Briese introduces constitutional amendment for education funding

Senator Tom Briese, a long-time proponent of property tax relief in the Nebraska legislature, introduced LR21 CA last week.

LR21 CA would require the state to fund all K-12 classroom expenses.

In introducing it, Briese said, “For far too long, the State of Nebraska has shirked its obligation to provide for the free education of its students. Instead, the state has continually chosen to pass on the bulk of the cost of public education to its property taxpayers. In fact, Nebraska is nearly last in the country in the percentage of K-12 education funded by the state, nearly first in its reliance on property taxes. The stark reality is that this failure of the state to properly fund K-12 education has created a property tax crisis in Nebraska. This constitutional amendment would end that crisis.”

Briese added, “Too often, elected officials and lobbyists in Lincoln pretend to know better than average Nebraskans what is best for the state. This proposal would put the issue in the hands of the voters, where it belongs. And when passed, it would force elected officials in Lincoln to recognize the importance of state support for public education in Nebraska.”