The School Choice Movement Podcast

We always hear about how much money is spent on education in the state and across the country. How are these funds allocated? Are we doing the best job we can with the dollars we spend? Erika digs into the real numbers to show how your tax dollars are being used. Are there better ways to utilize our money on educating our kids. The answers may surprise you! Dive into the data on today's episode. Subscribe To The Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-school-choice-movement-podcast/id1458648394 Website: https://schoolchoicemovement.org/

It's the 2020 Legislative Session in Tallahassee! Erika is following 3 important bills this session. They are Term Limits for School Board Members, Charter School Authorization and The Parents Bill of Rights. Find out more details on these bills and how they can impact you and your child's education on today's podcast. Subscribe To The Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-school-choice-movement-podcast/id1458648394 Website: https://schoolchoicemovement.org/

There are some amazing things happening with school choice in Florida, but how would anyone know if no one reports on it? How is the reporting on districts today in the state? Ron Matus is director for policy & public affairs at Step Up for Students and a former education reporter with the Tampa Bay Times (formerly the St. Petersburg Times). He joins the podcast to talk with Erika and Shawn about what he sees as the problems with education reporting today. Together, they discuss the reluctance to tell the whole story of public education in Florida? What exactly is being under-reported? Why are the voices of so many teachers not being heard? Find out the answers to these questions! Plus, What is the surprising link between education reporting and the BackStreet Boys? All of this and more on today's episode! Learn More About redefinED School Choice Movement

It's the first podcast post-legislative session! Students and families were the big winners this session! Erika and Shawn talk about specific legislation, starting with HB 7123 that has to do with charter school funding. Next, they discuss one of the most talked about bills of the year. It's HB 7030, known as the "arming teacher" bill. There is so much more than arming teachers in the bill that needs to be heard. They also discuss the year's 'delayed wins'. What was the process like throughout this session and how will each of these legislative changes affect you and your children? Find out on today's episode!     Learn more about SCM Myth v Fact

School choice is about a fundamental right for parents to have access to the educational environment that serves their child best. But what choices do parents have, and do they even know what is out there? Erika and Shawn welcome John Kirtley to the podcast! He is the Co-Chair of the Florida Federation for Children. Together, they talk about the end of the legislative session in Tallahassee and the positive takeaways for school choice, including workforce education and the sharing of property tax dollars with charter schools. John talks about the state of education in Florida today and the importance of redefining it. Parents should have a wide range of high-quality schools or educational options to choose from – be it traditional public schools, public charter schools, private schools, or virtual learning. Find out more about programs that are helping our students on today's show! Learn more about American Federation of Children School Choice Movement  

There have been great strides in Florida on School Choice but one question comes up all the time. Is that Constitutional? Erika and Shawn tackle the constitutional legislative issues this session. They bring up two bills that they were supporting where the issue came up. They had to do with scholarships and charter school approvals.  Why do people say that and is it possible there may be a constitutional challenge? Get ready to dig into the facts versus the myths on issues like separation of church and state, family empowerment, the adequacy clause, and school board term limits on today's episode of The School Choice Movement Podcast! More about School Choice Movement  

School Districts have been taking power away from parents in education for far too long. That's why people here in the state of Florida and across the country are looking at an important piece of legislation known as "The Parents' Bill Of Rights". Florida State Representative Erin Grall is the sponsor of the bill and she joins the podcast! They talk about the details of the bill and how we can bring families back to the center of decision making in all things education and moral. What is in the bill that addresses the cultural concerns of parents in the state? How do we get the information to parents about the rights they possess? Children need to be raised and represented by parents who love them, not by disconnected government officials. Find out how this exciting bill can change the lives of our children on today's podcast!   Find out more about the Bill (HB1171) Get involved with School Choice Movement  

Erika and Shawn welcome the Chairman of the Florida State Senate Education Committee Manny Diaz, Jr. to the podcast! Together, they talk about the big education issues in Tallahassee this session. First, they discuss the Family Empowerment Scholarship which is designed to help low-income families attend an eligible private school of choice and reduce the FTC Scholarship waitlist. Is this just the first step? Next, they talk about Alternate Charter School Authorizer (SB 1470). Shouldn't you be able to replicate your charter if it has proven itself in the state? What are the impediments to School Choice quality? It's an exciting time in Florida for parental empowerment and school choice! Find out more about these issues and much more on this episode of The School Choice Movement Podcast! Find Out More About The Family Empowerment Scholarship Information About SB 1470 (Charter Schools ) Learn More About Senator Manny Diaz    

We know term limits are popular with the majority of Americans, but what about for School Board members? Erika and Shawn welcome Nick Tomboulides from U.S. Term Limits to the podcast! USTL advocates for term limits at all levels of government. Since it was established in the early 1990s, USTL has assisted in enacting and defending term limits on state legislatures in 15 states as well as congressional term limits in 23 states. Florida has more term limits on a per capita basis than anywhere in the county. Citizen public servants do a better job than career politicians! So why not with School Boards? They talk about the movement in the Florida House and Senate to place an item before voters on the 2020 ballot to let voters decide if they wish to make School Board Member Term Limits a reality in the state. School Board incumbents have been nearly as entrenched as congressional incumbents. So what can YOU do to help make a difference? What do the numbers suggest about the popularity in the State of Florida? Find out on today's episode of The School Choice Movement Podcast! Learn more about U.S Term Limits https://www.termlimits.com/   Find out the latest from School Choice Movement https://schoolchoicemovement.org/    

In the State of Florida, school districts are the only ones that can authorize a charter school. Erika and Shawn explain the very important topic of Charter School Authorization. They explain why there should be multiple organizations that should authorize charter schools. How would it help the children attending? Why was there an incredible amount of pushback over this issue? Because there is no competition to the districts, they end up doing a poor job. Together, they break down the process and why it is so flawed. Is there anything that can be done to change this? Quality of schools is one of the most important things that the Movement is about. How can we get to better schools sooner? Find out on this episode of The School Choice Movement Podcast! Find out more about the Movement! Schoolchoicemovement.org  

Should local tax dollars be shared with local charter schools? Erika and Shawn explain the Tax Credit Scholarship. Is it fair or equitable for a public school student who goes to a charter school to be underfunded compared to their public school peers?  Plus. Erika and Shawn play another episode of "Myth versus Fact"! Today, it's all about a number of interesting terms that the "anti-choice" crowds use to scare the public about school choice.  You'll learn the actual meanings to terms like diverting, funneling, and moving funds. Do you think you know?    You'll also learn about House Bill 7069. How do we get to a place of equitable funding since it has basically been repealed?    School Choice Movement

Grassroots advocacy is critical to moving legislation your way. So how can you activate the power of your membership to influence the legislature in your favor? Erika and Shawn welcome the CEO of RallyWise, Jennings DePriest. RallyWise tracks legislation and updates your members as soon as a vote is scheduled so you can focus on meeting with legislators and running your association. Plus, Erika and Shawn introduce "Myth versus Fact"! It's all about getting you the facts on the issues. Today it's the facts about "for profit" charter schools. It is all part of this episode of The School Choice Movement Podcast.    Learn more about RallyWise https://www.rallywise.com/   Find out more about School Choice Movement SchoolChoiceMovement.org

Erika Donalds and Shawn Frost debut the brand new School Choice Movement Podcast!  Erika and Shawn discuss what the School Choice Movement is about and what the podcast hopes to accomplish.  You'll hear the interesting story about how the School Choice Movement was formed.  Together, they get into the issues that are a concern to so many parents. Why was Amendment 8 not on the ballot? What are the benefits of term limits for School Board Members? Will it help to create the reforms needed in our schools?  Shawn discusses items before the Florida House and Senate during the current 60-day legislative session and how it may impact the future of education in Florida. Plus, what exactly is the "Parents Bill of Rights"? Find out more on the first episode of The School Choice Movement Podcast!   Learn more about School Choice Movement SchoolChoiceMovement.org