2011 Election Impact Report

Electing School Choice Champions

The Nation’s Voice for School Choice The American Federation for Children

1660 L Street, NW, Suite 1000 , D.C. 20036

(202) 280-1990 (main) (202) 280-1989 (fax) www.FederationForChildren.org

leadership:

Betsy DeVos, Chairman

John Kirttley, Vice-Chairman

Political Team:

Greg Brock, Executive Director

John Schilling, Chief Operating Officer

Jonathan Nikkila, Government Affairs Director

Sean Bradley, National Legislative Director

Adam Rogalski, Political Director

Kevin Chavous, Senior Advisor

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Electing School Choice Champions In 2011, the American Parents and children across the nation desperately want Federation for educational options and are looking to their elected Children, and its officials to enact bold reforms that will empower parents affiliated partner organizations, and transform the lives of children. Here at the American the American Federation for Children and the American Federation for Federation for Children Action Fund, we support strong candidates Children Action Fund and its who stand up to the status quo, support meaningful affiliated state PACs, education reform, and put the interest of kids before invested $2.47 special interests. million in 87 state- level races across The 2011 Election Impact Report highlights the education nine states. champions, veteran legislators, and rising stars in states across the nation who are taking significant action to advance school choice. Although many states did not hold regular elections in 2011, several AFC target states held crucial regular statewide and special elections. From general elections in , New Jersey, and to special elections in Wisconsin, the American Federation for Children worked tirelessly in 2011 to stand with the candidates who put America’s children first.

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The Year of School Choice Of the individual candidates whom Dubbed far and wide as the “year of school choice,” the American 2011 saw seven new programs enacted and 11 programs Federation for expanded and strengthened, thanks in large part to the Children supported in 2011, half were elected officials—both Democrats and Republicans—who Democratic cast a “yes” vote in favor of these vital programs and the candidates who children whom they serve. support school choice. In 2012, the American Federation for Children will work to protect these key victories, and our Action Fund will work to elect more policymakers who will stand with children in need and support expanding educational opportunities for families.

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Louisiana What’s at Stake

In the wake of Louisiana 2011 statewide elections that saw In the 2011 the strengthening of the bipartisan school choice majority in primary and the state legislature, Governor has proposed – general elections, and the state legislature has passed legislation to create – a the Louisiana bold education reform package that includes the statewide expansion of New Orleans’ Student Scholarships for Educational Federation for Excellence Program, a voucher program helping more than Children PAC 1,800 students in Orleans Parish. As many as 380,000 children invested more from disadvantaged families across Louisiana will be eligible than $321,000 in for private school vouchers under this new program. With a support of 44 state- new state superintendent of education who is an avid education level candidates, of reform supporter, the Bayou State is poised to enact bold education reform. whom 77 percent were elected. In the 2011 statewide elections in Louisiana, the Louisiana The Louisiana Federation for Children PAC, a state-based PAC connected with Federation for the American Federation for Children, supported Democrats, Children PAC Republicans, and Independents in legislative and state school board elections to ensure that school choice champions were supported Democrats in place to enact strong education reforms. The Louisiana and Republicans Federation for Children supported 38 state legislative candidates, equally with 28 of whom were elected, and six candidates—all of whom independent voter were elected—for the state Board of Elementary and Secondary contact expenditures. Education (BESE).

With the enactment of an expansive new voucher program and the cementing of bipartisan school choice majorities in both the state legislature and on the state school board, the American Federation for Children will continue to work in Louisiana to protect these groundbreaking education reforms and to defend those public officials who supported them.

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Louisiana

Representative Chris Broadwater Republican • Rising Star A member of the House Education Committee, Representative Chris Broadwater has made a valuable difference in the lives of children since he was first elected in 2010. Working with members of both political parties, Broadwater is dedicated to improving Louisiana’s education system by creating programs that give more options to parents, more opportunities to students, and more credit to great teachers.

Representative Lenar Whitney Republican • Rising Star Louisiana Representative Lenar Whitney understands the power of hard work and determination. Whitney has always been an advocate for greater opportunities in education. She works to improve the options parents have when sending their children to school as well as to promote the reality that one size does not fit all in education.

“As a state, we must do all that we can to ensure an excellent education for our children. Their future is dependent on quality educational options, and I am pleased to stand with the Louisiana Federation for Children in the fight to put kids first.” – Representative Lenar Whitney

State School Board (BESE) Member Chas Roemer Republican • Education Champion Since the fall of 2007, Chas Roemer has been an outspoken advocate for children and education reform on the State School Board (BESE) in Louisiana. Roemer led the fight for school reform by closing failed schools and providing parents with more choice through charter schools and opportunity scholarships. He continues to fight for more transparency in education funding as well as accountability from schools and teachers.

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Louisiana What’s at Stake

Senator Elbert Lee Guillory The Louisiana Democrat • Veteran Legislator Federation for Senator Elbert Guillory was elected to his first full Children PAC term in November after winning a special election to the Senate in 2009. A staunch supporter of spent more than education reform, Guillory previously served in the $62,000 in an state House of Representatives, where he voted in aggressive, targeted favor of the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program in 2008 and the School communications Choice Pilot Program for Certain Students with strategy that Exceptionalities in 2010. generated nine direct mail pieces to protect Senator Guillory in a tight race against a former senator attempting to reclaim the seat.

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New Jersey What’s at Stake

The New Jersey Legislature is considering the Opportunity Scholarship Act, which would create a corporate scholarship tax credit program for students from low- income families stuck in failing school districts to attend the school of their parents’ choice. With strong bipartisan legislative support, the Opportunity Scholarship Act is a major priority for Governor Chris Christie in 2012.

Moving forward, the American Federation for Children will work closely with state partners to ensure that low-income families can escape failing schools in New Jersey and attend the school of their parents’ choice.

In New Jersey’s 2011 Legislative elections, several key legislative supporters of school choice prevailed in their races, maintaining the bipartisan coalition for choice in the New Jersey Legislature.

Senator Raymond Lesniak Democrat • Veteran Legislator Senator Lesniak, who has served in the New Jersey State Senate since 1983, has never been one to hide from the tough issues. Lesniak has shown his support for New Jersey’s most disadvantaged students via outspoken support for the Opportunity Scholarship Act. His leadership in the Senate has helped increase bipartisan support for school choice legislation, and Lesniak is part of a generation of Democratic leaders willing to stand up to the status quo.

Assemblyman Angel Fuentes Democrat • Rising Star Since 2009, Assemblyman Angel Fuentes has been a member of the New Jersey General Assembly and an outspoken supporter of education reform. As a prime sponsor of the Opportunity Scholarship Act, his support for school choice – combined with his commitment to improving educational outcomes in the Hispanic community – has greatly raised awareness of the importance of expanding educational options.

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New Jersey

Assemblyman Troy Singleton Democrat • Rising Star Assemblyman Troy Singleton has been a member of the New Jersey General Assembly since November 2011. While a new member of the Assembly, Singleton has already come out as a strong supporter of the Opportunity Scholarship Act. Not only does Singleton represent a strong Democrat who supports this bipartisan legislation, but he has been raising awareness for the legislation and his belief that all children in New Jersey deserve a quality education.

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Virginia What’s at Stake

Virginia has become the latest state to enact a publicly funded private school choice program, thanks to bipartisan support and backing from Governor Bob McDonnell. The state’s new corporate scholarship tax credit program is expected to begin serving students in the 2012–13 school year.

AFC is excited about the forward momentum and will work with Virginians to improve the legislation so that it can serve as many children from low-income families as possible.

Delegate Algie T. Howell Democrat • Rising Star Prior to becoming a member of the House of Delegates in 2004, Algie Howell was a public school teacher and school board member. Since joining the House of Delegates, Howell has been a leader in the Democratic Party in the fight for school choice options for Virginia families. In 2011, he was a co-sponsor of a corporate scholarship tax credit program that ultimately passed the House, and in 2012, Howell was again a co-sponsor of legislation that will create a scholarship program for Virginia students from low-income families.

“It’s about ‘parental choice,’ empowering parents to make the best decisions for their children. Every parent wants the best for their child, especially when it comes to education. [School choice] helps parents do exactly that.” – Delegate Algie Howell

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Wisconsin What’s at Stake

The Wisconsin Legislature expanded the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program in 2011 by removing the student enrollment cap, increasing family eligibility to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, allowing eligible private schools to participate without regard to geographical boundaries, and ensuring families remain eligible for the program regardless of future income growth.

The legislature also created the Racine Parental Choice Program, modeled after the program in Milwaukee, for students living in the Racine Unified School District. The program has an enrollment cap of 250 students in the first year, 500 students in the second year, and no enrollment cap beginning in the third year.

Moving forward, the American Federation for Children will continue its work in Wisconsin to provide educational opportunity through school choice and charter legislation, with a particular focus on passing special needs voucher legislation and a statewide charter school authorizer.

Opponents of school choice launched recall campaigns against State Senators who supported the historic school choice expansions. The American Federation for Children stood with these courageous legislators and helped maintain the school choice majority in the Wisconsin State Senate.

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Wisconsin Senator Alberta Darling Republican • Veteran Legislator As co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee and a member of the Senate Education Committee, Senator Darling has been a longtime champion for school choice in the Wisconsin Legislature. In 2011, Senator Darling co-authored the budget initiative that created the new Racine Parental Choice Program and improved upon Governor Scott Walker’s proposed expansion of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program.

Darling faced a special recall election against a well-funded, anti- school choice opponent. The American Federation for Children conducted issue advocacy with more than 20 direct mail pieces and a television and radio ad featuring four teachers praising her education accomplishments. Polling indicated that those efforts highlighting Senator Darling’s record, and defining her opponent, helped increase her numbers among independent women voters. Further, WisPolitics.com readers rated the AFC television ad on her education accomplishments among the top five of 2011 in the state.

“During my recall election, the American Federation for Children was instrumental in giving voters the facts about my education record and fighting off untrue attacks.” –Senator Alberta Darling

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Wisconsin

Senator Luther Olsen Republican • Veteran Legislator As Vice Co-Chair of the Joint Finance Committee and Chair of the Senate Education Committee, Senator Luther Olsen fought to create a parent petition process for school choice in Green Bay. Though the measure was ultimately defeated by school choice opponents, Olsen was still instrumental in expanding the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program and creating the Racine Parental Choice Program.

Olsen also faced a special recall election in the summer of 2011 in which his recall election opponent frequently attacked him for supporting school choice expansions. In addition to nearly 20 direct mail issue advocacy pieces defining his opponent and highlighting Olsen’s accomplishments, the American Federation for Children paid for a television ad that helped remind voters of Olsen’s positive recognitions from various education organizations. That television ad explicitly debunked his opponent’s messaging and, according to polling, helped restore a positive education image for Senator Olsen.

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What We Believe

The American Federation for Children is the nation’s voice for school choice and the leading national advocacy organization for school choice. We seek to improve our nation’s K-12 education by advancing systemic and sustainable public policy that empowers parents, particularly those in low-income families, to choose the education they determine is best for their children.

We work to:

• Transform public education through parental choice. We believe public education must be defined as providing families, particularly low-income families, with the public funding they need to choose the education they determine is best for their children.

• Advocate for a wide range of school choice initiatives at the grassroots and grasstops levels and directly to legislators. We also fight against bills and regulatory changes that would hurt existing school choice programs.

• Partner with school choice allies and the charter school community to ensure that parents have access to strong, accountable educational choice in the form of vouchers, scholarship tax credit programs, public charter schools, virtual charter schools, home schooling, and meaningful public school choice.

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Join Us

School choice provides hope and opportunity to more than 210,000 students across the nation. Yet hundreds of thousands of children remain trapped in schools that do not work for them. We are committed to helping these children access the education that will transform their lives. We strongly believe that reforming our education system and ensuring access to a quality education for every child are matters of social justice.

America’s education system is failing to provide too many of our children with a quality education. Well-funded special interests – intent on protecting the status quo – will stop at nothing to prevent real and meaningful reform.

But we can give children hope for a better tomorrow. Support our efforts to empower America’s families to choose an education that works for their children. Fight for school vouchers, opportunity scholarships, strong and accountable charter school laws, and the chance for a better future for our children. Join us.

American Federation forChildren

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