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From the beginning, Nebraskans have prized education as key to building a strong state for each generation. One of the first things the legislature did more than 150 years ago when Nebraska was still a territory was to provide for the creation of local school districts and they have served us well ever since.
Nebraska’s high school graduation rates have always been well above the national average. And our students continually score far better than most of the nation on their ACT’s.
It has always been my motto that, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it, and that’s exactly how I feel about the forced consolidation of smaller Class I Schools with larger K-12 districts. Class I schools have been making their own decisions on whether to consolidate or not, and I think we need to continue to allow local control over decisions on education.
I commend Governor Heineman for vetoing the legislation that ordered the consolidation. Had I been Governor I would have done the same thing. It is regretful that the Unicameral chose to override his veto.
When I was Governor, I put in place a school finance system that allowed Class I Schools to remain open and maintain local control. That’s what this is all about, local control of schools. I firmly believe that local school districts can make the best decisions about their students, better than bureaucrats in Washington can.
As Governor and Senator I have always favored states rights. I believe that state elected officials are better prepared to do what is best for their constituents and should not be forced to bend to the will of the federal government. The same principle holds true here. This is a local rights issue.
The irony here is that even without the forced consolidation, the number of Class I Schools has been on the decrease in Nebraska due to economic realities in those communities. Consolidation is already happening but the important part of these consolidations is that it was the decision of local officials to make those closures and that’s the way it should continue.
Many of you have heard me use the phrase, “when it comes to rural living, Washington just doesn’t get it”. Having grown up in rural Nebraska, it is a phrase I understand all too well. Now, in the case of forced consolidation of Class I Schools, we need a little variation of that phrase. “When it comes to rural schools, the legislature just doesn’t get it”.
I know that this is a sad time throughout much of the state as local education officials have no choice but to obey the law as set down by LB 126 and dissolve their districts by June 15th. Because I support Class I schools, I have signed the green petition to reestablish Class I school districts and I will vote to overturn LB 126 this November.
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