Published Saturday | April 26, 2008
Learning community an issue in District 3 race
BY JOE DEJKA
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2 ... d=10319866

Nearly four years after controversy sank their candidate, Republicans want redemption in the race for Sarpy County's District 3 seat in the Nebraska Legislature.

But looking for re-election is incumbent Democrat Gail Kopplin of Gretna, who played an active role on education issues, including creation of the hotly debated learning community in the Omaha metropolitan area.

Kopplin co-sponsored a bill to remove the common tax levy, which many suburbanites see as the Omaha Public Schools' attempt to pick their pockets.

Although the bill went nowhere, Kopplin says he fought hard for Sarpy County's interests and won changes in state law that will help the fast-growing suburban school districts cover the costs of growth.

Kopplin won in 2004 after then-State Sen. Ray Mossey, accused of prescription drug fraud, withdrew from the race.

Two Republicans are eager to reclaim the seat: Scott Price of Bellevue and Robert Twiss of Gretna. Kopplin also faces Democrat Christopher Geary of Sarpy County.

The top two finishers for the officially nonpartisan office will advance from the May 13 primary to the November election.

District 3 includes the highway corridors of Interstate 80 and Nebraska Highways 370 and 50, Gretna, Millard, Chalco and land at the southern edges of Papillion and Bellevue.

Ken Ragland, chairman of Sarpy County Republicans, is optimistic about his party's chances, given its 2-to-1 edge in voter registration in the district. Even Mossey, weighed down by controversy, got 37 percent of the votes.

Burke Summers, chairman of the Democratic Party in Sarpy County, said the local party can't endorse one Democrat over another but personally he's "100 percent" behind Kopplin. "I do not consider Christopher Geary to be a viable candidate," Summers said.

Geary has said he's staying in the race despite reports of past legal and financial problems, including incidents of vandalism in 2000 and a bankruptcy in 1997, which he has described as youthful mistakes.

Kopplin, who served on the Legislature's Education Committee, said the 11-district learning community is here to stay.

"I believe the learning community will work," Kopplin said. "We've got to do everything we can to keep as much local control as we can and to keep the funding of it fair to Sarpy County."

Kopplin said he was successful in changing the state aid to schools formula to give rapidly growing school districts like Gretna credit for enrollment increases the year they occur and to help them construct new buildings to accommodate growth.

"I fought really hard for Sarpy County," said Kopplin, whose passion for education issues stems from 14 years he served as superintendent of the Gretna Public Schools.

Price called Kopplin's attitude on the learning community "defeatist."

Price said he would offer legislation to remove Sarpy County from the learning community or to give residents a chance to vote on whether to be included.

The way the 18-member governing-board districts were drawn up, Sarpy County residents "could have zero representation on that elected board," he said.

Twiss said the board's organizational structure is "constitutionally suspect" and the funding system unfair, but he isn't calling for Sarpy County to pull out.

Trying to withdraw from the learning community could backfire, diminishing a lawmaker's effectiveness in the long run, he said.

"My approach right now would be to improve the existing situation, especially in respect to governance, so it would truly reflect one person, one vote," he said.

He's concerned that because Sarpy County more regularly updates property values than Douglas County, the learning community levy would hit Sarpy property owners harder.

All four candidates describe themselves as anti-abortion. Kopplin has earned the endorsement of Nebraska Right to Life.

On illegal immigration, Kopplin voted to override the governor's veto of a bill allowing the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at Nebraska colleges and universities.

He said illegal immigrants should not qualify for benefits, but children who graduated from Nebraska high schools and have started the process to become citizens should pay the same tuition rates as their classmates.

Twiss, Price and Geary all said they oppose government benefits for illegal immigrants.

The candidates split on the need for a new interchange at Interstate 80 and Pflug Road, an issue that would affect the lives and pocketbooks of residents throughout District 3.

Twiss and Price said they support the interchange.

"This interchange is very important to the future growth, economic development and tax base of southwest Sarpy County," he said.

Geary said he would have to weigh the costs against the benefits to the district.

Kopplin said he wants to see a conceptual plan for development in that corner of the county — above and beyond the Seven Hills business park concept proposed April 17 by the Seldin Co. — before he'd be willing to back it.