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Dear Friends,
Please
support all victims of Hurricane Katrina, in public and
private schools. We need you to act
now!
Voice your support for the President's plan to help
the over 372,000 students displaced by Hurricane
Katrina.
Another
great article published in
The Heartland
Institute,
(Fla.
Court OKs Class-Action Suit Against Schools),
by our
own Jenny
Rothenberg. We find this article all the more
interesting because the class action lawsuit is based on the
constitutional requirement to provide all kids high quality
public education. Perhaps
one way to ensure that for low income kids is through school
choice!
Value
Added
GOVERNOR BUSH
INVITES FLORIDA STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN ANNUAL
BLACK HISTORY MONTH ESSAY CONTEST
Thank you for Stepping Up For
Students,
Michael A. Benjamin
Executive Director,
F.A.C.E.
Florida Alliance for Choices in
Education
CALL TO
ACTION:
The Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives Education and Workforce
Committee recently voted down a proposal that would have
provided needed relief and parental choice options for
students displaced by hurricane Katrina. The Family Education
Reimbursement Act (FERA) proposal – sponsored by Rep. John
Boehner (OH) and Rep. Bobby Jindal (LA) – that would have
helped the 372,000 students displaced by Hurricane Katrina
enroll in a school of their parents choice for the 2005-06
school year, providing immediate relief to all families in
need. The Wall Street Journal newspaper called this proposal
“by far the best proposal out there,” because “its express
goal is to circumvent the bureaucracies that make it so
difficult to speed federal relief to displaced students and
the schools that take them in.” The bill is now in the hands
of the budget committee as a much larger package, and its fate
rests there.
Today, House
Leadership may decide the fate of the voucher proposal for
Hurricane Katrina victims. *Please call Congress to express
your support for school choice, and encourage Leadership to
include the proposal in the final reconciliation package:
*
Speaker Rep.
Dennis Hastert 202-225-2976
House Majority
Whip Rep. Roy Blunt 202-225-6536
Rep. David Dreier
202-225-2305
call your Member
of Congress at 202-224-3121
Or write your
Member of Congress at: http://www.house.gov/writerep/
Let's help the
parents and students displaced by Hurricane Katrina by
allowing them to enjoy the benefits of school choice. Call
Congress today!!!
(Special thanks to
BAEO for research and text).
THE
HEARTLAND INSTITUTE
19 South LaSalle
Street #903
Chicago, IL 60603
phone 312/377-4000 · fax
312/377-5000
http://www.heartland.org
School Reform News
Fla.
Court OKs Class-Action Suit Against
Schools
Author:
Jenny Rothenberg
Published: The Heartland
Institute 11/01/2005
A
three-judge appeals panel in Florida
granted class-action status September 28 to the plaintiffs in
a lawsuit against the Pinellas County School Board that
alleges educational inequity. The decision allows more than
20,000 African-American families to stand together in their
claim that the board has failed to ensure African-American
students are properly educated.
The
case, originally filed in 2000, names each member of the
school board, along with former superintendent Howard
Hinesley, as defendants. The plaintiffs allege the school
board is denying black students equality before the law and
depriving them of the right to a high-quality education
because of their race.
The
suit was brought forth under the Florida Educational Equity
Act, which states in part, "no person in this state shall, on
the basis of race be denied the benefits of any education
program conducted by a public educational institution," and
Article IX of the Florida Constitution, which states in part,
"adequate provision shall be made by law for a high quality
system of free public schools."
Black Students
Lagging
Tola
Thompson, a spokesperson for the Black Alliance for
Educational Options, applauded the decision. "All students
deserve an equal opportunity for a quality education,
regardless of the color of their skin or where they live," she
said.
The
complaint lists eight statistics to support the claim that
black students' needs are not being met. Among
them:
- in 2000, when
the case was filed, black students in Pinellas
County were failing in
all subjects 2.5 times as often as their white
peers;
- by fourth grade,
almost two-thirds of all black students were failing at
reading to such a degree that the school system was legally
required to hold them back or enroll them in remedial
programs;
- the proportion
of black students enrolled in the free/reduced lunch program
who read below grade level was 88 percent, compared to 41
percent of white students enrolled in the program who read
below grade level at the time; and
- two-thirds of
black students who were failing reading in the fourth grade
did not graduate from high school, indicating that "no
adequate provision is made to provide these children" with a
high-quality education, the plaintiffs
said.
No Clear Remedy
Available
While
the statistics are clear, a solution to the problem is not:
The plaintiffs did not even make a request for a remedy in the
lawsuit. Guy Burns, attorney for lead plaintiff William
Crowley, told the St.
Petersburg Times on September 28 it was the school
district's job under state law to come up with a
remedy.
The
lawsuit does not surprise Yvonne Clayton, a 34-year veteran
teacher and administrator of the Pinellas school system, who
started her own independent school, Yvonne
C.
Reed
Christian
School,
nine years ago. Though she accepts students of any race, she
founded it especially for black boys who were being
incorrectly identified as special-needs
students.
"Something
should have been done a long time ago," she said. "I retired
in 1996, and things were not up to par then. On the whole,
black students aren't treated fairly [in Pinellas public
schools]. It is a positive thing that people are finally
stepping up."
Florida
Law Is Asset
While
a class-action lawsuit with 20,000 plaintiffs is rare,
lawsuits alleging educational inequity are not. Nationwide,
plaintiffs bringing equity suits have won about 50 percent of
their cases, said Dick Komer, a senior litigation attorney for
the Institute for Justice. However, Florida law
could be an asset for the plaintiffs in this case, he
said.
"The
Florida Constitution is the best in terms of trying to
crystallize the guarantee of quality education," Komer said.
"If you are going to do this under a state constitutional
provision, Florida is
the best place to do it."
Jenny Rothenberg
(jrothenberg@stepupforstudents.com)
is a public relations associate at Step Up for Students, a
Tampa-based initiative of the Florida Corporate Tax Credit
Scholarship Program.
Value
Added
Dear Friends:
I would encourage anyone with children
to have them participate in this essay contest. Be sure
to pass it along to friends or family members who may have
children who would also like to write an essay. This
year's essay topic is, "What Impact has an African American
Athlete From Florida had on my Life?", which should garner
some fascinating entries.
Have a great week!
Kimberly Dale
Director, External
Affairs
Office of Governor Bush
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
CONTACT: DEENA REPPEN
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7,
2005
(850) 488-5394
GOVERNOR BUSH
INVITES FLORIDA STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN ANNUAL
BLACK HISTORY MONTH ESSAY CONTEST
~Top elementary,
middle and high school students to receive full
scholarships~
TALLAHASSEE-Governor
Jeb Bush today invited Florida K-12 students to participate in
the Governor's annual Black History Month “Remembering the
Past, Celebrating the Future” essay contest. The essay contest is
the first in a month-long schedule of events to commemorate
Florida’s African American
heritage. The theme of the essay contest is
“What Impact has an African American Athlete from Florida Had
on My Life?”
“African American athletes are
among the many trailblazers that have contributed to our state
and nation,” said Governor Bush. “This annual essay
contest gives children across the state the opportunity to
learn more about the contributions of Florida’s
African-American athletes, allows them to showcase their
creativity and rewards them for their talent.”
The contest is open to all Florida
K-12 students. A panel of educators, community and business
leaders from around the state will serve as judges and select
the winning essays. One winner will be selected from each of
the three grade-level categories, elementary (grades K-5),
middle (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12). Winners
will receive a trip to Tallahassee to attend the
annual Black History Month Reception at the Governor's
Mansion, a personal computer and a full four-year tuition
scholarship through the Florida Prepaid College Foundation to
a state college or university of their choice.
“African American athletes like Althea
Gibson and John “Buck” O'Neil were pioneers who paved the way
and opened doors for many of our youth today. Thanks to
their courage and determination, young black boys and girls
are dreaming big dreams and realizing the importance of
overcoming adversity as they strive for success,” said Senator
Al Lawson, Tallahassee-District 6. “It is our
sincerest hope that our youngest Floridians respect, honor and
appreciate those who blazed trails and helped foster some of
the greatest athletic talent the world has ever known.”
Guidelines for the essay contest are:
Ø
Entries must be emailed to blackhistoryessay@myflorida.com <mailto:blackhistoryessay@myflorida.com>
or mailed to the Governor's Press Office, 206 the Capitol,
Tallahassee, FL, 32399, by 5:00 p.m. Friday, January 6, 2006.
Ø
Each student may enter one essay up to 500 words in length.
Ø
Essay submissions must include: contestant's name, home
address, telephone number, school, grade level and essay
title.
Ø
Parental consent forms must be attached to the essay.
Partners of this year's essay contest
include the Florida Conference of Black State
Legislators and the Mary Brogan Museum of Arts
and Science. Students interested in participating in
the essay contest may visit www.floridablackhistory.com <http://www.floridablackhistory.com> or
www.myflorida.com
<http://www.myflorida.com>. Contact Cristal
Cole at (850) 488-5394 or Leslie D. Steele at (850) 487-7727
for more information or a complete copy of the contest rules.
Please see attached complete guideline
sheet.
Black History Month dates back
to 1926 when it was first organized as Negro History Week by
Carter G. Woodson to bring national attention to the
contributions of black Americans. Woodson selected the
second week of February in honor of the birthdays of pivotal
black supporters Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. It
became a national month-long celebration in 1976.
Remembering
the Past, Celebrating the Future”
Governor Jeb Bush’s annual Black
History Month Essay Contest
Official Rules and
Guidelines
Governor Jeb Bush’s annual Black
History Month Essay Contest is open to all K-12 students in
the state of Florida. Three winners will be
selected: one elementary (K-5 student), one middle (6-8
student) and one high school (9-12 student) student.
Entries must be emailed to blackhistoryessay@myflorida.com <mailto:blackhistoryessay@myflorida.com>,
or mailed to Cristal Cole in the Governor’s Office, 206 the
Capitol, Tallahassee, FL, 32399,
by
5:00p.m. Friday, January 6,
2006.
Essays should address the following
topic: “What Impact
has an African American Athlete from
Florida Had on My Life.”
·
Each student may submit only one essay.
·
Essays should be no longer than 500 words in length.
·
A parent must sign or type name on a waiver form allowing
publication of the student’s essay in the event that they are
selected as a winner. Parental waiver can be obtained by
logging onto the Governor’s Black History Month webpage on
www.myflorida.com
<http://www.myflorida.com>.
A parental waiver must accompany each essay to be eligible for
consideration.
·
Essays submitted must include: contestant’s name, home
address, telephone number, school the student attends, grade
level and title of the essay.
·
Winners will receive a 4-year full tuition scholarship to any
Florida state college or university of their choice, provided
by Florida Prepaid Education Foundation, and a personal
computer.
·
All travel and lodging expenses will be paid for the winners
and their immediate family members. Winners will be
awarded their scholarships at the Governor’s annual Black
History Month reception at the Governor’s Mansion in
Tallahassee.
Contact Cristal Cole in the Governor’s
Press Office at (850) 488-5394 or Leslie D. Steele in the
Florida Lottery Communication office at (850) 487-7727 for any
further questions.
All essays must be submitted in one of
the following formats:
Simple text
(.txt)
Rich Test
Format(.rtf)
Microsoft Word (.doc)
Parental
Consent Form
“
Remembering the Past, Celebrating the Future” Essay
Contest
Student name:
Grade level:
Name of School:
Home Address:
Home telephone number:
Release
Statement:
As parent or
guardian, I acknowledge that my child has written the attached
essay. Should he or she win the essay contest, I agree to
allow their essay to be distributed
publicly.
Signature or parent name and
contact phone number:
__________________________________________
Parent Signature
__________________________________________
Parent Telephone
Number
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