Rural Nebraskans weigh in on private school scholarships before election

Paul and Savannah Knopick have two children who attend a private school in North Platte, with two more younger children who will follow in their older siblings’ footsteps.

Attending North Platte Catholic Schools was the right choice for the family, and Paul added they can see how much their children love the school.

“Picking them up from school, they have a smile on their face as they get into the car as we're going home,” he said. “Having that change, that positive change, has made the world a difference for us at home.”

They enrolled the kids in the school this fall with help from Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska. The Knopick’s said the smaller class sizes at North Platte Catholic Schools were appealing and the curriculum aligned more with their values.

The tuition scholarship the family received allowed them to keep their children in extracurricular activities, like dance and gymnastics. If that scholarship goes away, Paul said they may have to make some tough financial calls to continue going to the private school.

“We're going to continue going to the school no matter what, and I know that there is help there, but there's a lot of families that are impacted by the scholarships that they already have in place,” Paul said. “If we don't get the Opportunity Scholarship or that goes away, it just means there's less money to go around for everyone. So it is a concern, not only for us, but other families that we know of.”

The scholarship the Knopick’s and other families across the state received this fall will be in the hands of voters next week. Referendum Measure 435 asks Nebraskans if they want to retain or repeal a portion of LB1402, which allocated $10 million for a scholarship program for non-public schools. The bill replaced the previous scholarship program that was funded through dollar-for-dollar tax credits.

Funding for public schools

Those who support the bill say it helps low-income families afford tuition at private schools. Those against it say the program is unconstitutional and could take away funding from public schools.

Dave Welsch is the Milford Public Schools board president and had two children graduate from the district. He said public schools are facing financial challenges.

“If you put $10 million going one direction, that means you can't put $10 million going another direction,” Welsch said. “That's $10 million that could have been used for public education.”

Almost 60% of Nebraskans oppose sending taxpayer money to private schools, according to a poll from the Midwest Newsroom and Emerson College Polling.

Welsch said he feels most of the people in his community want the law creating the private school scholarship program repealed.

Welsch helped with the petition drive this summer to get the referendum on the ballot. Support Our Schools Nebraska turned in over 87,000 signatures, and the Secretary of State verified over 68,000 before certifying it for the ballot.

Macie Coffey and Laura Bloss, two public school teachers in southeast Nebraska, also helped with the petition drives this summer and last summer. Coffey said she is concerned how that $10 million could potentially take away from the funding her school gets, which is already not enough to cover every cost.

“I am nervous how it will affect our small town and school district, just with all the budget cuts we do make now,” Coffey said. “It is very nerve-wracking as a teacher thinking what could happen to our district. If something like that does happen, I think we have great superintendents in this district and in our small towns in southeast Nebraska. They will come together and come up with a solution.”

Bloss shared those concerns as well. She said her school has had to make some tough calls to keep classes going with the funding they have.

“When I think about the budget and all the work that our superintendent has done in the past to make us OK financially, like eliminating positions, and how that's affected us year after year, about how many more things individual teachers have to take on — it just seems impossible right now,” Bloss said. “Looking toward the future, about what other strains our school system could take, it just seems impossible to think about how it could be any more difficult.”

Welsch said he's also concerned that private schools can choose who they enroll. Public schools must enroll everyone in their area.

"We're there to educate every student, and I think we do a really good job of it," he said.

Nebraska’s nonpublic schools

There are 212 approved and accredited non-public schools across Nebraska. Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska awarded 1,500 scholarships through last year’s program. About 47% of those were outside of Omaha and Lincoln, according to an OSN spokesperson.

Robert Ziegler is the superintendent for the 66 schools within the Lutheran Church of Missouri-Synod Lutheran Schools system in Nebraska. He said 75% of their schools are outside of the Omaha and Lincoln areas.

“In some of the cases, it's the only school in town, partially because we've had consolidations of public schools across the state,” Ziegler said. “Perhaps there used to be a public school in those communities as well, but with consolidations, sometimes we're the only school left.”

Ziegler said the money should follow the child where they go to school.

“The money goes to the parent and the child,” he said. “Now, yes, that parent and child then takes that and contributes that to their cost of education at that school, but it is the concept of give a parent a choice, give the parents the funding to spend, so that the concept is the money follows the child.”

There are less options for scholarships from outside organizations in rural communities. Ziegler said the education scholarships gave parents all across the state that support.

“They never considered non-public schools as an option, because non-public schools have, usually, some type of fee structure through tuition and in fees,” Ziegler said. “Suddenly, they had an opportunity.”

Sarah Westling’s two sons receive scholarships similar to the one LB1402 creates. She’s a single mom living in North Platte. Without the scholarship, she wouldn’t be able to afford to send her children to the private school.

Her sons initially started in public schools, but she said it didn’t feel like it was the right fit, especially for her youngest son.

“After moving them to this school, his needs were being met, it was being tailored to what my child needed at that point in time,” Westling said. “For other families to have that option is a huge thing. I mean, my money that I make every year shouldn't dictate what I feel is best for my kids, and it shouldn't for other people as well.”

Westling said the focus should be on the students.

“Specifically for this bill, I think people are losing sight of the true purpose,” she said. “ I mean, I understand it is money, and that is something to look at, but these kids are our future. If the needs aren't being met for certain families or for certain children, and they're not thriving in their current environment, I think that needs to be the forefront versus where the money is coming from.”

With the scholarship program’s existence up for voters to decide, Ziegler said private schools are committed to supporting students already receiving scholarships regardless of the election’s outcome.

“Now we're committed to stand by the children,” Ziegler said. “You're not going to read any stories about, ‘Oh, this school or that school won't let them attend because their state funding ran out for the parent.’ We'll find a way to make that work for those kids.”