Office of Independent Education & Parental Choice

Voluntary Public School Choice Program

SCPAC Town Hall Meetings Announced

Florida offers a wide range of educational choices, including charter, magnet and virtual schools, home education and scholarship programs, as well as special programs in traditional public schools, to meet the needs of every child. Come learn about Florida's School Choice Programs and attend the SCPAC Parent Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, March 23rd.

Meetings will be held regionally in Gadsden County, Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami, and Tampa. The meetings will begin at 6:00 p.m. and cover all public and other school choices available to Florida's families. Members of Florida's Statewide School Choice Parent Advisory Council, in coordination with school district representatives and staff from School Choice Parent Resource Centers, will be conducting the meetings and will be available for individual assistance and questions.

Future monthly meetings will address parent involvement and strategies for student success. To view meeting locations and for further information about the School Choice Parent Advisory Council, please view the accompanying flyer.

VOLUNTARY PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE (VPSC) PROGRAM
Title V, Part B, Subpart 3 (No Child Left Behind Act of 2001)

The Florida Department of Education (DOE) was awarded a grant under the 2007 Federal Voluntary Public School Choice (VPSC) Program. This grant will assist the DOE and school districts in creating, expanding, and improving public school choice opportunities in Florida. The VPSC Program aims to strengthen the availability, accessibility, and equity of educational options for parents to secure a high quality education for their children.

Voluntary Public School Choice Statutory Priorities

To provide a wide variety of choices to all students in participating schools;
To implement various choice options that have the most impact in allowing students in low performing schools to attend higher performing schools; and
To support partnerships that seek to implement an interdistrict approach.

Florida Department of Education's Voluntary Public School Choice (VPSC) Project

GOAL:

To implement, coordinate and evaluate school choice initiatives that expand and promote public school choice options for students primarily attending schools in need of improvement. Priorities will include: 1) expanding and establishing School Choice Parent Resource Centers in communities and neighborhoods that have many families with children attending lower-performing schools, 2) implementation of interdistrict or multi-interdistrict transfer models by enhancing interdistrict school choice arrangements and expanding choice options for students to attend higher-performing schools on the secondary level, and 3) establishing a statewide School Choice Parent Advisory Council (PAC) that functions in coordination with Parent Resource Centers.

OBJECTIVES:

Reach families in low-income neighborhoods with community support to educate families about public school choice options
Open additional School Choice Parent Resource Centers, and assist families with the paperwork required to transfer their children to higher quality schools
Replicate public school choice programs in secondary schools
Improve transportation services
Provide inter-district tuition transfers

TARGET POPULATION:

Grade K-12 public school students, particularly students wishing to use public school choice options to transfer to higher quality educational programs; parents and families of public school students; public school administrators; school district administrators; and community and other stakeholders involved with public school choice.

School Choice Parent Advisory Council (SCPAC)

Appointed by the Commissioner of Education and operating under the direction of the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice (IEPC), the statewide School Choice Parent Advisory Council (SCPAC) is a new resource for parents. Providing information, options for feedback, mentoring and assistance with all Choice options, the statewide committee is the first step in establishing a support structure which will include local advisory committees. This statewide group is composed of School Choice stakeholders including parents, school district Choice leaders, and others with a special interest in School Choice. The group will share resources and information and gather feedback from parents throughout the state for issues and concerns related to School Choice. Functioning in coordination with the Florida School Choice Parent Resource Centers (PRC) and the Florida Public School Choice Consortium (FPSCC), the SCPAC will pursue its mission that "All Florida parents will be informed about all educational options and opportunities."

For additional information regarding the School Choice Parent Advisory Council or to learn how you can serve on a local SCPAC, pleae contact Yolanda Miranda-Hill at yolanda.miranda-hill@fldoe.org or (850) 245-0502.