Tomorrow (Tuesday, March 18), the House Choice & Innovation Subcommittee will vote on HB 7099, a massive expansion of Florida's voucher system that could defund public schools and divert millions of taxpayer dollars to private institutions with little accountability. We want legislators to hear from you and everyone today in opposition to this proposal:

My husband and I are unable to refinance our mortgage or qualify for a home equity loan because if our Parent Plus loans. The monthly payments are now so high we are unable to make the payments. We are not allowed to pay what we can afford and the interest is accruing at an alarming rate. Even though we qualify for an Economic Hardship Deferment the interest continues to accrue. At this point, the monthly payment required is laughable.

My wife Nathalie and I were approached by a local mother, Brooke Scharfstein, and her daughter said "sometimes kids don't know who to play with in the playground" and we were torn up. As parents of three children who are in the Westport public school system, we are acutely aware of the modern challenges of being a kid these days. If we have an idea that is so basic, yet so inclusive in nature, how as parents can we NOT act on it? We read the Buddy Bench article in the Huffington Post last December, and like so many, we were touched by Christian's story. Let's bring his story and message to our community. (www.buddybench.org)

Schools are becoming educationally insolvent as well as fiscally insolvent.

Some instructors in the Cal Poly physics department utilize an inefficient automated 3rd party system to assign and collect homework and quizzes. This system is eroding the teaching standards expected of instructors at Cal Poly, and the students are suffering because of it. As the engineers and scientists of tomorrow we deserve higher standards of education than slack alternatives like "Mastering Physics."

As a child my mother faced great obstacles ranging from domestic violence to joblessness. My Pre-k learning experience provided the foundation for my social-emotional, intellectual development and success over my lifetime against the odds of poverty. The Highscope Perry study started in 1962, followed students with and without Pre-K until age 40. Those who went to Pre-K had higher earnings, were more likely to hold a job, had committed fewer crimes, more likely to have graduated from high school, to name a few of the benefits of the study!

I'm starting this petition in order to provide better opportunities for our children's future through the reduction of student loan debt. Additionally, this proposal reduces our national debt by accruing loan interest directly by the federal government (at least $55 billion dollars over 15 years). This loan interest can be used to fund future loans as well as help pay down our national debt.

My son attends Central High School and getting up at 6:00 is quite difficult. He has trouble going to sleep earlier. Check out this recent New York Times article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/to-keep-teenagers-alert-schools-let-them-sleep-in/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

This petition is an attempt to open the books to the public and renew trust in our school district. The public has lost faith in this administration's ability to tell us where the money is going and where it came from.

I teach science at Khepera Charter School. We are a small charter, committed to serving our students and community with an African-centered curriculum and through the ideal of community involvement. But it’s been 16 months since the teachers of Khepera began bargaining our second contract with the board of trustees at our school. Sixteen months! The first one-year contract served our neighborhood charter school well. It gave teachers a voice in what happens in our classrooms and our school. It offered us the ability to advocate for our students without fear of reprisal or being fired. It allowed us to teach creatively, to go “off script,” to report problems and try to solve them, to collaborate. Usually a second contract is no big deal. In such a small, idealistic community, a second contract often involves some tweaks and refinements, and maybe a small salary increase. The goal is always a better school environment for everyone. That’s why negotiations are called “good faith bargaining.” It happens every day in schools and school districts all around the country. But constant unnecessary delays are becoming a pattern at Khepera. Before signing our first agreement in 2011, the board of trustees fought our 28-person staff for 18 bitter and tumultuous months. It cost them time and money that should have been spent on our students. We can see the damage—and, more important, our students can feel it. Teacher turnover is a toxic factor for students and schools, including Khepera. Consistency is particularly crucial to our school and mission; our students come to school for continuity and reassurance along with great academics. My colleagues and I are devoted to our students, our school and our mission. But half of the teaching staff at Khepera has left since June. These educators lost hope, and took their experience and aspirations elsewhere. Our students can’t afford to lose more good teachers. Let’s end the stalemate. Help us to settle a fair contract now—one that is good for students and fair to teachers. In solidarity, Kim ‘Mama Omotayo’ Johnson Science Teacher Khepera Charter School

More and more children have trouble focusing in school and are prone to stress, hectic schedules, and obligations at a young age. Creating a world of healthy, more peaceful, and well adjusted children should be our top priority so kids can accomplish whatever their goals are! Healthy minds and bodies go hand in hand!

Funding for public universities, which educate 70 percent of all undergraduates, has declined to a point where the cost of a college education rests almost completely on the backs of students and/or their families. The outrageous and ever rising prices of college tuition are: affecting academics, slowing down the process of graduation, and prohibiting students from becoming involved on their campus and in their community. Many students are currently not only attending school full time, but also working full time, and still have thousands of dollars of loans to pay off. High tuition fees also affect young adults in the sense that they are choosing schools because of price rather than fit. College students have been walked all over for many years, and it is time to finally stand up for what is right. Individual states need to put more funding into their universities.