Patricia Levesque on Public School Choice Bills Passing First Stops

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, both the House Choice and Innovation Subcommittee and the Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee passed bills that would allow universal public school choice for Florida families. House Bill 669, sponsored by Representative Chris Sprowls, and Senate Bill 886, sponsored by Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto, will empower parents with the ability to choose the best educational path for their child by allowing them to choose any public school in the state, as long as it has space available. It will also give parents the ability to request a classroom change when it is not a good fit, and increase transparency by requiring districts to inform parents annually about the amount of total funding spent on their child.

Patricia Levesque, executive director of the Foundation for Florida’s Future (@aFloridaPromise), made the following statement on the bill’s passage:

“Information and choices impact the trajectory of a child’s life. Parents already do everything in their power to give their children the best opportunities they can.

“But sometimes a child’s neighborhood school or assigned classroom isn’t meeting their needs. This bill will remove some of those obstacles to success. When space is available, universal public school choice will give parents more options for a quality education in a public school or classroom that would be a better fit for their child.

“I am thankful to Representative Sprowls and Senator Benacquisto for their leadership in bringing this policy closer to becoming a reality for students.”

VIDEO — Floridians share what #PublicSchoolChoice means to them!

 

For more information on student-centered policies, visit www.afloridapromise.org.