Rural Issue

Nebraska ag leaders support school funding and property tax relief bill

The Nebraska Agriculture Leaders Working Group has announced its support for a bill introduced by Senator Curt Friesen (LB 497), which the group says will “fix major inequities in how Nebraska funds K-12 schools, while lowering property taxes for all Nebraskans”.

With numerous legislative proposals dealing with school funding and tax relief having been introduced, Nebraska Farm Bureau president and ag leaders group spokesman Steve Nelson says they believe LB 497 is the best bill from which to start. Key to their support, Nelson says, is the bill’s guarantee that all Nebraska students receive at least 50 percent of their basic education funding from the state.

According to Farm Bureau, 150 of Nebraska’s 244 school districts today receive less than 10 percent of basic education funding from the state. Fifty-five of those districts receive less than one percent. Roughly 60 percent of all property taxes collected in the state are used to fund schools. Farm Bureau says LB 497 would help lower property taxes by broadening the sources used to fund K-12 schools and replace property taxes with the new revenues.

Nelson discussed the group’s support for the bill in this interview with Brownfield.

AUDIO: Steve Nelson