LINCOLN — A group of advocates who launched a petition drive last month aiming to cut property valuations in half are now also asking that voters approve the state pay all of Nebraska’s public school teachers at least $50,000 per year.

The new nonprofit “Advocates for All Nebraskans” launched two petitions in August, one intending to amend state law to halve the percentage of a property’s valuation subject to property taxes after 2026 and another to revise the Nebraska Constitution to add a cap on property valuation increases at no more than 3% or the growth level of the state’s general fund receipts, whichever is less.

On Monday, the group announced a third petition focused on guaranteeing a competitive base salary for all of Nebraska’s public school teachers. The proposal for a state-funded $50,000 base teacher salary was dubbed “The APPLE plan” by members, which stands for “Assist Property Payers through Legislative Education support.”

“This plan is not a dream,” said Eric Underwood, the former chair of the Nebraska Republican Party and a leader of the petition drive. “It’s a blueprint for Nebraska.”The three petitions will now gather signatures in hopes of making it onto Nebraska’s 2026 general election ballot. The two petitions seeking to change state law require just over 88,000 signatures — representing 7% of registered Nebraska voters — while the one seeking to amend the state constitution needs roughly 125,000 signatures — representing 10% of voters.

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