LINCOLN- Gov. Jim Pillen has doubled down on his support for an “opportunity scholarships” bill he signed into law this year, contributing $100,000 to the campaign to fend off an effort to repeal it. The latest campaign finance statements submitted by the Keep Kids First committee indicates that it collected more than $701,000 in contributions over the past two months, pushing its total receipts to retain LB753 to $1.45 million.

The pricey battle pits public school advocates, who maintain that LB753 is a preliminary step to charter schools and a drain on public education, against school choice advocates, who argue that not all students thrive in public schools and some need financial help to afford private school tuition. Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn said that the donations from Pillen and others demonstrate that “there are a lot of Nebraskans who think we should have school choice.”

But Jenni Benson, the president of the Nebraska State Education Association, said that “all Nebraskans should be troubled by these uber-wealthy individuals giving huge $100,000 contributions in their attempt to deny Nebraskans the right to vote on this important issue.” Pillen’s $100,000 donation was among the largest given recently to the drive to oppose the repeal effort.

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