PBealo
Site Admin
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
Posts: 307
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 Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 1:24 pm Post subject: Financial attack on VLACS |
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as received from VLACS:
Personally, I am in favor of this virtual charter school. It offers at least one class that TRHS does not at no cost (SAT Prep) and offers kids much more flexibility in scheduling.
Peter
Dear Parents/Guardians of VLACS Students:
I apologize for contacting your again, but the debate about VLACS funding is continuing in Concord. Representative Neal Kurk has proposed an amendment to House Bill 2 which will require that local school districts pay VLACS for any full-time student who enrolls in a course at VLACS. If this amendment is approved by the committee of conference it will be devastating to the future of the virtual school.
Why is the amendment a problem for local school districts and VLACS?
1. This amendment attempts to shift costs from the state to local school districts. As local school districts have had to cut costs there is little chance that they will have the financial resources available to purchase courses from VLACS. This amendment will have devastating consequences for the virtual school.
2. Currently, 61% of our enrollment comes from traditional public schools. If this population of students decreases significantly we will not be of sufficient size to support full-time and part-time student programming for students who do not attend public schools and it's quite possible that we will be forced to close.
3. Proposing this type of legislation without time to study the long term impact is not a sound strategy for policy development.
4. This amendment could negatively impact over 2,000 individual students who reside in over 220 New Hampshire communities.
6. This amendment will adversely impact the drop-out rate in New Hampshire. Five percent of our current students have dropped out ot their local schools. Additionally, many of our local school partners have indicated that they have reduced their drop-out rate as a result of using VLACS courses.
7. Although this amendment does not name VLACS as the the target, it is obvious that the intent is to treat this successful charter school differently from other charters which could jeopardize stimulus funding for New Hampshire.
Please consider contacting members of the committee of conference by phone or email to share your opinion on this issue, whether pro or con. Please remember that the best method for garnering support is by being respectful of our representatives' opinions and by sharing positive stories about your experience at VLACS. The committee of conference is meeting today, June 15, and will make a decision on this amendment soon. Your opinion on this matter can make a difference!
Thank you for your time and consideration and thank you for allowing your child to attend the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School.
Sincerely,
Steve Kossakoski, CEO
For you convenience, the members of the committee of conference are listed below along with their contact information. Sample email text is provided after the committee of conference member information.
House Conferees
Member Street City Zipcode HomePhone WorkPhone Email
Smith, Marjorie K PO Box 136 Durham 03824-0136 6038687500 marjorie.smith@leg.state.nh.us
Nordgren, Sharon 23 Rope Ferry Rd Hanover 03755-1404 6036435068 6033812286 sharon.nordgren@valley.net
DeJoie, John 481 Shaker Rd Concord 03301-6930 6036828531 john.dejoie@leg.state.nh.us
Leishman, Peter R 39 Birch Dr Peterborough 03458-1900 6039240004 6036737181 PRLeishman@aol.com
Major, Norman L 12 Kingston Rd Plaistow 03865-2211 6033825429 nlbem@comcast.net
Eaton, Daniel A 1 Shedd Hill Rd Stoddard 03464-4423 6034463535 6034463303 eatonsstore@juno.com
Hatch, William A 79 Promenade St Gorham 03581-1600 6034669491 6033066199 hatchbill@hotmail.com
Baroody, Benjamin C 1175 Bridge St Manchester 03104-5703 6036271122
Almy, Susan W 266 Poverty Lane Unit 4B Lebanon 03766-2730 6034484769 susan.almy@valley.net
Scamman, W. Douglas 69 Portsmouth Ave Stratham 03885-2522 6037723062 sdscamman@comcast.net
Kurk, Neal M RR 1 Weare 03281-5412 6035297253 neal.kurk@leg.state.nh.us
Senate Conferees
Lou D'Allesandro
332 St. James Avenue
Manchester, NH 03102-4950(H)
(603)669-3494
(O) (603)271-2600
dalas@leg.state.nh.us
Margaret Hassan
107 North Main Street
Room 302
Concord, NH 03301(H) (603)772-4187
(O) (603)271-2111
maggie.hassan@leg.state.nh.us
Harold Janeway
225 Tyler Road
Webster, NH 03303(H) None Specified
(O) (603)271-7585
harold.janeway@leg.state.nh.us
Kathleen Sgambati
25 Pine Street
Tilton, NH 03276(H) (603)286-8931
(O) (603)271-2641
kathleen.sgambati@leg.state.nh.us
John Gallus
292 Prospect Street
Berlin, NH 03570-2137(H) (603)752-1066
(O) (603)271-3077
john.gallus@leg.state.nh.us
Sylvia Larsen
23 Kensington Road
Concord, NH 03301(H) (603)225-6130
(O) (603)271-2111
sylvia.larsen@leg.state.nh.us
Martha Fuller Clark
107 North Main Street
Room 302
Concord, NH 03301(H) None Specified
(O) (603)271-4152
martha.fullerclark@leg.state.nh.us
Deborah Reynolds
5 Chaddarin Lane
Plymouth, NH 03264(H) (603)536-5553
(O) (603)271-3042
deb.reynolds@leg.state.nh.us
Bob Odell
PO Box 23
Lempster, NH 03605-0023(H) (603)863-9797
(O) (603)271-6733
bob.odell@leg.state.nh.us
You can create your own text or feel free to use the following sample text (revise/edit as needed).
Dear Representative (or Senator) _____________
My name is ____________________ and my child attends the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School. [Add a description about the positive aspects of the school and/or your child's experience] I am very concerned that the ammendment proposed by Representative Neal Kurk which will shift the cost of attending VLACS to local school districts will have a devastating impact on students, local schools, and the virtual school. I am asking that you vote against this ammendment.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Parent/Guardian name |
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