Willnerd lists private school vouchers among campaign motivators

NEBRASKA CITY - State Legislature candidate Glenda Willnerd of Unadilla spoke at the B103 FM morning show where she advocated for safe schools, veteran benefits and fair taxation.

Willnerd was raised on a dairy farm and graduated from Syracuse High School. She was an educator and school librarian for 36 years with stops including Omaha, northeast Nebraska and Lincoln. She is now a part-time librarian at Palmyra.

She said the tax issues should have been dealt with without a special session.

Willnerd: I feel the people of southeast Nebraska maybe haven’t had a real good voice in this past session, instead there has been a lot of bickering about taxes, with no result.”

She said fair taxation issues include the use of public funds for private school vouchers. Gov. Jim Pillen signed a bill this spring that eliminated the Opportunity Scholarships Act ahead of the November election, where there was a petition drive to repeal it. In its place, the Legislature passed LB 1402, which directs $10 million a year for a scholarship program that could be used for private education.

Willnerd said her experience in agriculture and education will help her ask the right questions and get the right answers for the people of southeast Nebraska.

The primary election is Tuesday, May 14.