LINCOLN- On Tuesday, the public schools advocate group Support Our Schools Nebraska announced that it would be launching an effort to place a referendum before voters on the newly-passed school choice law. With just 90 days to do so, the group must garner at least 90,000 signatures from registered voters if the issue is to be placed on the 2024 ballot.

The school choice measure, which was implemented into law through Sen. Lou Ann Linehan's LB753, offers Nebraskans generous tax breaks for donations toward scholarships for students to attend private or parochial schools, but is seen by education groups as a "foot-in-the-door" for even more controversial school choice measures, such as voucher programs or state-funded charter schools. Opponents of school choice, through the ballot initiative, seek to reject the diversion of state tax funds from public schools toward private schools, which some argue are allowed to freely discriminate against certain religions, ethnicities, or gender identities.

However, proponents of the newly-passed measure, including Gov. Jim Pillen, argue that it would offer more options for "vulnerable and at-risk children" at a time when state funding for public education has been increasing dramatically. Tom Venzor, executive director of the Nebraska Catholic Conference, called the petition drive "disgraceful" and all-out political warfare against children in need of better educational opportunities." T. Michael Williams, a Baptist preacher from North Omaha, was the first to sign the petition, arguing that the new school choice law won't help a majority of children of color or who reside in low-income areas of the state.

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