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Office of Independent Education & Parental Choice

Voluntary Public School Choice Program

The mission of The School Choice Parent Advisory Councils (SCPAC) is that all Florida parents will be informed about all educational options and opportunities. Local SCPACs consisting of parents, a state SCPAC member, community members, district staff and other school choice stakeholders will work at the grassroots level to make school choice options available and accessible to all local parents, identify and address school choice issues, and provide a medium for local voices to reach education policy makers. The SCPAC functions in coordination with the Florida School Choice Parent Resource Centers (PRCs).

The purpose of the local SCPAC is to empower members through school choice parent education and advocacy training, work to educate their community about school choice issues and options, gather community school choice concerns, represent community school choice issues and ideas to district staff and school board, and act as parent mentors. The state SCPAC member will represent his or her region's issues and ideas at the state level.

State SCPAC Members are appointed by the Commissioner of Education and operate under the direction of the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice (IEPC). The statewide School Choice Parent Advisory Council (SCPAC) provides information, options for feedback, mentoring and assistance with all Choice options. The statewide committee is the first step in establishing a support structure which includes local advisory committees. This statewide group is composed of School Choice stakeholders including parents, school district Choice leaders, and others with special interests in School Choice. The group will share resources and information and gather feedback from parents throughout the state related to School Choice. Functioning in coordination with the Florida School Choice Parent Resource Centers (PRCs) the SCPAC will pursue its mission that "all Florida parents will be informed about all educational options and opportunities."

For additional information regarding the Florida School Choice Parent Advisory Council, or to learn how you can serve on your community SCPAC, please contact Yolanda Miranda-Hill, VPSC Program Manager, at Yolanda.Miranda-Hill@fldoe.org or 850-245-0502.

School Choice Parent Resource Centers (PRCs)

The School Choice Parent Resource Centers (PRCs) are local community-based collaborations in partnership with the department to provide parents with the opportunity to become meaningfully involved in the education and development of their children. The PRCs provide services to help match program and school options that are available within a district to a child's specific educational needs. The PRCs also provide training and development for parents in areas that help them better understand and deal with the challenges that their children may experience in school and in learning, with special programs available for parenting skills, life skills, health and welfare skills, and more. Other services that are offered by the PRCs include workshops, technical assistance, hands-on training, and professional growth opportunities for district administrators, public school administrators, teachers, parent and community liaisons and specialists.

There are 8 School Choice Parent Resource Centers (SCPRC) and 5 Choice Corners located regionally serving students and families from the Panhandle to Miami. In addition to the on-site PRCs, a Virtual PRC/Call Center is available offering an online chat feature and parent navigating tools. The Mobile PRC can also be found traveling throughout the state educating parents about the school choice and PRC services provided.

To learn more about the Parent Resource Centers, visit http://www.knowyourchoices.org/ or call 866-281-4678.

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.

For questions & comments regarding education issues:
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