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Quality Public Education for Every Child. Matt Jones. Taught for six years at Toombs County High Named 2013 System Teacher of the Year Co-Founder and President of EmpowerED Georgia. EmpowerED Georgia. Founded in 2010 Filling a Need Reaching out to ALL stakeholders
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Matt Jones • Taught for six years at Toombs County High • Named 2013 System Teacher of the Year • Co-Founder and President of EmpowerED Georgia
EmpowerED Georgia • Founded in 2010 • Filling a Need • Reaching out to ALL stakeholders • Educating the public about the issues • Fostering and sustaining a real discussion concerning education • Developing and Promoting a Vision • Making education the #1 issue • Registered c3 and c4 organizations
How We Engage • Websites EMPOWEREDGAACTION.ORG EMPOWEREDGA.ORG
How We Engage • Social Media ‘SHARE THIS!’ BUTTONS FACEBOOK & TWITTER
How We Engage • Surveys & Op-eds
How We Inform • Focus on the Issues ISSUE BRIEFINGS ARTICLES ORGANIZED BY SUBJECT
How We Inform • Communicating to Members E-NEWSLETTER/TEXT ALERTS
How We Inform • Communicating to Members SOCIAL MEDIA MEMES
How We Empower ‘convenient activism’
How We Empower • Legislative Action Center CONTACT INFO EMAIL VOTING RECORDS TALKING POINTS
How We Empower SOCIAL MEDIA MEMES
School Choice Issues: Vouchers • Op-ed in AJC: Tied Voucher issue with funding • SEF, GBPI • Contacted board members in targeted districts
School Choice Issues: Vouchers • School Choice Week • ‘We Choose All Kids. They Choose Which Kids.’ • Op-ed from Parent • Message & action • 2014 Session: Pre-K expansion; Addressing Performance Diplomas
School Choice Issues: Vouchers • $30 million increase sought after at beginning of the session -> $15 mill -> $8 mill (SB 243) • Total: $58 mill/yr. • Additional transparency/ accountability measures • Removal of auto-increase for inflation • 2014 Session: Limit only for students with financial hardship, require state assessments, ‘failing’ schools
School Choice Issues: Charters • GA Supreme Court ruled against authority of the State Charter Commission. • Constitutional Referendum (Amendment 1) passes • If local school board denies a charter petition, state commission can overrule the board and create a state-authorized charter. “Provides for improving student achievement and parental involvement through more public charter school options.”
School Choice Issues: Charters • Expansion of state-authorized charters is a funding issue. • Our Blueprint • Targeted creation • Fair comparisons/ True competition • Accountability/ Transparency Measures
School Choice Issues: Parent Trigger • HB 123: Parent Empowerment Act • Would allow a simple majority of parents at a public school to petition their local school board to convert their school into a charter school. • Passed the House, never made it out of the Senate Ed Committee