On Thursday, May 13, 2021, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in favor of Nevada’s taxpayers, stating that “[b]ased on the plain language of the supermajority provision, we conclude that it applies to the subject bills [SB 551 and SB 542] because they create, generate, or increase public revenue. Because the bills did not pass by a two-thirds majority in the Senate, those portions of the bills that would require a supermajority vote are unconstitutional.” The Justices went on to state, “[a]nd, by using the word ‘any,’ the provision has broad application and applies to all bills that create, generate, or increase the public revenue at any time.”

We wholeheartedly agree with their opinion! So much so that we joined with Nevada parents, schools, and business taxpayers to ask the Institute for Justice to help us file a lawsuit against AB 458 arguing that it is also unconstitutional because it has the same result as both SB 551 and SB 542: it is a bill that increases public revenue but did not pass by a two-thirds majority in the Senate!

The two cases are remarkably similar in that, but for these bills, the state would not have received increased revenue. The details of the cases are slightly different in that AB 458 removed the automatic ten percent annual increase in modified business tax (MBT) credits available to Nevada employers who donate to eligible non-profits like AAA Scholarship Foundation to fund the Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship Program, whereas SB 551 and SB 542 removed the sunsetting of an increase in the MBT tax rate and a DMV fee, respectively.

We applaud the Nevada Supreme Court’s reasoning in its concise and accurate decision finding both SB 551 and SB 542 unconstitutional. It would defy all logic if it did not use that exact same reasoning to find AB 458 unconstitutional as well.

So we have to ask the Nevada Supreme Court Justices, will you rule in favor of Nevada’s taxpayers again this month?

 

A new peer-reviewed study released by the journal  School Effectiveness and School Improvement indicates that an increased ability to choose the educational settings that is the best fit for a child has a positive effect on the mental health of the child as they reach adolescence and into adulthood.

The study examined suicide rates of adolescents and adults in states where private voucher and charter school laws had been enacted. Controlling for other factors, the study found that “[s]tates adopting charter school laws witness declines in adolescent suicides…” and “…private schooling reduces the likelihood that individuals report having mental health issues as adults.”

At AAA, we hear from families every day that receiving a scholarship positively affects them – in more ways that just changing where their child attends school. We have always known anecdotally that these scholarships save lives but now we have empirical proof! Please help us save more lives by telling a friend or family member about our scholarships.

You can find a link to the full study (and many others) here.

AAA Scholarship Foundation is committed to resolving an issue brought to our attention by the Florida Department of Education in a way that honors the legislative intent of CS/HB 7067, while maintaining fidelity to the charitable trust of our donors, compliance with both the Florida Solicitation of Contributions Act and the Internal Revenue Code, and most importantly, dedication to our scholarship recipients.

We have been in communication with the Department regarding this issue and have offered several possible solutions that would allow us to maintain the integrity of our values and beliefs.  Our proposed solutions would allow us to continue to be representative of our charitable mission/exempt purpose, while complying with the letter of the law – that renewal students are eligible for the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program regardless of income. Unfortunately, our solutions have not been accepted by the Department, but we remain hopeful that together we will arrive at a path that is in the best interest of the scholarship students.

Just as we celebrate the diverse students and communities we serve, we ask the State Board of Education and Florida Department of Education to continue to support the idea that having a choice of different Scholarship Funding Organizations administering the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program makes it a stronger, more robust Educational Choice Program for the citizens of Florida.

What an incredible example of paying it forward! Warren Brinson is an AAA Scholarship graduate who has continued on to higher education with a full football scholarship to the University of Georgia this year.

In between classes and football practice, Warren and his teammates recently spent time getting groceries to donate to the UGA “Dawgs for Pups” food drive to help underprivileged youth during these difficult times. Here is a link to a video that Warren made of the shopping expedition!

We are thankful for the opportunity to be a part of Warren’s story and can’t wait to see all he will accomplish on and off the football field. Way to go Warren!

AAA Scholarship Foundation is built on empowering economically-disadvantaged children to access the educational opportunities that may otherwise be out of their reach. We are a strong organization because our scholarships strive for equity, are inclusive, and because we exist to serve a diverse group of families and children.

It breaks our hearts that so many children and their family members are the targets of anti-black racism. Racism has no place in America – or anywhere. It destroys lives. It steals opportunities. Ultimately, it weakens the bonds of our nation and breaks the very fabric that should be holding us together.

We stand with the Black community to condemn racism in its every form and manifestation. We support the act of peacefully protesting against oppression, injustice, and brutality. We commit to continue the hard work of breaking down the barriers to the educational opportunities that so many Black and Brown children face daily.

We believe in the American dream for EVERYONE and that a high-quality education is the surest means to achieving it. We pledge to re-double our efforts to help make that dream come true for all of the children that we serve.

HOT OFF THE PRESS! The City of Miami is the first city in the nation to establish a program to assist families with rent and utility assistance. The city is establishing a website and application process which will begin on May 4^th, 2020.

Video in English: https://youtu.be/80hHOku0dpE?t=847

Video in Spanish here: https://youtu.be/80hHOku0dpE?t=1092

Rental / Utility Assistance Program:

• Residents with 60% or below of area median income can apply.
• Up to $1,500 and the funds will be paid directly to landlord and/or utility company.
• Funds will be ready by mid-May to still be able to pay the May rent before late fees are incurred.

Micro Small Business Loans:

• Micro and Small Business loans also starting soon, special meeting next week to approve.
• Call 305-416-2080 or email CommunityDevelopment@MiamiGov.com

Grant Program for Business with 5 Employees or Less:

• Businesses with 5 employees or less can receive a grant up to $10,000 – to cover rent and other costs.  (Business must have not received PPP funds).

Small Business Loan:

Small Business loan that is potentially forgivable, if one job is created, pays for costs not included in the PPP and supplemental to the PPP.  Up to $20,000 loan is forgivable is a job is created.

AAA Scholarship Foundation is grateful to be able to continue its work to benefit low-income students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To provide students and their families some peace of mind while ensuring that every school receives payment for educational services rendered, we are temporary amending AAA’s Scholarship Check Cashing Policies as follows:

1) The requirement that scholarship checks remain on school premises is relaxed temporarily. Instead, we ask that these checks simply stay in the custody of a school representative. That means that if a school representative is dropping off and picking up packets of school work to/from students, they may bring the checks with them for the Parent/Guardian to endorse the check over to the school. Schools should stamp the back of each check with their school’s “For Deposit Only by [school name]” bank stamp before removing them from school premises.

Just a reminder that these checks are payments from the Parents/Guardians to their child(ren)’s school for services rendered. Only the Parent/Guardian named on the check may endorse it over to the school. Please contact us at 888-707-2465 or info @ aaascholarships.org if you have any questions or concerns.

We at AAA want to thank all the school teachers, administrators, and staff for their continued service to the AAA Scholars and their families. We wish you all continued good health!

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DON’T LET THE SUN SET ON GEORGIA’S TAX CREDIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM!

Georgia took a huge step forward for families two years ago and increased the Qualified Education Expense tax credit scholarship program from $58 million to $100 million for the next 10 years. This increase had led to thousands of children having opportunities in new schools that best meet their needs. This year, we’re looking to remove the stepdown of the program cap in future years and keep the program at $100 million. But we need your help.

We are asking parents, schools, and students (creative notes from the kids are best!) to send thank you letters, notes, etc. to their lawmakers in support of the program. You can find your lawmakers by using this site, www.openstates.org, and typing in your address.

Please send your notes and thank you letters by Friday, March 20th to:

GEORGIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

c/o REP. JOHN CARSON

STATE CAPITOL, SUITE 401-E

ATLANTA, GA 30334

We’d like to inundate the Capitol with thousands of letters!

Let’s make this a huge effort with cards and letters from Georgia’s kids (the first name only for privacy is fine) and others. Thank you!!

Click here for a pdf of this post.

 

A new study (link), by David N. Figlio, Cassandra M.D. Hart and Krzystof Karbonik, confirms that public school students benefit as choice programs around them scale-up.

This study specifically sought to find out what happened to the students who remained in public schools as others around them participated in scholarship programs that allowed them to attend private schools. It notes that, as of 2019, there were 29 states with either voucher (tuition & fees funded directly by the government) or scholarship (tuition & fee funded by private donations) programs in place.

The researchers focused on the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarship Program (disclosure: AAA is an administrator of the FTC program) as it is the largest of its kind in the United States and has a wealth of student-level data (identity-redacted) – both within the FTC program and the Public School system.

The results indicate that public school students living in households with economic-disadvantages and parents with lower education levels were the most positively affected by this exposure, showing lower levels of suspensions and absences, and higher standardized test scores in reading and math. Even those students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds were positively affected, just to a lesser degree.

The researchers find many reasons for the results – from higher competitive pressure levels to changes in resources received by the public schools. Ultimately, the fact remains that the benefits of school choice are wide-ranging and help many more students than just those directly participating in the program.

If you’d like to find out more about the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program or any of the other scholarships we administer, we welcome you to contact us!

Tampa, FL – AAA Scholarship Foundation today announced the launch of its first-generation Private School Navigator (www.privateschoolnavigator.org).

“We listened to our stakeholders who voiced a strong interest in making sure that families have the opportunity and information they need to make informed choices about the educational-settings that best fit their children’s learning needs. One way we knew we could meet their expectations was by creating a roadmap to help parents navigate the process of selecting and applying to schools,” said Kim Dyson, president and CEO of AAA Scholarship Foundation.

In order to make the Private School Navigator as effective as possible, AAA sought out subject-matter expert, Andrew Campanella, the author of the award-winning book, The School Choice Roadmap: 7 Steps to Finding the Right School for Your Child and president of National School Choice Week, to help develop the resources that will provide scholarship families with practical tools and information on evaluating schools that best meet the needs of their children. Andrew, a strong proponent of all types of school choice, is providing these efforts in his personal capacity and on a volunteer basis.

“Every child deserves an excellent education, and parents know their children best,” Campanella said. “I am grateful to partner with AAA Scholarship Foundation to provide practical, jargon-free school search information so that all families can find learning environments where their children will learn, succeed, feel welcomed, and be happy.”

Over the next few weeks and months, the Private School Navigator will grow and become even more effective with the addition of the following resources:

–an abridged and easily-digestible handbook based on Andrew’s the award-winning book, The School Choice Roadmap: 7 Steps to Finding the Right School for Your Child

–a “Quick Reference Guide” in English and Spanish that families can carry with them to school visits

–additional short and informative videos for families as they continue their school selection journey

–information about upcoming Private School Navigator information sessions and webinars

“We hope everyone is as excited as we are about this progress and we look forward to continuing to help underserved families who are seeking quality educational options for their children,” Dyson said.

Click here for a pdf of this statement.