Archive for the Education Category

451 Avengers will hold a rally in front of the PBC School Board building in West Palm at 2 pm, on July 19, to protest book banning. It is non-partisan and strictly about books. The rally is in support of Rabbi Barry Silver, who is on the agenda and will ask the Board to remove the Bible that afternoon in protest of banning books.  He will enter the building at 2:45 pm and anyone who wants to observe can follow as the meeting is open to the public. Barry will speak and we are happy to have others of important organizations speak as well. We are supported so far, by PBC NOW and COMPASS. If anyone has questions or suggestions, contact Mikki Royce, tmgwrites@pobox.com, 561-829-(561) 829-3222

POTENTIAL IMPACT OF UNIVERSAL VOUCHERS  A ‘LOOMING RISK’ TO OUR STATE From the Florida Policy Institute Florida Policy Institute released the following statement from FPI CEO Sadaf Knight after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law legislation (HB 1) creating a universal voucher and education savings account program: “At a time when our K-12 schools are already severely underfunded, the governor approved a program that will reroute billions in education funding from public education to unaccountable private schools. “A well-resourced and supported public education system is the cornerstone of a free, thriving democracy. This is why in 1998 Florida voters resoundingly supported an amendment to our state constitution declaring it a ‘paramount duty of the state’ and a ‘fundamental value of the people of the State of Florida.’ By opening up the floodgates of funding to private education, including by giving vouchers to the wealthiest families in the state, HB 1

A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION HIGHLIGHTING HIGHER EDUCATION IN FLORIDA
APRIL 16 4:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
Carter Tabernacle CME Church, 1 S. Cottage Hill Rd., Orlando, FL 32805
PRESENTED BY League of Women Voters of Florida, League of Women Voters of Orange County, League of Women Voters of UCF. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Pastors for Florida Children.
The League of Women Voters is hosting a community conversation in Orlando that will address a range of topics related to the current state of higher education in Florida. The event will feature a panel discussion of stakeholders and community leaders. Panelists will share different viewpoints on proposed
legislation, including bills concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and certain majors; restraints on classroom discussions and college events; the recent overhaul of Florida’s New College; and tenure protections for longtime professors.
This event will also be accessible via livestream on Facebook.com/LWVFlorida.
For more information visit LWVFL.org or email info@LWVFL.org

ACTION ALERT! Your Action is Needed Now: Universal Voucher Bill Is Near Passage! The Florida Senate Appropriations Committee and the entire Florida House will hear bills that rip money away from public schools and give that money to unaccountable schools. As League members, we all know that public education is the bedrock of democracy. Since the 19th century, American citizens have trusted in the covenant made between taxpayers and their government to use their money to benefit the welfare of the citizens, including maintaining an equitable system of free public education. Taxpayers trust that the government will provide oversight and accountability for the education of its youth. Now, for the first time in history, we see taxpayer money being diverted to individual persons with little or no transparency or accountability. We also see that language has been manipulated to fool citizens. Senate Bill 202/House Bill 1 would redirect $4 billion

A PUBLIC PRIMER: PROS AND CONS OF HB1 LWVPBC President Kathi Gundlach and several other officials spoke at an informational event about House Bill 1, a pending measure that would expand Florida’s school voucher program, at the Wellington Community Center on Feb. 27.  Also present were Palm Beach County School Board Member Alexandria Ayala; Dr. Deanna Albert, CEO/CAO of Educational Solutions and Resources; Florida Rep. Katherine Waldron; and Scott Hottenstein, President of the Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida. Nancy Gau and Sharon Lent (pictured at left) managed a table of LWV materials, including our “Understanding School Choice” brochure, Vote by Mail forms, and our 2023-24 Directory of Elected Officials.  

WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
SCHOOL VOUCHERS IN 2023….
A FREE DINE & LEARN INFO SESSION
A NON-PARTISAN EVENT FOCUSED ON QUALITY EDUCATION & PROS AND CONS OF PROPOSED HB1— UNIVERSAL VOUCHERS
Monday, Feb. 27- 5:30-7:30 pm
Wellington Community Center, 12150 Forest Hill Blvd., Lakeside West Room 110
FORUM SPEAKERS/SPONSORS:
o Dr. Deanna Albert, CEO/CAO “Educational Solutions & Resources, LLC”
o Hon. Katherine Waldron, Fl State Rep. HD. 93
o Scott Hottenstein, President, Democratic Public Education Caucus of FL
o Hon. Alexandria Ayala, PBCPS Board Member
o Dr. Kathi Gundlach, President, League of Women Voters of PBC
For more info, and to pre-register, please contact: Deanna Albert at 201-965-1533 (call/text) or by email to: deanna223albert@gmail.com. You will receive confirmation.
Sandwiches/Wraps and light refreshments will be served.
Pre-Registration is REQUIRED, so we are sufficiently prepared.
PLEASE ADVISE OTHER PARENTS/GRANDPARENTS TO JOIN US
If you wish to be considered as a sponsor or host for this informational event, please contact Deanna at the above email address.

Why Vote Yes on County Question 2? To Keep Schools Safe and Strong By Cynthia Archbold COVID and its variants ripped through public Schools during the Pandemic, but the district earned an “A” Rating anyway for the 2021-2022 School Year! There’s a reason that Palm Beach County Schools excelled despite the upheaval says School Superintendent Michael Burke, speaking at the September 21st LWVPBC Hot Topic. He credits much of the success to the 1.00 mills School District ad valorem levy that Palm Beach Voters passed in 2018. “To maintain that “A” rating–we’re really proud–not every school was able to do that,” Burke said at the September 21st LWVPBC Hot Topic. The 2018 referendum had four goals: 1) support student mental health 2) improve teacher pay 3) enhance school safety and 4) keep arts and music education in the curriculum–and these measures made the difference in keeping Palm Beach County an