Thursday, May 16, 2013

ACTION ALERT: YES ON SB 2!!!


After yet another abdication of responsibility by the Texas House over CSCOPE yesterday, conservatives justifiably feel like Charlie Brown with the football; nevertheless, a major school choice bill is scheduled to see the floor today.

From Americans for Prosperity -- Texas:
In Texas today, we have 315,000 students in over 500 failing schools.  Kids’ futures ride on one five-digit code which they have no control over:  their zip code.

Public schools assign kids to schools based on their zip codes.  We believe these students should have choices.  Charter schools provide choices.  Charter schools are public schools and have around 150,000 students enrolled.

Unfortunately, there are over 100,000 students on charter school waiting lists in Texas.  More would likely sign up but know that they have little chance of getting into a charter school.

....

Here are the highlights of SB 2:
  • lifts the cap on charter schools
  • the parent trigger provides an opportunity for schools to convert to home rule charter schools
  • underutilized or unused schools would be available for charter schools; and
  • limited funding would be provided to charter schools for facilities.
 From the Texas Public Policy Foundation:
With more than 100,000 students currently waiting to attend public open-enrollment charter schools in Texas, the need to allow more of these schools to operate in Texas is obvious. By elevating the cap on open-enrollment charter schools from the current 215 to 305 in 2019, SB 2 creates opportunities for students to choose an education that best suits their needs, and empowers parents by making the Texas education system more competitive.
 You can contact your legislator here.

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