FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rhonda Porter: 402-391-2273, Dave Nabity: 402-618-6759

Nabity Urges Debate on Quality of Education, Taxes; Not Segregation

(January 8, 2005--Omaha, NE) Republican candidate for governor Dave Nabity said today that the debate over Class I schools--and education in general--should be about the quality of education our children receive. Nabity was responding to comments made by fellow candidate for governor Tom Osborne saying some Class I schools existed to promote segregation.

"Nothing should be done in Nebraska to take away the right of a parent to decide which school their children will attend,” Nabity said. “Making racism the focus of the debate is not good for the state, good for our children, or good for education in general. Most parents’ greatest concern is not who their children go to school with, but what kind of education their kids are going to get. In today's educational environment, parents are concerned about kids getting the best education possible, so they can have a chance at getting scholarships to attend good colleges and universities. I don't think parents are racist because they are sending their kids to Class I schools. They are focused on the type of education they are getting, and they sincerely believe the smaller school environment is best for their children.”

“This whole debate shows that Nebraska needs leadership from the governor to develop a new strategy for managing education, so parents have ultimate control of their children's education,” Nabity said. “However, that control should not mean that the state must write a blank check for whatever a parent wants. The wants of the many should not outweigh true needs or push the cost of educating our kids any higher.”

“Our education policies must allow small Class I school districts to exist, no matter how many schools are in the area, as long as they are efficient and do not drive up property taxes. One of the biggest budget busters in Nebraska is growth in spending to finance education. We must become efficient, and any new education strategy must result in lower property taxes.”

“I have said from the beginning that I am against all school consolidations, statewide, unless they can demonstrate that children in the affected area will receive a better education and that taxpayers in the area see a reduction in property taxes,” Nabity said. “Why in the world would we make any changes to education if it does not result in an increased ability to educate our children, plus lower property taxes? Consolidation on the hopes of efficiency, without accountability, will only result in higher spending and higher property taxes for everyone. That has been the trend for too many years. There is no end to the amount of money that could be spent by today's educational establishment, and taxpayers need to rise up and demand a more efficient system.”

“It is time to introduce a new way of delivering education in Nebraska that gives parents the right to choose where their kids go to school, as long as it is efficient and provides an excellent educational product.”

Nabity's goals for modernizing the way we educate children are:

Shrink the bureaucracy. If we can shrink education administration and bureaucracy and make it more efficient, we will free up money for schools. That will help us ensure the best possible education for our students, as well as bring property tax relief to taxpayers. The problem is not that there are too many small schools and too many teachers; it is the incredible duplication of administration that serves the wants of a few, instead of the real needs of the state.

Create purchasing power. Merge business functions of various school districts, so purchasing, accounting, human resource management, employee benefits and administration provide services to small and large schools combined, at a substantially lower cost.

Give parents control. Let parents decide where their child attends school, and find ways to make sure the money follows the child, wherever that may be.

Let teachers teach. Eliminate the burdensome requirements for compliance to modernday education regulations that overwhelm teachers and keep them from helping our kids learn. Many of our teachers have become compliance officers for the federal and state government—something they didn't expect when they were hired to teach.

Partner with non-profits. Partner public education with non-profit organizations committed to serving the at-risk student population that has no education reinforcement in the home.

“Congressmen Osborne’s comments are counter-productive to bringing new solutions to the table,” Nabity said. “Any heavy-handed tactics that assume parents are racist will not provide the environment of cooperation needed to develop new strategies for managing education in Nebraska. The focus of education in Nebraska should instead be on becoming more efficient and making sure parents have maximum control over how their children are educated. I believe we can do this while reducing the property taxes we all pay to support education in Nebraska. It's time for new ideas and new innovations. We must stop trying to maintain a statewide system that has sprung a financial leak that is costing all of us way too much in property taxes.”

Please call the campaign office at 402-391-2273 if you would like further comments from Mr. Nabity.

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Dave Nabity for Governor
9140 West Dodge, Suite 100
Omaha, NE 68114
(402) 391-2273
www.davenabity.com