LB 1202 is a Trojan Horse for Austerity and Runaway Privatization by Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright

Public schools are under attack in Nebraska once again as the Unicameral’s Revenue Committee is set to vote on a new piece of legislation that will be deleterious to public education as we know it. Known as the “Opportunity Scholarships Act” and by education policy experts as “neovouchers,” Legislative Bill (LB) 1202 is the latest attempt to subsidize the wealthy and privatize public schools in Nebraska. Similar to previous privatization efforts — including 1202’s immediate and still-active predecessor LB 670 (2019) — LB 1202 was introduced by State Senator and Nebraska State Chair of the right-wing/libertarian think tank American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, Nebraska.

And while Senator Linehan purports that this legislation is meant to assist low-income children with school options to achieve the best education possible, a quick review of the demographics in her own district elucidates the irrefutable fact that her reasoning is insouciant and sinister, and this bill is nothing more than a trojan horse to unleash more unnecessary tax breaks for wealthy Nebraskans at the expense of students and the public school system.

The Lincoln Journal Star, Nebraska’s capital city publication, recently highlighted the extreme…