Nebraska Lawmakers Near Accord on Finance Plan

By Jeff Archer

Nebraska lawmakers stepped up their debate last week on major changes to both the amount state taxpayers spend on K-12 education and how that money is distributed among the state's 668 school districts.

Most of the debate centered on a bill introduced by Sen. Ardyce Bohlke's education committee that would hasten efforts to distribute state education money more equitably among rich and poor districts. The bill would modify a funding formula passed by the legislature in 1990 by sending more money to needier districts.

At the same time, a strong push both in the legislature and among state residents for limits on local property taxes makes the proposed change even more crucial for needy districts, Sen. Bohlke said. "With the possibility of levy lids, those districts could have...