February 20, 2025
Sen. Robert Clements, Chairperson
Sen. Loren Lippincott
Sen. Christy Armendariz, Vice Chairperson
Sen. Jason Prokop
Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh
Sen. Ashlei Spivey
Sen. Myron Dorn
Sen. Paul Strommen
Sen. Robert Dover
Dear Chairman Clements and Members of the Appropriations Committee,
The Lincoln Public Schools expresses its strong support for LB173, a bill which would appropriate funding for dual enrollment at community colleges in Nebraska. Dual enrollment provides all students – from rural to urban, from students at public schools to those at private and homeschools, and those students who plan to attend a two or four-year college to those who wish to join the workforce immediately upon graduation – with the opportunity to accelerate their path from high school to a rewarding career.
In the fall of 2024 alone, approximately 1800 Lincoln Public Schools took dual credit courses from a variety of institutions of higher education including Southeast Community College (SCC). Approximately 400 of those (22%) are taking a course from SCC. Dual credit options through Southeast Community College make great economic sense to many families, with the cost at $43.05 per credit hour substantially discounted from private colleges and universities. LB173 would make access and tilization of these dual credit courses tremendously more attainable for our student population.
In addition to the metrics above: At The Career Academy in Lincoln Public Schools, our partnership career pathways program through SCC, students have access to 14 different career pathways from Ag and Bioscience to K-12 educator pathway prep to Welding. (See more on TCA at https://home.lps.org/tca/). Over the last three years, our TCA students have completed 18,804 college credits. The typical cost of these credits would be: $105/credit hour for a total student cost being: $1,974,420. While current supportive legislation and other local needs-based scholarship measures have helped to defray the full cost noted and provide discounted rates, the level of support that LB173 would deliver would substantially expand the accessibility of dual credit and offer a high-powered tool for bridging the poverty gap and filling Nebraska employers’ needs for filling high-skill, high-wage, high-demand positions. Currently the Nebraska Chamber estimates there are over 50,000 jobs going unfilled in Nebraska, and LB173 would substantially help Nebraskans get the educational attainment to connect them with great jobs to thrive right here in our state.
LB 173 is extremely important for our community as we provide students the necessary post-secondary training to help them be prepared to enter the workforce or attend further post-secondary education/training after high school graduation. We urge the Appropriations Committee to advance LB173 to support expanding dual credit options and affordability for our Lincoln Public Schools students and students across the state.
Sincerely,
Dr. John Skretta
Interim Superintendent
Lincoln Public Schools
402-440-9092
