December 11, 2019
Dear Friend of the Shaker Heights Schools,
We are writing you to ask you to take urgent action against the EdChoice voucher program.
Time is running short for the legislature to take action. The General Assembly must make changes prior to its holiday break so that the changes can be made before the February 1 voucher application period. That is why the Shaker Heights Board of Education, the Shaker Heights PTO and the Shaker Heights Teachers’ Association urge you to take action now!
It is crucial that legislative leadership, your local legislators and the governor’s office hear from you as soon as possible. Each call, email or letter is logged by the legislative office so lawmakers can measure public sentiment. Contact information for key leaders can be found below. Please share with them your concerns about EdChoice. Or, simply cut and paste the following:
Dear (Insert Name),
As you are aware, three Shaker Heights schools are now among the more than 1,200 public schools across Ohio that were placed on this list this year. Many of these schools are among the best schools in their regions and are in some of the top-performing districts in our state. That’s unfair to students, teachers and families. Worse yet, EdChoice strips away local tax dollars from public school districts and sends them to private schools. If left unchanged, EdChoice will have dire financial consequences for school districts, leading to cuts in programs and curriculum. Please consider the following short-term, common-sense solutions to improve EdChoice:
- Provide immediate financial relief to districts disproportionately impacted by EdChoice vouchers
- Any school that receives and “C” or higher on the state’s own report card should not be defined as a failing school.
- Stop deducting voucher payments from school district funds. Local tax dollars should go to local school districts.
- Place a cap on either the number of students getting a voucher or on the amount of money that a district can lose in any given year.
Thank you for your urgent attention to this issue,
(Insert Community Member Name)
Your help is crucial to our campaign for change. The need for change is urgent because the next voucher application period opens February 1. Please act now!
Sincerely,
Mr. Jeff Isaacs, President
Shaker Heights Board of Education
Ms. Heather Weingart, Vice President
Shaker Heights Board of Education
Dr. David Glasner, Superintendent
Shaker Heights City School District
Dr. John Morris, President
Shaker Heights Teachers’ Association
Ms. Kimberly Harris, Co-President
Ms. Nicol Coxon Co-President
Shaker Heights PTO Council
Contact Your Elected Officials:
Senator Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering) Chair, Senate Education Committee
(614) 466-4538
Email Senator Lehner
Senator Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) Ranking Minority Member, Senate Education Committee
(614) 466-5204
Email Senator Fedor
Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls)
(614) 466-8056
Email Senator Dolan
Senator Sandra Williams (D-Cleveland)
(614) 466-4857
Email Senator Williams
Rep. Janine Boyd (D-Cleveland Heights)
Phone (614) 644-5079
Email Representative Boyd
Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder
Phone (614) 466-2500
Email Representative Householder
Governor Mike DeWine
(614) 644-4357
Email Governor DeWine