Educational Alert!
Florida Catholic Conference

WHAT:
Eligibility language for lower-income nonpublic school students to receive corporate tax scholarships

HOW TO HELP:
If your state senator is listed in this call to action (see below), please ask him or her to speak to Senate President McKay to find out why eligibility language for lower-income nonpublic school children was not included in the corporate tax scholarship amendment that was adopted onto SB 426 and whether the Senate President will support additional language so one out of five scholarship recipients is an impoverished nonpublic school child.

When your state senator is speaking to the Senate President, please ask him or her to consider noting the following:

The Senate President stated last year that he supports the concept of poor nonpublic school students receiving a corporate tax scholarship program, but indicated that the 2001 session was not the time to include impoverished nonpublic school families in the program;

Because amendatory language for lower-income nonpublic school families will not become a reality unless it garners the support of the Senate President, it is critical that the Senate President’s position be ascertained;

Florida’s corporate tax scholarship program is intended to provide financial assistance to students who are eligible for the National Free and/or Reduced Lunch Program. A class of poor students should not be excluded because of what school system they attend;

Eligibility has been based on poverty level, not what school system a child attends, in other states (Pennsylvania and Arizona) where corporate tax scholarship programs have been enacted;

The Program can be revenue positive by allowing one out of five scholarship recipients to be a lower-income nonpublic school student who receives a partial/minimal scholarship;

Allowing lower-income nonpublic school families to be eligible for a partial corporate tax scholarship would likely reduce the high number of students who transferred from nonpublic schools to public schools during the 2001-2002 school year.

If your state senator is listed below, please contact him or her immediately with the message contained in this call to action alert. Thank you.

Sen. Carlton, district 24, ph#(941) 486-2032, e-mail: carlton.lisa.web@leg.state.fl.us
Sen. Clary, district 7, ph#(850) 487-5009, e-mail: charlie.web@leg.state.fl.us
Sen. Constantine, district 9,ph#(407)331-9675, e-mail: constantine.lee.s09@leg.state.fl.us
Sen. Crist, district 13, ph#(850)487-5068, e-mail: crist.victor.web@leg.state.fl.us
Sen. Garcia, district 39, ph#(305)364-3191, e-mail: garcia.rudy.web@leg.state.fl.us
Sen. Laurent, district 17, ph#(863)519-7595, e-mail: laurent.john.web@leg.state.fl.us
Sen. Lee, district 23, ph#(813)744-8683, e-mail: lee.tom.web@leg.state.fl.us
Sen. Peaden, district 1, ph#(904)689-0556, e-mail: peaden.durell.web@leg.state.fl.us
Sen. Posey, district 15, ph#(321)690-3484, e-mail: posey.bill.web@leg.state.fl.us
Sen. Pruitt, district 27, ph#(561) 335-8000, e-mail: pruitt.ken.web@leg.state.fl.us
Sen. Villalobos, district 37,ph#(305)222-4160, e-mail: villalobos.alex.s37@leg.state.fl.us
Sen. Webster, district 12, ph#(407)656-0066, e-mail: drawdy.ann.s12@leg.state.fl.us