LINCOLN- Governor Jim Pillen has been very clear that education is one if not the most important issue to him. Governor Pillen has called the education funding formula "outdated and unfair" and even appointed a new committee to study how the state should update it. This week, Governor Pillen announced his priority bills for the 2023 session.

The School Finance Reform Committee includes state senators, school administrators, organizations representing school board members and several farm advocacy groups. In a statement, Pillen said the committee would look for ways to update the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act, what he referred to as "our antiquated school aid formula." TEEOSA considers a district's needs against its resources. When needs exceed resources, state funding is provided in equalization aid.

Under the state aid formula's current iteration, fewer than 90 of the 244 public school districts receive equalization aid to help them meet their needs — including the state's largest school districts in Omaha, Lincoln, Millard and Grand Island — which has drawn criticism from Republicans and rural lawmakers.

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