Two articles published in Sunday’s Lincoln Journal Star widely explain elementary, secondary and colligate funding in Nebraska. An Associated Press story about the growing concerns over Lincoln Public Schools’ funding and teacher’s salaries is contrasted with the incentives given to top University of Nebraska-Lincoln administrators in order to keep their salaries “competitive.”
A letter from Gov. Dave Heineman expressed his want for higher teacher salaries across the state, with the possibility of federal stimulus money used to fulfill this goal. Meanwhile, some Lincoln residents are outraged by the fact the University of Nebraska Foundation provides fringe benefits, such as cars or country club memberships, to top NU administrators, most notably President J.B. Milliken. Last year, UNL used $130 million from funds supplied by the foundation for these benefits.
The reason for this, as stated in the articles, is to try and keep top administrators in their jobs at the University, by paying them commensurate with posts at similar institutions or in the business world.
If this applied to us, a student could go to the best schools in the country and succeed in classes. When it comes time for them to graduate, they could take a high-paying job in their field, or, possibly be offered a teaching job with “competitive” pay. In other words, they could take a teaching job which would pay the same or higher than a job in their related field, plus benefits.
So why shouldn’t the state offer these benefits to the people whose main objective is to make sure students get to college in the first place? The satisfaction felt from teaching a student and helping them in their path to higher education and success is surely far more important than spending money to improve J.B. Milliken’s handicap on his golf game.
If the state can offer at least some incentives to primary education teachers, then maybe schools won’t fear of losing staff to corporate America. All Nebraska’s children can benefit, whether they go on to higher education or not.
OPINION@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM





