FreedomWorks Urges Swift Passage of School Choice Legislation; Releases Mail Piece Targeting the “Spartanburg Six”
WASHINGTON, DC- Following news that a revised school choice bill H.4894 has been sent to the South Carolina Ways and Means Committee, FreedomWorks released the following statement urging the House to move the legislation through as quickly as possible:
FreedomWorks applauds the 59 co-sponsors of the compromise school choice bill for their innovation and commitment to improve the dismal academic conditions in South Carolina schools. However, a signature is not enough. It is imperative that the state House move H.4894 through as swiftly as possible, and return educational power to parents and families.
“The latest compromise bill H.4894 is not perfect, but it’s a much-needed step in the right direction,” commented David Spielman, Campaigns Coordinator for FreedomWorks.
“An incremental victory is still a victory, especially when you look at the economic and personal dangers of settling with the status quo of the existing educational system. Currently, the state of South Carolina ranks 47th in national test scores, but spends almost $12,000 per student annually. Children across the state deserve so much better from us. The time is now to put children first and enact real education reform in South Carolina, and that starts with H.4894.”
FreedomWorks’ network of 20,000 activists in South Carolina spent weeks working to advance the original school choice legislation H.4576, which proposed simple solutions to make student tuition more affordable for families, including tax credits for students attending independent schools, tax credits for non-profit scholarship grants, tax credits for students with special needs, and tax credits for classroom supplies.
FreedomWorks’ tireless volunteer activists in South Carolina welcome the fight ahead and will continue to put pressure on key opposition to this reform. The most recent Spartanburg School Choice Rally held in early February drew over 400 local advocates willing to arm ten distribution centers across the state with tens of thousands of voter education materials, including door hangers, yard signs, district-targeted palm cards, tee shirts and bumper stickers.
“Our local activists have distributed over 20,000 door hangers and 2,000 yard signs, and they will not rest until this bill has passed both the House and Senate,” added Spielman. “Today, FreedomWorks will also be sending out mail pieces to 37,000 Greenville and Spartanburg residents targeting the ‘Spartanburg Six’who have stood in the way of true education reform. The parents involved in this campaign have made it very clear: you are either with us, or you are against us.”
For more information, please contact FreedomWorks Press Secretary Jackie Bodnar at JBodnar@FreedomWorks.org.
