We are told that the Unification bill, LB1219, has moved forward on the legislative floor to Select File status. There were amendments, however, the "90% funding floor" was not included. The Amendment floating at the capitol follows, FRED lobbyists have been told that the LB1247 90% funding floor will or should be attached as an amendment to LB1219 during select file action. It was said that there were strong assurances from the legislative leaders and others that this could be done.

Since the "90% money" is designed simply to help children hurt by LB806 and LB1114 why should it have strings attached? If there must be strings attached or hoops to jump, among other needed fixes, it would appear that section 3a of the amendment needs to be changed to indicate, at the very most, that a only a "study" would be undertaken to determine whether a merger, consolidation, or unification plan is fiscally appropriate or even reasonably possible. Regrettably, some of the policy makers seem to believe that rural schools can just be closed down and the students go to the next school over someplace...apparently without realizing the next school might be a long way away, or might not have room, or that transport costs might be too high, or that the next school over might not be in as good a shape, have adequate facilities, etc.

To force schools to merge, consolidate, or unify against their will without even a study to see if costs truly could be saved (and many don't save costs)...when so many consolidated schools in Nebraska are already underfunded, could serve to make the fiscal plight of rural students worse, not better.

Here is the "90% funding floor" amendment as it came from the capitol: