Nebraska School Choice

Important News!

In the summer of 2023, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed the Opportunity Scholarships Act which now gives Nebraska the status of “school-choice state.”

With the passing of the Opportunity Scholarships Act (LB753) in Nebraska, NELHS has partnered with Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska (OSN), a state-approved scholarship-granting organization (SGO) that helps implement LB753. 

This scholarship program enables students from lower-income families, students with special needs, students who experience bullying, students from military families, students in foster care, and students who are denied open enrollment by public schools to attend the private school of their choice.

This program does not take state funding away from public schools.  Rather, scholarships are funded through tax credit contributions by Nebraska taxpayers—both individuals and corporations. Taxpayers can give to OSN and claim a dollar-for-dollar tax credit up to 50% (or $100,000) of their state income tax liability. OSN then uses those taxpayer contributions to award scholarships to eligible students.  

Contributors can designate up to two specific schools (for example, your favorite WELS Grade School and NELHS) for their tax contribution! Once all eligible students applying for a scholarship to NELHS have been taken care of, any additional funds would go to those with needs statewide.

What does that mean?

For those interested in contributing…

For individuals or businesses looking to contribute, there are specific steps that need to be followed:

For more information about how to contribute, visit https://www.nebraskaopportunity.org/giving

  • Contact OSN at info@nebraskaopportunity.org for help with this process and to pledge a contribution amount. The Nebraska Department of Revenue must approve the credit before contributions are made.

  • Once your tax credit is approved, you can send your contribution to OSN via check, wire transfer, ACH, or online.

  • You will be provided with a proof of contribution to use when you file your state income tax return.

For those interested in receiving aid…

Applications are now available through the OSN Website. For application details or more info on how to receive a scholarship, visit: https://www.nebraskaopportunity.org/home#eligible

  • There are two entry points into the program: 1. Student entering kindergarten; 2. Students entering ninth grade. However, those transferring from a public to private school may enter at any time. Siblings of eligible students may also be eligible regardless of grade.

  • To receive a scholarship, families will apply and be accepted to a particular school. They will then apply to a Scholarship Granting Organization, in our case OSN. These non-profit organizations will manage the distribution of scholarships and help walk families through the application process.

For more information on how you can use this program to support NELHS, click the link below or call the school. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have!