UPDATES

03.11.2009

PCE Action Alert

Update

Posted: March 11, 2009 - 5:00 PM

Senator Stephenson presented a substitute bill for HB 2 that restores funding to charter schools. It passed the Senate 15 to 9 with 5 absent. It will now go back to the House for a concurrence vote.

Please contact your representative in the State House and ask them to vote for HB 2 Substitute.

For more info

• Learn more about HB 2 Substitute>>

Related News

• Hard choices await education: Charter schools facing new limits>>
• Lawmakers Prohibit Expansion of Charter Schools>>
• Utah House passes $2.4B budget, but freezes charter schools>>

Your Continued Involvement
Needed to Stop Charter Moratorium

March 11, 2009

We want to thank you for contacting your legislators in support of charter schools and parental empowerment. Your communication with them is making a difference! We now need to have you

CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS ONCE AGAIN and ask them to

RESTORE CHARTER SCHOOL FUNDING AND ALLOW GROWTH.

Here's an update on House Bill 2. Since H.B. 2 passed in the House Tuesday morning, the sponsors of the bill, along with many other legislators, have been working vigilantly on a resolution that would restore funding and growth for Charter Schools.

Senator Stephenson will be introducing an amended version of the bill in the Senate to do just that. If it passes in the Senate, it will then go back to the House for a vote to concur. The 2009 legislative session ends tomorrow at midnight, so your immediate action on this issue is critical.

YOUR ACTION IS URGENTLY NEEDED. Please do the following:

• Contact your legislators and
• Ask them to restore Charter School funding and allow growth

(See the Action Item box below for phone numbers and contact information)

Previous Action Alert on
Charter School Moratorium

March 10, 2009

This is extremely urgent. Your representative and senator need to hear from you as soon as possible (this bill will probably be finalized today or else by midnight on Thursday when the session ends).

Provisions in this year's education spending bill (House Bill 2) will place a moratorium on any new charter schools for 2010-11 and may curtail enrollment at existing charter schools. (See lines 67 and 162 of H.B. 2 here)

Parents for Choice in Education has been a long-time supporter of charter schools because they empower parents, increase choice, and promote innovative solutions.

Charter schools are a critical part of K-12 education. They’re independent public schools created and maintained through the cooperative efforts of parents, teachers, and community leaders to provide families with innovation and meaningful options.

By banning the creation of new charter schools, tens of thousands of children on charter school waiting lists will be denied the opportunity to be in a school that’s a better fit for their education needs. From online schools to science-focused schools, Utah’s 67 charter schools (with 8 more opening in 2009-10) are at the fore front of innovation and choice in education.

It is critical that your legislators hear from you today on this important issue.

Background on House Bill 2
H.B. 2 appropriates state funding to Utah’s K-12 education system. The bill will either be passed any day now since the session ends Thursday at midnight. Very few legislators had seen the bill, which was prepared by the Executive Appropriations Committee, before it was brought to a vote in the House this morning.

Catching many representatives off-guard, H.B. 2 passed the House this morning. To stop its attack on charter schools, H.B. 2 will need to be amended in the Senate, after which it will be sent back to the House for a concurring vote (meaning that the House accepts the changes made to the bill by the Senate).

This is why it’s important to contact both your representative and senator in the Utah State Legislature today!

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GO HERE to find out who your legislators are, their contact info, and tips on communicating with them.

GO HERE to learn more about H.B. 2