homeless student population presents educators
with many unique social and educational issues
that must be addressed. Many homeless students
have gaps in their educational career. Age and
grade levels cannot be considered true indicators
of knowledge and skills acquired. Some students
have never had a formal school experience before.
In addition to the educational challenges a
homeless student faces, he or she may also
struggle with low self-esteem, social stigma, anger,
developmental delays and health problems.
Dr. Jim Barnard, curriculum and special projects coordinator
Each of Florida’s children deserves an educational
environment in which he or she can thrive.
at Metropolitan Ministries Academy helps (from left to right)
Chris, 8, Miguel, 10 and Manny, 10, look up words to prepare
for a field trip to the Florida Aquarium. The three boys live with
their families at Metropolitan Ministries.
The staff at Metropolitan Ministries Academy has
been trained to create an effective learning
environment for Hillsborough’s homeless children.
Metropolitan Ministries Academy clearly reflects
Florida’s commitment to funding diverse public
school options to address Florida’s diverse student
population.
Like many others, I was caught off guard by
Judge Davey's decision ruling Florida’s
Opportunity Scholarship Program
unconstitutional, especially in light of the recent
US Supreme Court decision on the Zellman
send thei
case.
I was pleased to learn Friday (August 9, 2002)
that the automatic stay will remain in place and
allow parents the opportunity to
r
children to the school of their choice.
The Bush-Brogan Education plan is working to
improve education in the state of Florida; a study
by noted Harvard Researcher Jay Greene
validates this position. Trying to stop any part of
the program would have an adverse effect on the
quality of education for children in Florida.
The musical group U2 sang in their hit song
"Beautiful Day," the words: "Teach me, I know
I'm not a hopeless case." Opportunity
Scholarships give hope for Florida children and
the belief that all children can, in fact, learn.
August 9, 2002 was a "Beautiful Day."
Unfortunately, we have to continue winning court
battles to keep the hope alive for children. But
our
state leaders are commi
JC Bowman
Metropolitan Ministries Academy, a Hillsborough
County charter school opened on August 13, 1998,
is the first-ever, comprehensive charter school in
the country to focus on the unique needs of
homeless children and to be located inside a
homeless family shelter. Serving the educational
needs of approximately 30 homeless children daily,
the Academy provides individualized assessment,
paired with appropriate curriculum, and fosters
interaction between the school, students and
parents.
The Academy serves homeless school-age
children from kindergarten through fifth grade
residing at Metropolitan Ministries with their
families. The school provides
•
a stable and safe learning environment
•
individual assessment of each child’s
educational, emotional and developmental
needs
•
an individualized written comprehensive
plan for each child enrolled
•
a transitional program for the parents and
child as they move to the next school
•
parental involvement, teaching parents
how to advocate on behalf of their child’s
education
Approximately 1,300 homeless, school age
children reside in Hillsborough County. The
--and our mission continues.
Issue
Eight
tted to the challenge-
Director, Choice Office
schools. For the first time, they have to earn their
students now that the parents finally have options.
by Mike Thomas
Sixty-seven percent of applicants for vouchers this
year are black, and 30 percent are Hispanic. Polls
consistently show that blacks are the strongest
supporters of vouchers. It is ironic that Jeb Bush
speaks for their wishes more than the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored
People does.
It is very bizarre, this battle over school vouchers.
We have a Republican governor fighting
Democrats, the NAACP and the liberal education
establishment over educating poor minorities.
And Jeb Bush is on the side of the poor, who may
well turn out in droves this November to vote
against him.
The teachers union, the most ardent foe of
vouchers, complains that private schools aren't
held to the same accountability standards as public
schools. But kids using vouchers do take the
FCAT, and the parents do see the results.
Vouchers provide parents money to send their kids
to private schools instead of public schools.
Democrats and educators have long feared
Republicans want to use vouchers to dismantle
public education and subsidize private-school
tuition for the wealthy.
Saying the schools aren't accountable is another
way of saying parents are too stupid to figure out
where their kids should go to school.
But Bush's voucher program comes nowhere close
to doing either.
A Republican who argued that would be called a
racist.
It is specifically targeted at poor families and does
nothing for suburban parents who are Bush's main
supporters. This is because of the eligibility
requirements.
I have many disagreements with Jeb Bush over
education policy -- but not when it comes to
vouchers. The idea that this is all some
Machiavellian plot to destroy public schools is
absurd and is not backed by the facts.
The only students who can get vouchers are those
who attend schools that have received two F
ratings in a four-year period.
But maybe liberals have to say that because to say
otherwise would be to admit Bush has put more
effort than they ever have into educating Florida's
long-forgotten poor children.
This limits the list almost exclusively to urban
schools. Obviously, there are wealthy families that
live within the attendance boundaries of those
schools. But they are pretty much excluded from
using the vouchers.
As printed in the Orlando Sentinel
August 11, 2002
The Scholarship Team, Bob Metty, Juanita Hurst,
Claire Philippe, Monique Duncan, John
Thompson, Lisa Alvarez, Monica Settles and
Scott Montgomery have spoken with
approximately 500 parents of Opportunity
Scholarship Program eligible students,
concerned regarding their child’s eligibility after
the August 5
th
ruling.
The Team also coordinated the contacting of all
parents of OSP students and participating private
schools, providing updates regarding the recent
ruling by Circuit Court Judge Kevin Davey.
Approximately 8,000 students have registered to
participate in the McKay Scholarships for
Students with Disabilities Program for the 2002-
2003 school year.
Why? The average voucher is worth about $3,400.
Any school that accepts a voucher must accept it
as full payment for the school year. Therefore,
affluent parents couldn't take the voucher, chip in
several thousand dollars of their own money, and
send their kids off to Trinity Prep.
Furthermore, any school that takes vouchers can't
cherry-pick the best kids. It must accept all kids or
use a lottery if it is going to restrict entrants. This
eliminates the traditional white-flight schools from
the program.
Because of such restrictions, only about 700
vouchers will be used in Florida this year. Multiply
that number by $3,400, and you get about $2.4
million shifted from public schools to private
schools. That is less than 0.02 percent of a $13
billion education budget.
For this tiny amount of money, Bush has school
districts focused like never before on inner-city
