District 3: Learning community a
focus in race
Joe Dejka / Omaha World-Herald
Scott Price spent a recent evening gauging the discontent on Joy
Street.
Price walked door-to-door along this newer street south of
Papillion, passing out literature and hearing out homeowners on
a key issue in the District 3 race for the Legislature.
Both Price and his opponent, incumbent Gail Kopplin, say they've
heard an earful from residents about the learning community law
and its potential effect on suburban property taxes.
Price said he wants Sarpy County out of the learning community.
The 11 Douglas and Sarpy County school districts in the learning
community must share the same tax base and work together to
raise achievement among poor and minority students. The first
learning community elections will be this fall.
Chief complaints from suburban voters are that the learning
community will usurp local control and drain tax dollars from
the suburbs.
Kopplin said the law needs "tweaking," but he said a pullout
attempt wouldn't draw much support in the Legislature and could
be counterproductive.
Price said Kopplin failed to demonstrate leadership as vice
chairman of the Legislature's Education Committee and did not
rally opposition to kill the bill.
Kopplin said he has shown leadership in fighting for Sarpy
County's interests but simply didn't have the votes to stop the
learning community bill.
"I was especially vocal," he said. "I was at the microphone a
great deal."
Kopplin said he's a realist.
The committee chairman, Ron Raikes, whom he described as "a
stumbling block" in efforts to change the learning community,
will be gone next year — a victim of term limits.
But committee members Greg Adams, Gwen Howard and Bill Avery,
who worked to get the new entity established, wouldn't stand for
dismantling it, he said.
"I'm sure if someone comes in with the bill that we're going to
either end it, or take Sarpy County out . . . your bill may
never see the light of day."
To make the learning community more palatable to Sarpy
residents, Kopplin said, he will seek to create a fair funding
formula.
Kopplin co-sponsored a bill to remove the common tax levy.
Although the bill went nowhere, Kopplin said he won changes in
state law that will help the fast-growing suburban school
districts cover the costs of growth.
Price said getting Sarpy out of the learning community may be an
uphill battle, but it's worth trying.
"Don't tell me what I can't do," Price said. "Tell me what I can
do. And we'll shoot for the moon, and maybe we'll reach Mount
Everest."
The Legislature's District 3 includes the highway corridors of
Interstate 80 and Nebraska Highways 370 and 50, Gretna,
Springfield, Millard, Chalco and land at the southern edges of
Papillion and Bellevue.
Kopplin describes himself as a fiscal conservative. He said
he'll fight to preserve the quality of life in Sarpy County.
Among his goals are to strengthen state funding for schools,
stop shifting the burden for funding schools to property tax
payers, create jobs, encourage business creation and ensure
quality health care for senior citizens.
Price, an Air Force veteran, said he favors individual rights
and limited government
Both describe themselves as anti-abortion. Price said he
supports the death penalty. Kopplin said he favors life in
prison without possibility of parole.
On illegal immigration, Kopplin voted to override the governor's
veto of a bill allowing the children of illegal immigrants to
pay in-state tuition at Nebraska colleges and universities.
He said illegal immigrants should not qualify for benefits, but
children who graduated from Nebraska high schools and have
started the process of becoming citizens should pay the same
tuition rates as their classmates.
Price said he opposes government benefits for illegal immigrants
and would stiffen penalties for businesses that hire them. |
