LINCOLN- A tug of war between local school officials and Gov. Jim Pillen is currently underway over how the $300 million a year in extra funds allocated this year for K-12 schools should be used. Earlier this month, Gov. Pillen attended a Zoom call with Nebraska's school superintendents, and urged them to utilize 97% of the recent increase in state aid as property tax relief. Pillen reminded officials that the intent of the $300 million was to reduce property tax bills, and not to increase spending.

Lee Will, Pillen's budget advisor, claimed there have been some "misunderstandings" surrounding the allocations, which increased state aid but also imposed a new spending lid on districts. State Sen. Tom Briese, who sponsored the law that provides these allocations, said the new 3% cap was intended to ensure that property taxpayers got relief. While some of the school officials on the call with Gov. Pillen called it a "reminder," others argued that it was more like a "scolding."

Some officials, including Dave Welsch, a school board member from Milford, argued that Nebraska's schools don't "spend money willy-nilly," but have to be realistic when it comes to inflation. "But last year wasn't a normal inflation time, and if you don't pay your staff adequately, you're going to lose them," said Welsch. Lee Will, however, didn't see it that way, and said that districts exceeding the cap are "abusing the intent" of the new funding.

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