Please Send emails to Senate Education Committee in Support of HB 703

House bill 703 which is an effort to prevent the proliferation of predatory charter schools is scheduled to be debated this week in the Senate Education Committee. If you have a Senator who is a member of the Education Committee, please send him an email now asking that he vote "yes" for HB 703. Click here for a good explanation of HB 703.
Here is a link to a web site put together by  One Community One School District  where you can send an email to all of the Senate Committee members at once:
http://educatebr.com/important_bills.asp#HB703

If you live in the Baton Rouge area, I am also suggesting that you sign the petition by One Community One School District opposing the bills that would reorganize the Baton Rouge school system. This legislation is just an attempt by the Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce to gain total control of the East Baton Rouge Parish School system. These folks don't have a clue about how to operate a school system, but they are determined to take if over and convert it into charter schools. Here is the petition:
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/please-oppose-bracs-restruct.

If you prefer to send your own email to members of the Senate Education Committee without reference to any one group, I am including the contact information for each of the Committee members: Note the following is a sample email you may want to use in support of HB 703.

Dear ______________,
I am a public school teacher (principal, parent, citizen) who lives in your district. I am requesting that you vote “yes” for HB 703. This bill is very important to maintaining local control of public education. It would prevent BESE from overruling our local school boards in the approval of charter schools. I believe that only the local voters acting through their local school boards should determine the course of education in our parish.
Senator Conrad Appel, email:appelc@legis.la.gov,
District office phone: 866-946-3133
Capitol Phone 225-342-2040
Legislative Assistant: Patsy Green

Senator Eric LaFleur, email:lafleure@legis.la.gov
District office phone: 337-363-5019
Capitol Phone: 225-342-2040
Legislative assistant: Deborah Lawson

Senator Dan Claitor, email:claitord@legis.la.gov
District office phone: 225-765-0206
Capitol phone: 225-342-2040
Legislative assistant: Sharon Hattier

Senator Jack Donahue, email: donahuej@legis.la.gov
District office phone: 985-727-7949
Capitol phone: 225-342-2040
Legislative assistant: Michelle Pichon

Senator Elbert Guillory, email: guillorye@legis.la.gov
District office phone: 337-943-2457
Capitol phone: 225-342-2040
Legislative assistant: Tammy Babineaux

Senator Mike Walsworth, email: walsworthm@legis.la.gov
District office phone: 318-340-6453
Capitol phone: 225-342-2040
Legislative assistant: Angela Robert

Senator Mack “Bodi”White, email: whitem@legis.la.gov
District office phone: 225-272-1324
Capitol phone: 225-342-2040
Legislative assistant: Stacie Butler