More vouchers, less oversight: ACTION NEEDED

[Angela McManaman]

Dear supporters of public education:

Tuesday you received an email about fast-tracked legislation for statewide special-education vouchers. The Assembly Education Committee passed this legislation along a party line vote on Wednesday.  The legislation:

--Avoids implementing oversight, licensing requirements or certification for special-educators staff in publically funded voucher schools;

--Allows voucher schools to deny any/all extra services and/or supports that students with special needs require;

--Provides enough funding, per voucher, to seriously defund special-education services in public schools, but not enough funding for children with moderate-to-severe special education needs to attend voucher schools.

This bill damages the quality of special education for children in every school in Wisconsin, but many Wisconsin legislators don’t want us talking about it. They want it passed ASAP. Maybe they're afraid stories like this one, from Florida, will be uncovered:

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2011-06-23/news/mckay-scholarship-program-sparks-a-cottage-industry-of-fraud-and-chaos/

Please speak out. Email or phone every member of the Senate Education Committee immediately. Tell them your story, your child's story, your school's story. Personal testimony is very powerful. Every address you need is at the bottom of this message.

Get the media talking about this, too. The Journal Sentinel welcomes Letters to the Editor and Perspective pieces. And conversation about education always gets readers' attention. Again, personal stories are powerful. Don't keep your story to yourself. Wisconsin needs to read it. View the JS submission guidelines here: http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/36034024.html

These vouchers are intended for the entire state: Anyone anywhere in Wisconsin can call/write/testify. But let's be clear about the districts and the students who are most immediately affected by this: large and urban districts. Milwaukee, Racine, Green Bay, Janesville: Write, Speak, Testify, Represent. Pass this on.

Best,

I Love My Public Schools

SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE membership:

Sen....@legis.wisconsin.gov

Sen.V...@legis.wisconsin.gov   Sen.Gr...@legis.wisconsin.gov
Sen.D...@legis.wisconsin.gov   Sen.Vi...@legis.wisconsin.gov
Sen.L...@legis.wisconsin.gov    Sen.C...@legis.wisconsin.gov