Ricketts says OPS pension bill is a 'slippery slope' to state becoming responsible for shortfall

[TexasTowelie]

Gov. Pete Ricketts has come out against transferring management of the Omaha Public Schools pension system to the state, suggesting that it’s a step toward Nebraska taxpayers getting stuck with the fund’s $848 million shortfall.

“It is (a) slippery slope, which is why I oppose LB 147 for going down this path,” Ricketts said at a press conference this week. “We should not be exposing the state’s taxpayers for the mistakes that were made by the folks that were managing that fund for the OPS teachers.”

The state lawmaker pushing the bill said he likewise strongly opposes having Nebraska take on the debt and would not support the measure if he thought that it was a step in that direction. State Sen. Mark Kolterman of Seward said the bill’s language is quite clear that the debt remains with OPS.

“I could not be more explicit in saying we are not accepting the liability,” he said. “So to now talk about a slippery slope is very disappointing.”

Read more: https://omaha.com/news/local/education/ricketts-says-ops-pension-bill-is-a-slippery-slope-to-state-becoming-responsible-for-shortfall/article_a1473aee-922d-11eb-827a-cb9380b3d539.html

[SWBTATTReg]

1. What is this? Don't Nebraskans take care of each other? I wonder how much aid that Omaha

Nebraskans provides to the rest of the state of Nebraska via their state taxes and such? The state has roughly 2 million people whereas the Omaha metro population is roughly 1 million. So, what is this, republicans fighting w/ other republicans in paying their bills?

I lived in Nebraska. People were nice as heck and I always hated leaving there when my dad transferred due to his work.

What ever happened to that creed that people help people? What happens when a tornado wipes out a town in Nebraska? Are Nebraskans going to step in and help? The state does have an overall mandate in ensuring that the state public school system remains viable. Why is the state of Nebraska all of a sudden abandoning its mandate of ensuring that all have a decent public education?

Oh wait! That's right...republicans are in control of everything, they ran the debt up (Omaha couldn't have ran the debt up all by themselves unless the state had a hand in it too, that is, refused to pay their fair portion of the school bill). Pathetic.