Jackson Jambalaya

Nancy is at it again. Here is Ms. Loome's latest fatwah:

We are coming down to the wire, and it's time for a full court press on charter schools. Representatives need to hear from you AGAIN!

After talking with dozens of legislators, I've come to the conclusion that you'd be hard pressed to find 15 of them who think that HB1152 is a good charter school bill. The problem is that many senators voted for it just to "get something passed" or to "support the leadership." I've even heard that senators who voted for the bill are asking their representatives to vote against it because they know the bill is bad for their districts.

House members also are weary of the issue, and they, too, are getting pressure to concur with this bad legislation - just to get a charter school bill passed.

In its current form, HB 1152 does not solve any of the problems we have in our education system, and it has the potential to create even more failing schools.

Please help us send the message that a bad bill is worse than no bill at all. We need House members to stand up for what they know is right, represent the interests of their constituents, and send this bill to conference to clean it up.

Please ask your representative to vote "No" on the motion to concur and "Yes" on the motion to invite conference on HB 1152.

Your representative:

Rep. Rita Martinson Capitol: 601.359.3131 Personal: 601.856.4977

Capitol Switchboard: 601.359.3770

If your representative is not listed above it is because we do not have your street address and zip code in our database. Click here to find your legislator. Click here to send us your street address and zip code.

There is nothing in this bill that weeds out bad charter schools, and there is nothing in it that focuses charter schools where they are needed. This is not a prudent use of taxpayer dollars, and it certainly is not "education reform." A true reform bill would focus on attracting only the strongest charter school providers into areas where existing schools are failing our children.

They say that just six or eight phone calls can change a legislator's vote. You can make that happen in your district by asking your friends and family to call. Even if you've called already, please call again. The bill will come up sometime between today and April 26, and your legislators need to hear from you - the sooner, the better.

If you have time to call all of the legislators who represent your school district, that would be terrific. Click here to see who they are and to find their contact information.

You can bet that legislators are getting pressure from those who are pushing for "charter schools everywhere." We will have to work hard to ensure that we get a responsible piece of legislation that provides better options for kids in underperforming schools without wasting taxpayer dollars creating more schools where we already have good ones.

Alabama is in the process of passing such a bill. If they can do it, we can, too! Read about it here.

Please call your legislators about the charter school bill as soon as possible, and ask your friends and family to call. The calls really do make a difference.

We'll keep posting updates on our website, and we'll let you know when the bill is brought up in the House so you can watch the debate online. Let me know what you're hearing, and I'll do the same. Let's get this done right for our kids!

Gratefully,

Nancy