(Email block for contacting Reps. is at bottom of post.)
Dear Representatives:
HB 2 is being returned to you with Thrive Foundation funding having been cut by the Senate from the horrendous $3,000,000 that your chamber passed during this Special Session back to the outrageous $500,000 that your chamber passed out of committee during the Regular Session.
We have serious concerns about the Thrive Foundation funding even at the $500,000 level:
--In 2015, Thrive Academy lent $500,100 to Thrive Foundation so that the foundation would have money to begin building a state chartered boarding school. It appears that Thrive Foundation intends for the taxpayers to pay to build the facility and then to pay rent on it.
--The governor has not even approved the creation of this school yet. The bill is still on his desk.
--Students may be assigned to this school from anywhere in the state.
--Once assigned, families will have to navigate due process (which can include the courts), if they do not want their child in a boarding school. The “parental consent amendment” will not spare them from this.
--Orleans parish families are likely to be the first targeted: Rep. Leger's Act 121 passed during the regular session. It allows students from districts with over 50% charter schools to assign students to charter schools based on contracts between the districts and the charter boards. To our knowledge, Orleans Parish is the only district that meets this description.
--Any one of the "at risk" definitions found in HB 887 (Carter) is enough for a district to assign any student to the boarding school.
--We will now be separating families and turning their children over to a boarding school with an unelected board that is unanswerable to the taxpayers or the families.
--At times, the Executive Director of Thrive Academy has been less than forthcoming in her committee testimony.
--At other times, she has been forthcoming along with Sen. Appel and nods of approval from Rep. Carter.
Representatives, we had our taxes increased by this very legislature just weeks ago. Taxpayers believed that this Special Session was about fiscal responsibility to those having to foot the bill. We expected that only items that are absolutely necessary would be included in this Capital Outlay bill. Instead, we are seeing unnecessary projects being proposed to be funded at astounding levels.
Such irresponsible funding of unnecessary projects is inconceivable to us given the State’s Current Louisiana Taxpayer Crisis.
We are asking that you remove the outrageous and unnecessary spending from the backs of taxpayers that is included in HB 2.
We most especially are asking that you remove the ability of the state to divide families and enslave children by completely eliminating the funding to Thrive Foundation.
Thrive Foundation made the loan. Thrive Foundation can pay their own bill.
Karen Champagne & Angela Alef,
The People, LLC
EMAIL BLOCK FOR REPS:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
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Dear Representatives:
HB 2 is being returned to you with Thrive Foundation funding having been cut by the Senate from the horrendous $3,000,000 that your chamber passed during this Special Session back to the outrageous $500,000 that your chamber passed out of committee during the Regular Session.
We have serious concerns about the Thrive Foundation funding even at the $500,000 level:
--In 2015, Thrive Academy lent $500,100 to Thrive Foundation so that the foundation would have money to begin building a state chartered boarding school. It appears that Thrive Foundation intends for the taxpayers to pay to build the facility and then to pay rent on it.
--The governor has not even approved the creation of this school yet. The bill is still on his desk.
--Students may be assigned to this school from anywhere in the state.
--Once assigned, families will have to navigate due process (which can include the courts), if they do not want their child in a boarding school. The “parental consent amendment” will not spare them from this.
--Orleans parish families are likely to be the first targeted: Rep. Leger's Act 121 passed during the regular session. It allows students from districts with over 50% charter schools to assign students to charter schools based on contracts between the districts and the charter boards. To our knowledge, Orleans Parish is the only district that meets this description.
--Any one of the "at risk" definitions found in HB 887 (Carter) is enough for a district to assign any student to the boarding school.
--We will now be separating families and turning their children over to a boarding school with an unelected board that is unanswerable to the taxpayers or the families.
--At times, the Executive Director of Thrive Academy has been less than forthcoming in her committee testimony.
--At other times, she has been forthcoming along with Sen. Appel and nods of approval from Rep. Carter.
Representatives, we had our taxes increased by this very legislature just weeks ago. Taxpayers believed that this Special Session was about fiscal responsibility to those having to foot the bill. We expected that only items that are absolutely necessary would be included in this Capital Outlay bill. Instead, we are seeing unnecessary projects being proposed to be funded at astounding levels.
Such irresponsible funding of unnecessary projects is inconceivable to us given the State’s Current Louisiana Taxpayer Crisis.
We are asking that you remove the outrageous and unnecessary spending from the backs of taxpayers that is included in HB 2.
We most especially are asking that you remove the ability of the state to divide families and enslave children by completely eliminating the funding to Thrive Foundation.
Thrive Foundation made the loan. Thrive Foundation can pay their own bill.
Karen Champagne & Angela Alef,
The People, LLC
EMAIL BLOCK FOR REPS:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
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