PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 5 , 2006
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Scott Kleeb Signs “Green Petition” in Support of Small Schools

ODESSA, NE – Third district congressional candidate Scott Kleeb signed a petition today calling for a reversal of LB126, the law that closes down all of Nebraska’s 200 Class 1 school districts.

“This decision to replace small schools with larger ones has the potential to fundamentally alter the character of our state,” Kleeb said Monday, as he stood in front of the Odessa Elementary school – one of the schools slated for closure. “We have all seen how the consolidation of farm operations has shifted power and prosperity away from rural Nebraska. It is obvious to me that if we close these schools and disband these school boards, we will hasten rural decline.”

Under LB126, Class 1 schools will be officially closed on June 15, 2006. There is currently a ballot measure that would give voters an opportunity to repeal LB126, but it does not explain how the Class 1 schools would then be reconstituted. If it succeeds, the ‘green petition’ Kleeb signed today would add another ballot measure. If approved by voters November 7, the new measure would restore class 1 schools exactly as they had been before they closed – with the same borders and school boards. The reconstituted local school boards, moreover, would have all the legal powers and financial authority they had before LB126.

“Bigger is not better,” Kleeb said. “The simple truth is, these are some of the best schools in the entire country. They have a long history of graduating students whose compassion, determination and skill sets them apart for the rest of their lives.

“Smaller schools make community involvement easier,” Kleeb added. “In Dunning, Nebraska, where I’m from, the school lies at the heart of community life. It is the focal point of everything we do. In my opinion, that is one of many rural traditions worth fighting for.”