators
LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) — Sydney Jensen had scarcely taken a single day off of teaching in eight years before having her first child in 2020, often coming in sick to teach Nebraska students. She had saved eight weeks of paid leave, but as she faced postpartum depression, she felt returning would be devastating for her mental health, and the eight weeks weren't enough. 'In truth, I felt like I would not survive it,' Jensen said Monday. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act allowed Jensen to extend her leave to a maximum of 12 allowable weeks for significant life events, but the final four weeks came without pay, leading to financial strain, worsening her postpartum depression and creating hardships for her growing family. 'I thought I had done everything right,' Jensen said. 'But it still wasn't enough.' Jensen, a ninth grade English teacher, in Lincoln was one of many supporters to speak in favor of Legislative Bill 440 on Monday, seeking to establish an additional 0.35% payroll fee on Nebraska teachers, matched by local school districts, to cover long-term substitute costs for the first 6 weeks of teachers' leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. Nebraska State Patrol Superintendent Bolduc to retire For a teacher making $60,000, that's a monthly fee of about $17.50, according to the Nebraska State Education Association, advocating on behalf of more than 26,000 public school teachers. Federal law protects workers for up to 12 work weeks of unpaid leave in a year, such as for birth and bonding, adoption or foster care placement and serious personal or family health conditions. Teachers' salaries and benefits are already budgeted for each year, so LB 440 would protect 6 weeks of that federal leave before other accrued paid leave would need to be used, the Nebraska Examiner reports. 'For less than $20 a month, we're gonna give teachers the peace of mind that if they need to take this leave, they won't have to worry about the financial hardship that accompanies it,' NSEA President Tim Royers told the Education Committee. No one testified against the bill. State Sen. Ashlei Spivey of Omaha, LB 440's sponsor, said she suffered severe postpartum depression but was lucky to have an employer who covered paid leave for three months. But she and many teachers said that isn't the same for frontline teachers who are helping to shape the next generation of students. An amendment Spivey offered to the committee would clarify that school districts would still need to pay teachers their full salary and benefits during the covered 6-week leave. Payroll contributions would also be used to cover the operating and administrative costs of the program. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Thirteen states and Washington, D.C., have mandatory paid family medical leave laws, Spivey said. She modeled her bill off of similar teacher payroll contributions toward state insurance and retirement funds. Spivey noted that the union for most state employees also has negotiated 6 weeks of paid maternity leave, which takes effect July 1. She said her bill would promote long-term savings by reducing turnover costs through a sustainable, teacher-led funding model, with no state appropriations needed for the program. 'I would always argue that teachers are some of our most important industry and frontline workers,' Spivey said. 'They need competitive benefits, they need this … in order to be able to stay in the workforce [and] keep educating our future leaders and workforce.' Any surplus in the new leave fund exceeding 20% of projected annual needs would be transferred to a separate fund to focus on teacher retention and professional development. State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, a former central Nebraska school board member and committee chair, asked Spivey if the bill was still needed after voters approved a minimum level of annual paid sick leave for all employees: at least 40 hours of paid leave, or 56 hours for larger businesses. State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward, a substitute teacher and committee vice chair, said she appreciated the program being separate from state dollars. She asked what would happen if contributions weren't enough to cover the required substitute costs in a given year. More than 250 pounds of marijuana found during northeast Neb. traffic stop, NSP says Hughes noted LB 440 would increase costs on districts, which Spivey described as an investment that would supplement, not replace, local 'sick banks' to pool leave time. Spivey said the bill was drafted with past leave requests in mind to create the 0.35% payroll but said she would confirm what would happen in the scenario Hughes had described. Royers, as he did in January, said the legislation is the result of a fall survey of nearly 10,000 Nebraska teachers. The issue encompassed all types of leave, he said, not just maternity or paternity. 'We have a crisis of faith right now for teachers in Nebraska,' Royers said of the survey. 'Just 8% of our educators feel that this body takes them into account when it crafts education policy.' Nora Lenz, a Lincoln teacher with more than 30 years experience, said her parents were placed in a nursing home in the summer of 2019, and Lenz was with her mother Friday through Sunday so she wouldn't be alone, 150 miles away from Lincoln. In January 2020, Lenz's father fell ill, and Lenz said it was clear he was losing his will to live, and his condition got even more fragile in the face of the 'looming threat' of COVID-19. Early retirement wasn't an option for Lenz, and she couldn't afford to go without a salary, needing to support her children in high school and college. Her father was hospitalized, and Lenz's heart ached to be by his side and by her mother's side. 'To this day, I regret not being there with them sooner, before he was hospitalized,' Lenz said. Tired of the default? Nebraska has plenty of specialty license plates Lenz said she held her father's hand when he took his last breath and was with him in the final days of his life, but told the committee she believes that had she been with him sooner, he might have lived just a little longer. Lenz's mother died 17 days later. Sheila Janssen said that she had a stroke in her brainstem on June 6, 2022, at 43 years old, and was in the hospital for nine days. She spent about five weeks in the hospital but, without enough sick leave, returned to school on the first day, on Aug. 10, 2022. 'I probably had no business being there,' Janssen said. 'But I was because I couldn't do it financially.' Jake Bogus of Lincoln, an eighth grade U.S. history teacher, said some families are facing scenarios 'almost like a Margaret Atwood novel,' trying to time pregnancies to use as little paid time off as possible or asking for donated time to care for their newborn children. Other testifiers said they were stuck with a choice: family or financial stability as they or loved ones faced cancer, hip replacements, foster care obligations or loved ones in hospice care. Many current and retired teachers said they felt guilty over the choice they made. Now at 32 weeks pregnant with her second child, Jensen has about 30 days of leave saved up from the past few years. However, she noted that one in seven new mothers will face postpartum depression, and her experience increases her future risk. Jensen said LB 440 would help address a system that is forcing 'impossible choices' and disproportionately impacting younger teachers and women, contributing to burnout and turnover. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'Teachers shouldn't have to choose between their families or financial stability,' Jensen said. 'LB 440 aligns Nebraska's education system with modern workforce needs and demonstrates that we value the well being of those who shape our children's futures.' The committee took no immediate action on LB 440. Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@ Follow Nebraska Examiner on Facebook and X. This story was republished under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Teachers praise bill for 6 weeks paid family, medical leave for all Nebraska educators
Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, center, talks about 2025 priorities for the teacher's union. Jan. 28, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — Sydney Jensen had scarcely taken a single day off of teaching in eight years before having her first child in 2020, often coming in sick to teach Nebraska students. She had saved eight weeks of paid leave, but as she faced postpartum depression, she felt returning would be devastating for her mental health, and the eight weeks weren't enough. 'In truth, I felt like I would not survive it,' Jensen said Monday. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act allowed Jensen to extend her leave to a maximum of 12 allowable weeks for significant life events, but the final four weeks came without pay, leading to financial strain, worsening her postpartum depression and creating hardships for her growing family. 'I thought I had done everything right,' Jensen said. 'But it still wasn't enough.'Jensen, a ninth grade English teacher, in Lincoln was one of many supporters to speak in favor of Legislative Bill 440 on Monday, seeking to establish an additional 0.35% payroll fee on Nebraska teachers, matched by local school districts, to cover long-term substitute costs for the first 6 weeks of teachers' leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. For a teacher making $60,000, that's a monthly fee of about $17.50, according to the Nebraska State Education Association, advocating on behalf of more than 26,000 public school teachers. Federal law protects workers for up to 12 work weeks of unpaid leave in a year, such as for birth and bonding, adoption or foster care placement and serious personal or family health conditions. Teachers' salaries and benefits are already budgeted for each year, so LB 440 would protect 6 weeks of that federal leave before other accrued paid leave would need to be used. 'For less than $20 a month, we're gonna give teachers the peace of mind that if they need to take this leave, they won't have to worry about the financial hardship that accompanies it,' NSEA President Tim Royers told the Education Committee. No one testified against the bill. State Sen. Ashlei Spivey of Omaha, LB 440's sponsor, said she suffered severe postpartum depression but was lucky to have an employer who covered paid leave for three months. But she and many teachers said that isn't the same for frontline teachers who are helping to shape the next generation of students. An amendment Spivey offered to the committee would clarify that school districts would still need to pay teachers their full salary and benefits during the covered 6-week leave. Payroll contributions would also be used to cover the operating and administrative costs of the program. Thirteen states and Washington, D.C., have mandatory paid family medical leave laws, Spivey said. She modeled her bill off of similar teacher payroll contributions toward state insurance and retirement funds. Spivey noted that the union for most state employees also has negotiated 6 weeks of paid maternity leave, which takes effect July 1. She said her bill would promote long-term savings by reducing turnover costs through a sustainable, teacher-led funding model, with no state appropriations needed for the program. 'I would always argue that teachers are some of our most important industry and frontline workers,' Spivey said. 'They need competitive benefits, they need this … in order to be able to stay in the workforce [and] keep educating our future leaders and workforce.' Any surplus in the new leave fund exceeding 20% of projected annual needs would be transferred to a separate fund to focus on teacher retention and professional development. State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, a former central Nebraska school board member and committee chair, asked Spivey if the bill was still needed after voters approved a minimum level of annual paid sick leave for all employees: at least 40 hours of paid leave, or 56 hours for larger businesses. State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward, a substitute teacher and committee vice chair, said she appreciated the program being separate from state dollars. She asked what would happen if contributions weren't enough to cover the required substitute costs in a given year. Hughes noted LB 440 would increase costs on districts, which Spivey described as an investment that would supplement, not replace, local 'sick banks' to pool leave time. Spivey said the bill was drafted with past leave requests in mind to create the 0.35% payroll but said she would confirm what would happen in the scenario Hughes had described. Royers, as he did in January, said the legislation is the result of a fall survey of nearly 10,000 Nebraska teachers. The issue encompassed all types of leave, he said, not just maternity or paternity. 'We have a crisis of faith right now for teachers in Nebraska,' Royers said of the survey. 'Just 8% of our educators feel that this body takes them into account when it crafts education policy.' Nora Lenz, a Lincoln teacher with more than 30 years experience, said her parents were placed in a nursing home in the summer of 2019, and Lenz was with her mother Friday through Sunday so she wouldn't be alone, 150 miles away from Lincoln. In January 2020, Lenz's father fell ill, and Lenz said it was clear he was losing his will to live, and his condition got even more fragile in the face of the 'looming threat' of COVID-19. Early retirement wasn't an option for Lenz, and she couldn't afford to go without a salary, needing to support her children in high school and college. Her father was hospitalized, and Lenz's heart ached to be by his side and by her mother's side. 'To this day, I regret not being there with them sooner, before he was hospitalized,' Lenz said. Lenz said she held her father's hand when he took his last breath and was with him in the final days of his life, but told the committee she believes that had she been with him sooner, he might have lived just a little longer. Lenz's mother died 17 days later. Sheila Janssen said that she had a stroke in her brainstem on June 6, 2022, at 43 years old, and was in the hospital for nine days. She spent about five weeks in the hospital but, without enough sick leave, returned to school on the first day, on Aug. 10, 2022. 'I probably had no business being there,' Janssen said. 'But I was because I couldn't do it financially.' Jake Bogus of Lincoln, an eighth grade U.S. history teacher, said some families are facing scenarios 'almost like a Margaret Atwood novel,' trying to time pregnancies to use as little paid time off as possible or asking for donated time to care for their newborn children. Other testifiers said they were stuck with a choice: family or financial stability as they or loved ones faced cancer, hip replacements, foster care obligations or loved ones in hospice care. Many current and retired teachers said they felt guilty over the choice they made. Now at 32 weeks pregnant with her second child, Jensen has about 30 days of leave saved up from the past few years. However, she noted that one in seven new mothers will face postpartum depression, and her experience increases her future risk. Jensen said LB 440 would help address a system that is forcing 'impossible choices' and disproportionately impacting younger teachers and women, contributing to burnout and turnover. 'Teachers shouldn't have to choose between their families or financial stability,' Jensen said. 'LB 440 aligns Nebraska's education system with modern workforce needs and demonstrates that we value the well being of those who shape our children's futures.' The committee took no immediate action on LB 440. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Face to face: NSEA president, school choice laws author debate future of Nebraska education
Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, and former State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of the Elkhorn area participate in a debate on Nebraska education policy, including school choice, at the 50th annual Nebraska Ecumenical Legislative Briefing Day at Christ United Methodist Church in Lincoln. Feb. 8, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — Months after a tense election cycle to repeal the state's two latest school choice laws, the former state senator who wrote those bills and the current president of the state teacher's union spent Saturday debating the future of education policy, with a focus on Nebraska students in need. Lou Ann Linehan, the former state senator for the Elkhorn area, and Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, sat side by side for the 50th annual Nebraska Ecumenical Legislative Briefing Day at Christ United Methodist Church in Lincoln. They debated school choice and more for about an hour, offering competing visions for what the next steps should be to change the 'status quo.' The pair have crossed paths in and out of the Legislature, often clashing in recent years in Linehan's two committees: Revenue and Education. Royers was past president of the Millard Education Association, and Linehan chaired the Revenue Committee for six years. Beyond policy disagreements, the two have found common ground in Linehan-led and teacher-backed efforts to increase support for students struggling with reading, including dyslexia, which Linehan has, and to increase state funding for schools, largely to offset the amount of school spending relying on property taxes. Linehan also assisted Royers, a civics and government teacher for Millard before ascending to the top NSEA post last fall, by personally replying in writing to students or otherwise engaging with them on assignments and presentations that Royers devised. Most recently, Linehan and Royers were among the public faces of Nebraska's school choice 'battle,' as Linehan described it Saturday, hosting dueling rallies for and against Linehan's past laws. It was a fight that sometimes got personal, including Linehan questioning whether the union had the best interests of children or families at heart and the union pointing out Linehan's familial connection to the American Federation for Children. Her daughter works for the group. Linehan, who was term-limited last month after eight years, led the passage of two laws in her final two years to help Nebraska families cover the costs of attending a private K-12 school, after multiple earlier attempts. 'I've always been able to choose and pick [what was best for my children] because I had the financial ability and the knowledge to do so, and I don't think that choice should be limited to just those with means,' Linehan said Saturday. NSEA-backed Support Our Schools and Linehan-backed Keep Kids First raised and spent more than $9 million combined, for and against the referendum measures in 2023 and 2024. Support Our Schools accounted for 83% of that total fundraising and spending. A key reason for the imbalance: Linehan and her supporters largely declined to fight the 2024 referendum. Royers said option enrollment, which allows parents to apply and possibly move their child to a different district or school than the one they live closest to, gives parents a choice in public schools, which Linehan supports. However, she has criticized option enrollment for leaving some students behind, particularly those receiving special education or those who can't afford transportation to a different school or district. If there's an issue with a neighborhood school, those should be resolved first, Royers said. He said he and Linehan have a 'philosophical disagreement' on how best to meet the needs of Nebraska students. 'All of those kids deserve to have the education they should need,' Royers said. 'It shouldn't just be that we provide a lifeboat to a handful of kids to go somewhere else.' The annual Ecumenical Briefing Day focuses on the assumption that part of living under God's grace means 'fighting for justice for those oppressed or in need whose voices go unheard.' Linehan and Royers also weighed in on how to best support underperforming schools, what possible ramifications could come of federal calls to abolish the U.S. Department of Education and whether chaplains should be allowed to serve as school counselors. Among NSEA's main concerns that Royers voiced Saturday: Private school tuition sometimes skyrockets after such laws pass, keeping private education out of reach for some of the families that supporters of the laws say they want to help. This often leads to families with children already in private schools being the biggest beneficiaries of expanded scholarship or voucher programs. The dollar-for-dollar tax credits disproportionately benefit a specific type of donation, to private school scholarship organizations, that doesn't apply equally to other donations, such as to public school foundations. Some have suggested expanding the tax credit program to include those public school foundations as a compromise. The scholarship or voucher programs apply to all private schools that have been 'approved' or 'accredited' by the state. Royers noted accreditation requires a higher standard. He said he knows there are great private schools, but he argued that all are accredited. He said the application process to be an 'approved' school is just one page long. 'Does that mean if we removed 'approved' and it was just 'accredited,' that you would support it?' Linehan asked Royers. 'I would be more comfortable with it, how about that,' he said. Royers said the laws also come as some attempt to privatize the education system and profit off of it. However, he said, he doesn't think that is Linehan's goal. 'Even though I fundamentally disagree with the solution she's advocating for, I fundamentally do believe that she believes this is in the best interest of kids,' Royers said. I've always been able to choose and pick (what was best for my children) because I had the financial ability and the knowledge to do so, and I don't think that choice should be limited to just those with means. – Former State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan About 57% of voters rejected Linehan's latest school choice law in November, Legislative Bill 1402, an annual $10 million appropriation to the State Treasurer's office to distribute funds to families to offset private school attendance costs. It was the fourth time Nebraska voters have rejected school choice proposals at the ballot box. Her successor, State Sen. Tony Sorrentino, has introduced a bill to revive the 2023 version of Linehan's school choice law, LB 753, which set aside $25 million in dollar-for-dollar income tax credits to offset private donations to organizations funding scholarships for students seeking to attend private K-12 schools. Linehan repealed the 2023 version in favor of the direct scholarship or voucher program last year. Sorrentino's Legislative Bill 509 is joined by LB 624 from State Sen. Rob Dover of Norfolk, which would revive the new scholarship or voucher program that voters repealed in November. Both are among at least seven school choice bills in the 2025 legislative session. Much of the union's hesitation and pushback has less to do with what the proposal is now, Royers said, and more to do with what it could become and 'the door that could open.' He said that concern grows with Linehan no longer in the Legislature because he understands Linehan's intent with her legislation. Similar laws in other states have started at a similar scale, scope and focus and have grown, he explained. Linehan said that if students are leaving any school in droves, it should raise questions. Some families can't afford to leave and might not feel like they have the power to demand change, she said, pointing to parts of the Omaha Public Schools, where she said some schools have underperformed 'for two or three generations.' 'If you are poor and you are afraid somebody might come and take your kids away from you, you don't go to school and demand answers,' Linehan said. Asked by an audience member about the next steps for underperforming schools, Royers agreed with Linehan that many decisions reside in the Nebraska Department of Education. Linehan said it is up to the department and the State Board of Education to accredit schools, but she said it's right to question why schools that are failing are still being accredited or receiving more state aid per-student aid than others that are performing better. 'It's not always just money,' Linehan said of solutions. All of those kids deserve to have the education they should need. It shouldn't just be that we provide a lifeboat to a handful of kids to go somewhere else. – Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association Royers said he needs to do better in voicing alternatives to Linehan's approach, which he said Saturday is the 'community school model.' It seeks to tailor services and supports specifically for each neighborhood, decentralizing decision-making and bringing in parents with a voting voice to 'help steer the school in the right direction to meet the needs of their kids.' 'It's not a cookie cutter answer, because the fundamental principle is it should be tailored to whatever the needs of the community are,' Royers said. Linehan said she is 'so proud' of Sorrentino, who she said 'just ran in there' and said, 'I'm going to do this.' She said it takes a lot of nerve and is very hard to take on the teacher's union. 'The Education Committee in the Legislature is one of the most important committees there is. And if you're a Republican, a conservative, and you're for choice, and you put yourself on that committee, you're putting a bull's-eye on your back, and it's not right,' Linehan said. 'We can help all kids, and I've always wanted to help all kids.' Royers said that while the two disagree on how, he and Linehan are united in wanting to help students. 'Where I think we do have common ground is both of us are unhappy with the status quo,' Royers said. 'We just fundamentally disagree on what the solution is to the status quo.' Both Royers and Linehan bristled at the suggestion of having chaplains serve as school counselors, a proposal advanced by State Sen. Loren Lippincott of Central City in 2024 and proposed again in LB 549 in 2025. The new bill would allow a clergy member to serve at a school in a volunteer capacity, such as providing academic, career, emotional or behavioral health support. Royers said that while he's had important pastors in his life, they're not trained to be counselors. 'To imply that those two are the same, candidly, in my mind is insulting to both counselors and religious leaders,' Royers said. Counselors also take up coordination of federal Section 504 support plans for students, Royers said. It is a second tier of special education services with a lower qualifying threshold than individualized education plans (IEPs). Linehan said she hasn't read the new bill, but she remembers part of the 2024 push was for schools without counselors or other needed teachers in rural Nebraska, which could be helpful. She said she didn't disagree with Royers' concerns. 'If you're going to be a counselor, you need education that says you're a counselor,' Linehan said. Some of the biggest cheers for both debaters came from an audience question on the possible ramifications to Nebraska schools of President Donald Trump, tech billionaire Elon Musk 'and their kind' who have pushed ideas including the abolishment of the U.S. Department of Education. Royers said if anybody tried to give a definitive answer right now 'they're wrong,' because while there is a lot of rhetoric that sounds alarming, it 'really doesn't have a lot of teeth behind it.' For example, he said, eliminating the federal department would require an act of Congress. He predicted that once people realize the department's role as a distributor of resources with little influence on curriculum, abolishing it will face bipartisan opposition, as it did last year. Royers said eliminating the department would diminish certain financial accountability measures in place for federal dollars, such as requiring compliance with federal special education laws. 'Right now, it just feels overwhelming and you have to play almost a sense of policy triage, otherwise you mentally won't get through these next four years, just to be candid with you,' Royers said. 'You have to prioritize what's the most immediate concern.' Linehan said she had breakfast Thursday with a very conservative friend who similarly questioned federal actions in recent weeks and called it 'crazy.' 'It is crazy, and I agree with Tim,' Linehan said. 'The president of the United States can't just do things. He can't just fire people. He can't just do away with departments. He's got to deal with Congress.' Linehan worked in Washington, D.C., for 12 years, including as campaign manager and later chief of staff for former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. She later worked in the U.S. Department of State in various roles, including deputy assistant secretary. She said it's hard to get anything done in Washington. Linehan said Trump is 'showboating a bit' to let people feel like he'll get something done. With a flood of information, she also offered her personal solution: 'I do not listen to the blah, blah, blah on TV … It's not healthy.' Linehan also earned a laugh when she said at one point, 'I am never running again, you can tell by some of my answers.' Royers similarly suggested self-reflection on reactions to political developments, noting that negativity draws more attention. He said more people engaged with the NSEA on social media posts regarding school choice than when the union discussed the priorities of its teachers. He said getting engagement on those other issues is 'like pulling teeth.' 'We've gotten very good at getting fired up about something we don't like,' Royers said. He continued: 'It's a choice to always focus on things that get you fired up in the wrong way, and we still need to be vigilant about these things, don't get me wrong, but at a certain point, we're just eating ourselves up.' LB 753 (2023) — The 'Opportunity Scholarships Act' from State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan. It created dollar-for-dollar income tax credits for individuals who donated to newly established scholarship granting organizations. The annual cap was $25 million in credits, which could grow to $100 million each year over time, if there was high demand. Passed 33-11 in May 2023. The Support Our Schools campaign gathered enough signatures to place a repeal of the law on the November 2024 ballot, raising and spending more than $1.8 million to do so. The Keep Kids First campaign, backed by Linehan, raised and spent more than $1.4 million against the signature-gathering effort. LB 1402 (2024) — The second similar school choice law from Linehan. It created an annual $10 million program in the State Treasurer's Office for $10 million in education scholarships or vouchers. The bill repealed LB 753, ending the active repeal efforts. Passed 32-15 in April 2024. The Support Our Schools campaign gathered enough signatures to place a repeal of the law on the November 2024 ballot, raising and spending more than $5.6 million to do so. The Linehan-backed Keep Kids First campaign raised about $86,000 and spent $127,000 opposing the referendum effort. The repeal passed at the ballot box with about 57% support, receiving majority support in 45 of the state's 49 legislative districts. LB 509 (2025) and LB 624 (2025) — LB 509, from State Sen. Tony Sorrentino, Linehan's successor, would nearly word-for-word revive the Opportunity Scholarships Act. LB 624, from State Sen. Rob Dover, would revive LB 1402 in the State Treasurer's Office. Other bills in 2025 seek to enact school choice policies, such as through option enrollment (LB 557, State Sen. Christy Armendariz of Omaha; LB 633, State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair), educational savings accounts (LB 131, Sorrentino; LB 427, State Sen. Bob Andersen of Omaha) or limiting such state support for foster care youths (LB 481, State Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln).
