We've been encouraging parents to reach out to their legislators if there is a category the parents would like to see added to the statutes for PEP funding (for example, technology such as computers and laptops), or if there is a concern that the SFOs (scholarship funding organizations) are not abiding by the statutes.
But how do you contact your legislators? It's easier than you might think!
First, go to the official legislative website for the state of Florida (theOnline Sunshine website) here: http://leg.state.fl.us
You will see a list of menu options (Home, Senate, House, etc.).
The Senate page will have your Senator's contact info.
Open the Senate page.
Hover over the "About" tab on the menu, and one of the options will be "Contact Us." (If you see the "Find your legislator" link on this page, you can go ahead and click it. Otherwise...)
On the "Contact Us" page, there should be a link at the top that says "Find your Legislators." Click that. Alternatively, you might be able to go directly to this "Find Your Legislators" page here:
https://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/Find
You can enter your address and it will bring up the contact info for the State Senator for your district!
It will also have a link to the House to search for your representative there (be sure to make note of your District number listed, because you'll need it to find your House Representative in the directory).
OR, for a bit easier of a process, you can also find your House Representative this way...
The House page will have your Representative's contact info.
Open the House page from the menu at http://leg.state.fl.us.
There is a button/tab called "Find Your Representative" on the House main page. Click that. Alternatively, you may be able to go directly to this "Find Your Representatives" page here:
https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/FindYourRepresentative
You can enter your address and it will bring up the contact info for the House Representative for your district!
The House are the ones leading the charge on most of what's going on with the scholarships.
You can also search the Committees inside the House section, by downloading the House directory. So in addition to your local relatives, you can reach out specifically to representatives who sit on the education committee--those are the ones who will be in positions of influence for education-related issues.
Note:
The next Legislative Session is in January, but the Committee Sessions to work on the bills happen in September/October/November. So now is the time to reach out to your legislators if you'd like to see something added to for PEP (Personalized Education Program) in this next session!
I Emailed the PEP Senator for Technology Approval✌️💖
I have reluctantly created a group on facebook in order to get signatures on a petition I have written. I am sending this petition to the Governo's office and the office of the Chief Inspector General in order to get things going in StepUp. I completely understand that this is a new program and it needs time but it seems like it is just taking way too much time. I tried to get support on the petition on the already existing PEP support groups but my posts would just not show up in the sea of posts regarding issues. So I thought a specific group to house the petition might be more focused and easier. I really do not want to do this but I feel like we need the state reps to push StepUp or encourage them to fix these issues faster.
Thank you Crystal. Last week I did contact my state representative for my district because my funding has not gone through yet and it is almost the end of the year. Also, the filling out of forms and following all the directives on what we can spend our potential funds on is really time consuming. It should be easier. Yes, they need to prevent fraud but I think there is a better way to do that. Anyway, thanks for your work.
I was told by my local respresentative that she will review it before the next session, but does not serve on the Education committee and advised me to reach out to those individuals directly as well.
Here is the link for the Pre-K-12 Education Committee who were responsible for the bill (https://www.flsenate.gov/Committees/Show/ED), and the link provided to me by my representative (https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/sections/committees/committees.aspx).
I wasn't sure how to express our needs to the legislator, so I ask Bing.com's chat bot to do a letter for me, and this is what it did. Which I'm going to use as a template, hopefully this'll encourage more people to do the same:
"Dear [Legislator's Name],
I hope this message finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I am writing to request your support in securing funding for technology equipment (such as computers, laptops, and/or (3D) printers) in the PEP (Personalized Education Program) grant.
As you may know, technology plays a crucial role in today's society, and access to up-to-date equipment is essential for educational institutions, businesses, and community organizations. Unfortunately, many individuals, including homeschooling parents like myself, face financial constraints that limit our ability to invest in the necessary technology infrastructure.
We have recently come across an opportunity to apply for a grant that could provide the funding needed to upgrade our technology equipment. This grant aligns perfectly with our goals and would enable us to enhance our children's education and better prepare them for the future.
I kindly request your assistance in advocating for the inclusion of funding for technology equipment in this grant. By supporting this initiative, you would be helping us bridge the digital divide and empower our children with the tools they need to succeed.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. Your support would make a significant difference in our ability to provide quality education to our children.
Sincerely, [Your Name] [Contact Information]"
If there's a modification somebody thinks should be added please comment.
Has anyone gotten anywhere by contacting representatives? I don't have copies of my chat logs where I've been told they aren't going by income priority, so sent an email and am waiting for a reply before I contact my legislators, but I'm wondering if it's worth the effort/going to make a difference.