Ricketts Declares ‘School Choice Week’ in Nebraska

This morning, Governor Pete Ricketts officially proclaimed January 24-30, 2021 as “School Choice Week” during a ceremony at the State Capitol.

This year, the Governor has proposed a budget that includes $2 million annually, in each of the next two fiscal years, to fund opportunity scholarships for low-income, K-12 students to be able to attend a private school.  Gov. Ricketts’ budget also proposes a $3 million investment to triple the size of the State’s textbook loan program.  This program provides private school students with access to learning resources.

Walter Blanks, Jr. of the American Federation for Children joined the Governor to celebrate school choice.  He shared his personal experience as a student who benefited from school choice in Ohio.  Blanks urged Nebraskans to take action to give more families the opportunity to select the best learning environment for their children.

Rachel Terry, who leads School Choice Nebraska, also urged Nebraska’s Legislature to expand educational opportunities.  While living in another state, school choice helped her child to overcome a learning challenge.  This experience motivated Terry to form a grassroots organization to promote school choice after moving to Nebraska.

Video of this morning’s press conference is available by clicking here.