Gov. Jim Pillen’s plan to do away with almost all school property taxes would be momentous for both taxpayers and schools.
Rebecca Firestone, executive director of the OpenSky Policy Institute, a Lincoln-based think tank, said the governor’s proposal would make Nebraska one of only two states without school property taxes. The other is Hawaii, which has a statewide school system. She said most school finance experts recommend that local people pay some property taxes so they have a stake in the education of local children.
“Property tax is a local resource and local commitment to educate kids,” she said. “There’s a basic principle of having local skin in the game.”
