Georgians for School Choice: Cobb County

TOMORROW IS THE VOTE. PLEASE READ AND CONTACT YOUR LAWMAKER (Link provided to immediately connect you with your House Rep)

SB233, The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act:
Thursday, March 23rd: SB233 passed out of Rules and headed to the House Floor. While on the floor, Gov. Kemp's Floor Leader, Rep. Will Wade announced Kemps support for the legislation, asking House members to take into consideration his support when voting. After much deliberation, Speaker Pro Tempore, Jan Jones voted to table the bill. We believe it will return for vote on MONDAY, March 27th.

Bureaucrats have stolen public education, and WE the PARENTS must fight to get it back. As we speak, lawmakers are being bombarded by paid lobbyists, union mobs, the PTA, and school superintendents, who wish to see your children STUCK IN FAILING SCHOOL SYSTEMS, WITH NO WAY OUT.

These lawmakers continue to fight to make way for real school choice in the state of Georgia. The best way we can honor those efforts is by making phone calls, sending emails, and showing up to the Capitol. THESE ARE YOUR KIDS! THIS IS THEIR FUTURE! YOU ARE THEIR VOICE!

LAWMAKERS NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU. TIME IS RUNNING OUT. WE ARE SO CLOSE. This bill will change lives. This bill will be the foundation to real educational freedom for Georgia students. THIS BILL WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING.

This link will take you to a prefilled form. Just enter your home address and it'll send your email directly to your House Rep. How easy is that? https://p2a.co/uqGCeFy

This link will take you to the open states website where you can search your House Rep. email address and office number. Please call and leave a message, takes 2 minutes, start to finish! https://openstates.org/ga/legislators/

When SB233 passes in the House, it'll go to Gov. Kemp to be signed into law.

SB233 *Georgia Promise Scholarship Act* UPDATE!!

On 3/6 (Crossover Day) SB 233 was brought to the Senate floor and passed, securing every single Republican vote. The 23-33 vote was an incredible feat, as Georgia has never moved an ESA bill out of Chamber. History was made! Thank you to Sen. Dolezal, the Senate Education Committee, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and all of those that voted in support of this important piece of legislation.

With that said, please know- the work isn't over yet!

During the Senate floor vote, 3 bill amendments were voted on, one of which passed. In short, the newly included language states that Promise Scholarships will only be accessible to students enrolled in underperforming schools, listed as a "D" or an "F", per the Governor's Office of Student Achievement. The original intention of the bill was to make ESA's accessible to all students, without restrictions.

SB 233: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/64762

Governor’s Office of Student Achievement: https://schoolgrades.georgia.gov/school-search

The school choice movement is about THE STUDENTS, not the system they attend. We are hopeful that we can expand access to the Georgia Promise Scholarship once in the House, however that is going to require YOUR HELP.

IT'S TIME TO GET LOUD. IT'S TIME TO MAKE SOME NOISE. Our legislators ARE LISTENING!

Please take advantage of the links provided in this post. And please share with others, using the tagging feature to maximize reach. Be sure to check this page often for upcoming alerts, updates and calls to action. Numerous events are coming up that may be of interest to you, don't miss out!

CALL AND EMAIL EACH HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEMBER, ASKING THAT THEY PLEASE VOTE YES ON SB233, GEORGIA PROMISE SCHOLARSHIPS.

Copy & Paste House Education Committee Members:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Also, please be sure to email and call your district House Rep, providing a personal message as to why needs the option to access what the GA Promise Scholarships can provide.

Email your House Representative: https://p2a.co/uqGCeFy

Find you House Representative: https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/

Call to Action! **MONDAY IS CROSSOVER DAY**
The Georgia Promise Scholarships (SB 233) passed out of committee and is headed to the Senate floor. WE NEED EVERYONE TO REACHOUT TO THEIR LOCAL SENATOR, letting them know we are counting on them to do the right thing! I have attached some graphics outlining what this bill provides, as well as a link that will easily connect you to your lawmaker.

It is equally important that you take 30 seconds to call your Senator, letting them know Georgia's students need access to what SB233 can and will provide! (Senate email addresses and phone numbers are listed below) School choice is the winning choice!
Auto filled form (can be edited, try to make personal!

Takes 30 seconds!): https://p2a.co/xmKcyyW

Link to bill (I'm happy to answer any questions you may have!): https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/64762

To email your senator, use the following template: [email protected]

To find your local senator, including phone number to call: https://openstates.org/

CALL! EMAIL! FILL OUT THE FORM! SHARE THIS INFO!

FUND STUDENTS, NOT OVERHEAD!

"Sorry Johnny, we can't support school choice, we got district overhead with fat pockets to think about! Funded with taxpayer money, of course!"

List of all Georgia Superintendent Salary: https://open.ga.gov/openga/salaryTravel/list?offset=40&max=20&sort=name&order=asc

List of Georgia school rankings: https://www.schooldigger.com/go/GA/schoolrank.aspx

US School Ranking (GA currently 36): https://wallethub.com/edu/e/states-with-the-best-schools/5335

Join us for the Atlanta School Choice Expo, featuring over 30 schools in the Metro Atlanta area. This event is FREE and family friendly.
RSVP today: https://p2a.co/4GvEbhk

There are students falling through the cracks in top ranking districts, just as there are students succeeding in failing school districts. There are many variables as to why educational freedom in necessary, number #1 being PARENTS KNOW BEST.
Where does your school rank?

2023 Best School Districts in Georgia Ranking based on statistics, test scores, and district ratings.

All I want for Christmas is Educational Freedom🎄
Learn More: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq9Ql4gAf9JWdPFC2Cpn_kw

Please join us for this important Zoom series for our Georgia students and families! We'll learn how Faith Leaders and the Faith Community can help kids win in the School Choice movement moving forward.

In addition to our Special Guest, Michael Benjamin, we will have a Pastor or Faith Leader lead us in prayer for each of the dates below.
Please share and register!

Tuesday, Dec. 6- https://loom.ly/X6HYKmA
Wednesday, Dec. 7- https://loom.ly/4uCDYJY
Tuesday, Dec. 13- https://loom.ly/-BvGIeA
Wednesday, Dec. 14- https://loom.ly/sh53Upo

Let's set our children, and ultimetely our country, up for success! Congressman Byron Donalds of Florida, a true school choice champion!

Blexit in Cobb County for last month's school choice event. Let's make school choice a reality for Georgia's students!

https://www.facebook.com/105615358230676/posts/pfbid0YCzKp3oDRnprpmDrDQQpkuCPNBr3XCShDSsgEgZwZntW8jzofwhLKKhgsT2dNq6Gl/

Join us for lunch tomorrow!

Georgia Federation for Children would like to invite you to a free luncheon event, celebrating the opportunities school choice provides families and looking ahead to what Georgia lawmakers can do in 2023 to promote freedom in the education system for our state's children. School choice is the winning choice! And it's needed now more than ever.

This event will be emceed by Shelly Wynter of WSB Radio 95.5's "Word On The Street"!

It will feature Florida Congressman Byron Donalds and Corey DeAngelis, with other special guests. It's gonna be awesome!

Date and Time:
Thu, October 27, 2022, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM EDT
Location:
Marietta's Theatre in the Square 11 Whitlock Avenue Northwest Marietta, GA 30060
Menu:
Mojo Chicken, Roasted Potato, Seasonal Mixed Vegetable, Green Salad, Puff Pastry, Tea & Water
Event Parking:
A parking garage convenient to the theatre is located at 102 Cherokee St NE.

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/school-choice-helps-kids-win-tickets-443385527047?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Congressman Byron Donalds, Keynote:
Named as a rising star in D.C., Congressman Byron Donalds has long championed school choice in his home state of Florida and the nation’s capitol. He believes that parents are a sleeping giant that have been awakened, and are the best advocates for their children- not politicians. Now, he’s calling on parents to embrace funding students and empowering families in education, rejecting a “one size fits all” model of education in favor of encouraging innovation and healthy competition.

Corey DeAngelis:
Corey DeAngelis is a senior fellow at the American Federation for Children. He is also the executive director at Educational Freedom Institute, an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, a senior fellow at Reason Foundation, and a board member at Liberty Justice Center. He was named on the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work on education policy and received the Buckley Award from America’s Future in 2020. He additionally received the Future 40 Award from Maverick PAC in 2021 and the OCPA Citizenship Award in 2022.DeAngelis has authored or coauthored over 40 journal articles, book chapters, and reports on education policy, and he is the coeditor of School Choice Myths: Setting the Record Straight on Education Freedom. His research has been published in peer‐reviewed academic journals, including Social Science Quarterly, School Effectiveness and School Improvement, Educational Review, and Peabody Journal of Education. He is a regular on Fox News and his work has also been published in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the New York Post, and National Review. DeAngelis received his PhD in education policy from the University of Arkansas. He holds a BBA and an MA in economics from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

In an attempt to position herself as a woman of the people, Abrams said that a governor should “remove barriers” and “increase access to opportunity.” She went on to say that a person’s “background and zip code” shouldn’t determine their access to opportunity.
There’s just one problem: In her opposition to school choice, Stacey Abrams has voted numerous times to uphold those barriers.

Here are a few times she fought to uphold barriers and trap Georgia students in failing school districts:

-In 2012, Stacey Abrams voted against a constitutional amendment that allowed Georgia to authorize charter schools.
-In 2016, Stacey Abrams objected to the creation of an Opportunity School District which would’ve given the state control of over chronically failing school districts.
-In 2018, Stacey Abrams wrote she wanted to be called the “Public Education Governor” in an op-ed placed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where she railed against school choice policies.

"The real barrier to opportunity is Stacey Abrams. Abrams’ teachers union-approved education plan is just one of many reasons why she would be a disaster for Georgia.” – RNC Spokesperson Garrison Douglas

The Atlanta Voice on Twitter “. says a person’s zip code and ethnic background should not be the determining factors for gaining access to opportunity to level up in Georgia. ”

"She has chosen to back only one kind of educational delivery system—traditional zip code zoned public schools—over empowering parents to make the decisions that they believe will best suit their children. And while it may be the politically expedient position to take—especially in the era of Trump— there is a striking cognitive dissonance between her tireless advocacy for the voting rights of African Americans and her opposition to giving African-American parents some agency over the education of their children. I don’t get it. According to a January 2018 poll of Georgia voters, education is the “single most important issue facing Georgia.” And according to every poll I’ve seen, African-American voters are much more likely to support charter schools, vouchers, and education savings accounts than they are to oppose them. The same is true of Hispanic voters. And White voters too, though to a lesser extent."
READ MORE: https://www.edpost.com/stories/theres-a-lot-to-like-about-stacey-abrams-but-her-opposition-to-school-choice-isnt-one-of-them

Christy Riggins of AFC speaking facts while promoting school choice: "Their plea is clear: Put our students first. Too often, their cries fall on deaf ears.... It’s time to get off this hamster wheel. The preferences of parents have rarely won over the decrees of a bloated and self-concerned education system."

Let's get this done, Georgia!

Read more: https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/opinion-forget-boards-of-education-push-lawmakers-for-school-choice/GONA3TNGDRH3XMZK72WK7BJRQI/

Let's talk school choice, Georgia! Shelley Wynter and Amanda McGee get into it on Word on the Street, WSB 95.5 Talk Radio.

Listen Now:
https://www.wsbradio.com/on-demand/amanda-mcgee-school-choice/e9525828-2e6e-43ec-bc35-e863fbdc4325/

Incentivizing the private sector equals employment opportunities for teachers. School choice truly is the solution to all we are facing in Georgia school.
Holly Terei explains: https://www.foxnews.com/video/6310635337112

When Education Freedom wins, Georgia Wins!

Join us for an event celebrating the opportunities school choice provides families and looking ahead to what Georgia lawmakers can do in 2023 to promote freedom in the education system for our state's children.

Emceed by Shelly Wynter of WSB Radio 95.5's "Word On The Street"

Featuring Florida Congressman Byron Donalds and Corey DeAngelis, with other special guests. You won't want to miss this event!

Thu, October 27, 2022, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM EDT
Marietta's Theatre in the Square
11 Whitlock Avenue Northwest Marietta, GA 30060

"American voters have long trusted Democrats more than Republicans on the issue of education. That’s changing—and the evidence is in two new polls, one from a teachers union and one from a Democratic organization."

Opinion | Ill Democratic Omens in Education Polls A surprising new survey by a teachers union finds that voters favor Republicans on the issue of schools.

"'The pace of the decline has accelerated since the pandemic, a phenomenon officials struggle to explain,' The Los Angeles Times reported at the time.
This is laughable. Allow me to explain."

Teachers Unions Are Why More Parents Want School Choice They oversaw the biggest destabilization of public schools in a generation. Now teachers unions are blaming everyone else for parents wanting better options.

Incredible victory for the school choice movement!

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10228487070144702&id=1320807688

"Education is the largest line item in the state budget. Should education dollars follow the student to the school that best fits their need, whether it is public, private, magnet, charter, virtual or homeschool?"
COBB COUNTY REPUBLICAN VOTERS: 78% YES

Students shouldn't feel stuck in declining school systems. Follow Georgians for School Choice: Cobb County to learn more.

School Choice is one of the top issues for Georgia voters, and rightfully so. Georgia lacks the educational options readily available in surrounding states.

When you vote at the polls, remember how they voted on the House floor. Your Cobb County House Representatives currently seeking re-election:

Follow Georgians for School Choice on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SchoolChoice4GA

Georgians for School Choice (@SchoolChoice4GA) | Twitter The latest Tweets from Georgians for School Choice (). Holly Terei Georgians for School Choice . Georgia, United States

SB 47 allows learning disabled students with 504 plans the opportunity to take state funds and apply them to the school that better suits their educational needs. It is an expansion of the current SB 10 funds, provided for students with IEP's.
Representative Robert Leverett voted NO.
He has, however, supported more recent school choice legislation.
Representative Leverett is currently seeking re-election in Georgia House District 123.

SB 47 allows learning disabled students with 504 plans the opportunity to take state funds and apply them to the school that better suits their educational needs. It is an expansion of the current SB 10 funds, provided for students with IEP's.
Representative Mary Francis Williams voted NO.
She supports NOT providing special need students the opportunity to attend the school that best meets their educational needs.
Representative Williams is currently seeking re-election in Georgia House District 37.