Your Voice Is Needed on SB48!
Scheduled to be Heard in the Senate Education Committee
Wednesday, February 3 at 9:00 a.m.
Our thoughts . . .
Pastors for Florida Children unequivocally opposes all voucher legislation because it takes away from the high quality public education promised to every child by the Florida Constitution. Voucher consolidation, as is proposed by SB48, does not provide any relief for the current underfunding of public education, where Florida ranks 46th in teacher pay and is in the bottom 10 in the nation for overall funding. Voucher consolidation legislation that contains no standards, no transparency and only tri-annual accountability is an abomination that exacerbates the disparities that exist in public education in Florida, providing more focus on the needs of a few children at the expense of the needs of all children.
Our partners' thoughts . . .
What will this bill do (from Florida PTA):
- SB 48 will convert 5 of Florida’s current voucher programs into 2 Education Savings Accounts (ESA’s). The McKay and Gardiner voucher programs will be combined into one ESA program for children with special needs. The three remaining voucher programs - the Florida Empowerment Scholarship (FES), the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTCS), and the Hope/Bullying Scholarship - will be combined into one FES-ESA.
- SB 48 proposes allowing parents to be handed a pre-loaded, publicly funded debit card to assemble their child’s education from a cascade of minimally-vetted learning options.
- This Mega Privatization Bill will outsource the oversight of Florida’s $1 billion voucher program to private organizations that will profit from the program expansion. There is no local oversight from elected officials and private organization audits are also reduced from annually to every three years.
What We Know About Private School Vouchers (from SPLC):
- They do not improve academic outcomes for the students who receive them.
- They are used at private schools that can discriminate based on students’ and families’ disabilities, LGBTQ status, religion, income, immigration status and language proficiency.
- They are made up of funds from the public trust, but are not accountable to the public.
What you can do . . .
- Contact the members of the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, February 2 prior to the committee meeting on Feb. 3 and share your thoughts! #SayNotoSB48
Chair, Sen. Joe Gruters
(850) 487-5023
Twitter: @JoeGruters
Vice Chair, Sen. Shevrin Jones
(850) 487-5035
Twitter: @ShevrinJones
Senator Lori Berman
(850) 487-5031
Twitter: @loriberman
Senator Jennifer Bradley
(850) 487-5005
Twitter: @jenn_bradley
Senator Doug Broxson
(850) 487-5001
Twitter: @DougBroxson
Senator Travis Hutson
(850) 487-5007
Twitter: @TravisJHutson
Senator Kathleen Passidomo
(850) 487-5028
Twitter: @Kathleen4SWFL
Senator Tina Polsky
(850) 487-5029
Twitter: @TinaPolsky
Senator Perry Thurston, Jr
(850) 487-5033
Twitter: @PerryThurstonJr
FIGHTING VOUCHER LEGISLATION IN 2021
AN UPDATE ON STATE VOUCHER BILLS AND TOOLS TO OPPOSE THEM
Thursday, February 4 at 4:00 p.m. ET
State legislators across the country are sponsoring “school choice” bills that would divert public funds to charter schools, online schools, and/or private and religious schools and homeschools. These bills would have a devastating impact on the funds available to support public schools struggling through the pandemic.
Join Public Funds Public Schools and Network for Public Education on Thursday, February 4 at 4:00 p.m. ET for Fighting Voucher Legislation in 2021: An Update on State Voucher Bills and Tools to Oppose Them. To register, click here.
Invitation:
AME Advocacy Day "at" the Capital
February 9 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
The 11th Episcopal District of the AME Church has invited Pastors for Florida Children to join them in attending their Advocacy Day "at" the Capital which will occur on Tuesday, February 9, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Although participants would typically gather in Tallahassee for an advocacy training and visits with legislators, due to the pandemic the event will be hosted virtually. Here is the agenda for the half day virtual event:
9:00 AM - Welcome
9:10 AM - Full Public Education Funding, Dr. Danielle Thomas (Florida PTA)
10:00 AM - Criminalizing Public Protests, Kara Gross (ACLU FL)
10:50 AM - Voting Rights Reform, Carrie Boyd (SPLC)
11:40 AM - Keynote Speaker, Senator Audrey Gibson (FL Senate Minority Leader)
12:25 PM - Closing, The Rt. Rev. Adam Jefferson Richardson, Jr.(11th Episcopal District AME)
We will send out the zoom login information later this week, but wanted you to have the opportunity to mark your calendars now for this training hosted by our allies from the Florida AME Church.
