Charter Schools are private schools that receive federal and state funds. Private means you have to pay. Vouchers are to be provided for those that can't pay, however, those vouchers will be limited and may not be fairly distributed. Once the charter schools are set up in poor areas, the public schools in that area will eventually cease to exist. Your children's education is too important to let this happen.

For years i've gone to High School & listened to my fellow peers consistently complain. "Our public school food is terrible" & "Our public school teachers don't ACTUALLY teach us anything" and the all time favorite "We don't have enough one on one sports like Boxing". And yet none are willing to strive for the changes they so crave... Well I call dibs on taking the lead. ;)

I am a college student who has not only experienced but witnessed the destruction that our state legislature has created with cutting the Hope Grant. In 2011 as thousands of high school seniors prepared to walk at graduation, our state government were stripping us of our dreams. Since before I graduated in 2011, I was excited about attending college with a full ride. Not having to worry about paying for books, fees, and other expenses would be a blessing. However, that did not happen because that same year our state legislature decided to put education on the back burner, and their own personal needs first. As a voice for all Georgia college students I am feed up with those running this state into the ground, which is why I ask that thousands of you even millions please sign this petition. It is vital that the Hope Grant be re-evaluated, and turned into not only a Academic based grant but also a merit based. I propose the cut off for the grant be set at $120,000 because it is unfair for those who can easily afford college to gain the hope grant. When there are thousands of first generation college students like myself who simply can not afford to pay out of pocket for college. This state can not succeed if there is no future educated enough to lead it. The Governors excuse for cutting Hope was that the lottery will run out of money, which is impossible when millions of Georgians play the lottery every single day. I demand receipts showing us where our parents, grandparents, and neighbors money is going. I demand that we stand up, and no longer accept defeat because they need us just as much as we need them. With college's raising tuition every year along with ridiculous fees, ridiculous over priced books it is important that we receive the hope in full. SO please join me in this fight, tell everyone who values education to sign this petition, let our voices be heard loud and clear. WE ARE GEORGIA'S FUTURE.

Urge Governor Perry to make funding schools a priority! If he makes school funding an emergency item, the Legislature can act now.

I homeshool my two daughters. Homeschool students are not instructed using the same curriculum as public school students, yet they would be tested on material that is different from what is taught. Even worse, this bill would eliminate membership in a homeschool association as an option for complying with the compulsory attendance law. There is no justification for taking this option away from thousands of law-abiding homeschool families and destroying the livelihood of those who administer these associations. We are being targeted.

Recently, the Broward County School Board made a decision to shutdown Sunset School at the end of this school year. Sunset is a school for children with special needs. There were no meetings or discussions with the parents or community about this decision, it was simply made. I don't believe they realize the devastating impact it could have on these children. I can assure you that any progress these children have made will be lost and some may become worse than when they started. Why must the funding for special needs programs always be cut first? We cannot allow this to happen. In the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, the majority of the country as well as the President believe that we need to do more to help those suffering from mental illness. Sunset School has helped hundreds of children with emotional problems, as well as other disabilities and would continue to do so. We cannot allow it to be closed. We must convince the Broward County School Board to reverse their decision. You can find more information at savesunset.org

Urge Governor Perry to make funding schools a priority! If he makes school funding an emergency item, the Legislature can act now.

Every spring, thousands of teachers across New York City are pulled from their classroom, and their teaching responsibilities, to grade standardized tests. Rather than pay qualified professionals outside of school hours to do this tedious work, NYC schools, teachers, and students are forced to bear the burden of preparing for, administering, and finally grading these tests. Although many parents are aware of the great deal of time lost preparing for and administering standardized tests, many do not realize that students continue to lose valuable instructional time after the test, when their teachers are pulled for days and weeks at a time in order to grade for the city. Here are some facts that you may not know about standardized testing in New York City: *Schools are obligated to send content-area teachers to grade the tests, and to pay for substitutes to replace each teacher while they are gone. One typical middle school is obligated to send 8 English teachers to grade, for five days a piece, and 4 math teachers, for 6 days each. At a price of $150.00 per substitute per day, that school will pay $9,600 out of their limited budget, just to cover missing staff who has been pulled to grade exams. *Much of the recent controversy over a new teacher evaluation plan has centered around the use of student test data to rate the effectiveness of teachers. Simply put, most educators don't believe that standardized test data should be used to judge the effectiveness of teachers and students, although many bureaucrats disagree. Ironically, pulling teachers from their classrooms to grade tests sends a contradictory message - if teachers are so vital to a child's education that they can be ranked and graded according to test scores, then why can they be pulled from their classrooms for upwards of 5 days, and replaced by non-certified substitute teachers who know neither their curriculum nor their students? *Pearson Education, Inc. is currently in possession of a 5-year, $32 million contract to administer standardized testing in the state of New York. Their contract also includes an inside track to selling curriculum and textbooks within the state. A cloud of controversy has shadowed both the circumstances of this lucrative contract and the content of the actual tests, many of which received negative publicity in 2012 for their ambiguous and confusing wording and answers. These tests were developed completely independent of NYC public school teachers and their classrooms; yet the onus and price of grading them rests squarely upon the shoulders of public schools and their teachers. In a public school such as my own, the large population of special education students is serviced by a team of trained educators. My class has two teachers, one certified in special education, so that we can align curriculum and work in small groups to meet the needs of all students. Each year, when I am pulled to grade standardized tests for a minimum of five days at a stretch, I am replaced by a substitute who is not certified in my content-area, and does not know my students or the curriculum. Students whose teachers are pulled to grade often end up engaging in inferior classwork, watching movies, and generally slacking off while their classroom teachers are off grading tests, whose data is used to determine everything from the success of their principal to whether they will pass seventh grade. As a teacher, my job is to instruct and administer to the needs of my students, not grade standardized tests. Teachers, schools, and students should not be obligated the bear the burden of excessive standardized testing. Please leave teachers in the classrooms with their students, where they belong.

The state of UT currently has no regulations regarding students who are homeschooled. The purpose of this petition is to bring awareness to this issue and to start requiring parents who homeschool to provide test scores, and/or professional evaluations, plus a state-approved curriculum. There are several states who uphold this caliber of responsibility; these states include Vermont, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and North Dakota. I have been personally affected by this issue in regards to my own step children who are currently being homeschooled by their mother. It is obvious these kids are very behind in their studies and unfortunately their father has no legal bearing to make sure they are receiving a proper education. Essentially his hands are tied. Please sign this petition in an effort to make sure Utah's homeschooled kids are being prepared for college and are receiving the same opportunities to learn as those in public and private schools.

Gov. Mitch Daniels "found" over $500 million in funds that had been "lost" when the last 2 budgets were developed. That money needs to be restored to the K-12 Education budget in order to make our schools whole again. Public school education should be the top priority for the state legislature.

Teacher Pensions I have worked for over thirty-five years teaching. During that time, I have spent much of my own money to buy supplemental supplies. I have done that willingly. I am looking forward to my pension but know that even if it stands as it is now, I will have to supplement that with part-time work. Please do not change what I have coming to me.

For four years in a row, the governor has used a "Gap Elimination Adjustment" to remove millions of dollars in "promised" State Aid to public schools in New York. What's worse is that this adjustment is not based on community wealth factors so poorer schools get hurt more than wealthier schools.