79-1002. Legislative intent.

It is the intent, purpose, and goal of the Legislature to create a system of financing the public school system which will:

(1) Provide state support from all sources of state funding sufficient to support the statewide aggregate general fund operating expenditures for Nebraska elementary and secondary public education that cannot be met by local resources;

(2) Reduce the reliance on the property tax for the support of the public school system;

(3) Broaden financial support for the public school system by dedicating a portion of the revenue received from the state income tax for support of the system;

(4) Keep pace with the increasing cost of operating the public school system;

(5) Assure a foundation support level for the operation of the public school system, taking local resources into consideration;

(6) Recognize a portion of the costs of programs to address the unique educational needs of students who are in poverty or who have limited English proficiency as being specific to the local system providing such programs;

(7) Create a process to collect information regarding the programs and the cost of the programs provided to address the unique educational needs of students who are in poverty or who have limited English proficiency in order to analyze which programs may be appropriate to receive state support and to analyze the poverty and limited English proficiency allowances;

(8) Assure a greater level of equity of educational opportunities for all public school students;

(9) Assure a greater level of equity in property tax rates for the support of the public school system; and

(10) Assure measured growth in the state aid appropriation through the continuation of limits on the growth of general fund budgets of districts.

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