Project Description
Voucherized!' It Could Happen To You'
Please Sign this Petition to the Florida Legislature:
Private vouchers purposely divert funding away from our already underfunded public schools, creating a parallel education system without uniform academic standards, accountability or teaching qualifications. Public tax dollars should stay with public schools.
Gov. Rick Scott’s allies in the Florida Legislature are working to deal a big blow to public education. They’re trying to divert our tax dollars to unaccountable voucher schools, enriching their campaign contributors in the process. This latest private voucher scheme is moving fast, having passed a key House committee Tuesday.
Click here to add your name to our petition calling on the legislature to oppose the expansion of unaccountable private voucher schools. HB 7099 greatly expands Florida’s tax credit scholarship program, which allows corporations to divert potential tax dollars for public education to an organization called Step Up For Students, which then distributes private vouchers to qualifying students. [2]
Most of these vouchers end up funding private schools where academic standards and teaching qualifications vary greatly. Private vouchers purposely divert funding away from our already underfunded public schools, creating a parallel education system mostly unaccountable to Florida taxpayers.
Private voucher schemes undermine the opportunity for every child to get a quality education and succeed in life. Private schools can and do discriminate against which children they enroll. Over time, an expanded private voucher scheme will create an education system for some children who can get into private schools, leaving other students trapped in an increasingly underfunded public education system. That’s not who we are as a country. It’s time to stand up and fight back.
Add your name to our petition calling on the legislature to oppose HB 7099 and stand up for equal opportunities for all Florida children.
It’s time for our state government to make a serious commitment to public education by keeping our public tax dollars with public schools. If we’re serious about ensuring every child in Florida has the opportunity to succeed, we should invest in public schools that need help. Meanwhile, we must ensure every public school has the resources it needs to give our children a well-rounded education. The last thing we should be doing is funneling tax dollars to unaccountable for profit private schools.
Thanks for all you do to protect our public schools and ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed.
For progress,
Mark and the Progress Florida Team
2. School voucher bill could triple money for politically connected group. By John KennedyJOHN KENNEDY. The Palm Beach Post. March 16, 2014
