11/8/2010: I Vote School Choice is winding down after the election - this website will no longer be updated. A huge thank you to all of our dedicated volunteers. SchoolChoiceVermont.com and VermontAct153.org
will continue to have current information for you.
Vermont School Choice Candidate Survey Results
Now Available Online
Pittsfield, VT - October 12, 2011 - A statewide survey of Vermont house and senate candidates has resulted in over 95 responses to questions addressing a range of school choice issues. School Choice Vermont PAC, a political action committee managed by local parents concerned about the potential loss of school choice in their communities, created the survey.
Parent and community support of school choice has been strong this election season in response to Act 153. Recently enacted, Act 153 encourages school district consolidation by offering tax incentives to merging districts. However, geography and grade variations make this impractical for many tuitioning towns wishing to retain school choice.
Survey results may be viewed online at www.iVoteSchoolChoice.org, searchable by candidate name, party, office, and district. Information about Act 153 and school choice is available at www.SchoolChoiceVermont.com. Candidates who would like to participate in the survey but have misplaced their email or paper copy of the survey may email info@ivoteschoolchoice.org to request a replacement.
School Choice Vermont PAC is a parent managed and locally funded political action committee whose goal is to ensure the future health of Vermont’s town tuitioning system by encouraging voters to engage their candidates in conversations about school choice.
Parent and community support of school choice has been strong this election season in response to Act 153. Recently enacted, Act 153 encourages school district consolidation by offering tax incentives to merging districts. However, geography and grade variations make this impractical for many tuitioning towns wishing to retain school choice.
Survey results may be viewed online at www.iVoteSchoolChoice.org, searchable by candidate name, party, office, and district. Information about Act 153 and school choice is available at www.SchoolChoiceVermont.com. Candidates who would like to participate in the survey but have misplaced their email or paper copy of the survey may email info@ivoteschoolchoice.org to request a replacement.
School Choice Vermont PAC is a parent managed and locally funded political action committee whose goal is to ensure the future health of Vermont’s town tuitioning system by encouraging voters to engage their candidates in conversations about school choice.
Vermont Parents and Communities Rally Around School Choice
July 14, 2010- “I grew up in the Champlain Valley and hadn’t heard of school choice until it was time for my own children to attend school.” says Angelique Lee, a resident of Pittsfield and founder of the group School Choice Vermont. “Finding the best educational fit for our children was the goal, so we moved to a tuitioning town.”
“I Vote School Choice” is an election season program launched by School Choice Vermont PAC in response to a legislature that has been weak protecting existing school choice and unwilling to consider expanding school choice, despite widespread public support, according to Lee. “Currently school choice is an accident of geography, and available only to those who live in one of about 90 tuitioning towns.”
School Choice Vermont PAC will survey 2010 candidates on their school choice positions and make the results easily accessible on www.ivoteschoolchoice.org, along with information about the history and details of Vermont’s 140 year tradition of parent directed school choice.
Recognizing that school choice in Vermont brings together voters of all political affiliations, School Choice Vermont PAC welcomes supporters to have a conversation with their local and state candidates. “This is not a single party issue,” says Lee.
Vermont’s tradition of tuitioning students was strongly supported by parents and communities in March 2010 when the House and Senate Education Committees held a hearing in Montpelier to receive input on school consolidation bills. Follow-up hearings held around the state by the Senate Education Committee saw overwhelming turnout in support of school choice. Many parents told of relocating their home or home and business to gain access to an appropriate education for their child. A recurring theme by testifying educators was “education is not one-size-fits-all,” and there is significant benefit to educational communities when parents are able to choose the best fit for their child.
School Choice Vermont PAC is a collaborative effort of Angelique Lee of School Choice Vermont, a parent group dedicated to the preservation of school choice, and Retta Dunlap of EdWatch Vermont, a school choice advocacy organization.
“I Vote School Choice” is an election season program launched by School Choice Vermont PAC in response to a legislature that has been weak protecting existing school choice and unwilling to consider expanding school choice, despite widespread public support, according to Lee. “Currently school choice is an accident of geography, and available only to those who live in one of about 90 tuitioning towns.”
School Choice Vermont PAC will survey 2010 candidates on their school choice positions and make the results easily accessible on www.ivoteschoolchoice.org, along with information about the history and details of Vermont’s 140 year tradition of parent directed school choice.
Recognizing that school choice in Vermont brings together voters of all political affiliations, School Choice Vermont PAC welcomes supporters to have a conversation with their local and state candidates. “This is not a single party issue,” says Lee.
Vermont’s tradition of tuitioning students was strongly supported by parents and communities in March 2010 when the House and Senate Education Committees held a hearing in Montpelier to receive input on school consolidation bills. Follow-up hearings held around the state by the Senate Education Committee saw overwhelming turnout in support of school choice. Many parents told of relocating their home or home and business to gain access to an appropriate education for their child. A recurring theme by testifying educators was “education is not one-size-fits-all,” and there is significant benefit to educational communities when parents are able to choose the best fit for their child.
School Choice Vermont PAC is a collaborative effort of Angelique Lee of School Choice Vermont, a parent group dedicated to the preservation of school choice, and Retta Dunlap of EdWatch Vermont, a school choice advocacy organization.
