Nebraskans view funding of public education justifiably as a long-term investment in the state’s future.
“Investing In Our Future,” updated in 2025, explores how Nebraska pays for K-12 education and discusses the perceived inequities of our current system.
OpenSky compiled profiles of Nebraska’s public school districts to help taxpayers to better understand education funding.
$218 million As OpenSky Policy Institute previously reported, Nebraska was awarded $218 million from the federal government in the first year of the Rural Health Transformation Program, established as part of H.R. 1, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Nebraska’s application outlined seven different areas of focus for
$152.4 million Governor Jim Pillen released his budget proposal last week, which includes a total of $495 million in spending cuts over the next two fiscal years. The largest share of the proposed cuts are from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), to which the Governor proposed $22
Watching our Pennies The Legislature will be navigating a $472 million budget shortfall that will eventually need to be closed in order to meet Constitutional obligations. While one more update of the forecast will occur in February, lawmakers can’t wait that long to begin examining options to balance the budget.
$1,079 According to a recent report released by the Education Law Center (ELC), which analyzed the share of federal, state and local contributions to K-12 education funding, Nebraska received $1,079 per pupil from the federal government in 2019. The year was used for analysis to avoid data being skewed by
$310 million The amount of unpaid taxes owed to the state of Nebraska rose 15% in the past year, totaling more than $310 million, according to a press release issued by Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts Mike Foley. The sum includes individual income taxes, sales and use taxes, partnership income
111,000 Congress passed what they considered a compromise designed to reopen the federal government after the longest shutdown in the country’s history. Part of that agreement was a promise of a future vote on the extension of premium tax credits (PTCs), which would save 22 million Americans who purchase insurance
$269.5 million The State of Nebraska has seen a drastic increase in unpaid income tax obligations in the last 4 years, reaching $269.5 million. According to recent reporting by the Lincoln Journal-Star, the increase is largely due to delinquent individual income taxes, which increased from nearly $88 million to $130
$91,300 According to analysis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), changes to federal tax policy in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will primarily benefit the highest-earning taxpayers and provide little benefit – or even raise federal income taxes – for many moderate and low-income Nebraskans.
$38 Million The Nebraska Department of Education and school districts across Nebraska are waiting to hear more from the U.S. Department of Education after an unexpected announcement that it would retain slightly more than $38 million already allocated to the state for a variety of programs designed to support students
$4.1 Billion Continued analysis of the impact of federal budget proposals on state coffers raises alarms about the proposed elimination of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which offers assistance to more than 6 million low-income households to afford heating and cooling. Payments under the program typically go
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Education Nebraskans view funding of public education justifiably as a long-term investment in the state’s future. Key Resources Education Overview “Investing In Our Future,” updated in 2025, explores how Nebraska pays for K-12 education and discusses the perceived inequities of our current system. Learn More School District Profiles OpenSky compiled
