West Virginians Come Together to Empower our Education System
CHARLESTON, W.Va—Americans for Prosperity-West Virginia (AFP-WV) and an influential coalition of organizations today sent a letter to the West Virginia House of Delegates to encourage the improvement of our education system through the passage of the Comprehensive Education Reform Act.
In the letter, signers encourage Delegates to follow in the footsteps of the West Virginia Senate’s bold support for creating more educational opportunities for educators, students, and their families.
AFP-WV State Director Jason Huffman issued the following statement:
“It is encouraging to see so many influential state and national organizations come together to empower and innovate within the education space like never before. The Comprehensive Education Reform Act improves the Mountain State by focusing on the unique educational needs of every child and helps educators truly fulfill their potential. We look forward to seeing additional lawmakers support these important improvements to our education system.”
Background:
Over the weekend, AFP-WV’s activists sent out nearly 35,000 text messages to encourage lawmakers to support the Comprehensive Education Reform Act.
AFP-WV Applauds Lawmakers’ Bold Step Toward Empowering Students, Parents, and Educators
February 4, 2019
Dear legislators,
On behalf of the undersigned organizations, our activists, and thousands of families in our state, we urge you to support The Comprehensive Education Reform Act, which includes the creation of an Educational Savings Account Program (ESA Program).
We believe that every child in West Virginia should have access to a high-quality education regardless of income or socioeconomic status. The Comprehensive Education Reform Act is an important step forward in achieving this goal. Under this legislation, many West Virginia students will be eligible to receive, through an ESA, a portion of their allocated per-pupil funding. Families will then be able to use the ESA to enroll their student(s) in a school that best fits their child’s unique educational needs, interests, and abilities – helping students and educators truly fulfill their potential.
By creating more educational opportunities for students, The Comprehensive Education Reform Act empowers West Virginians to innovate within the education space like never before. This legislation emphasizes the importance of individualized student-centered learning, reduces inequality for our kids, and will put our state on the forefront of educational empowerment.
Overwhelming evidence suggests that students, families, and teachers thrive when education is focused on innovation and the dignity of the individual. The Comprehensive Education Reform Act is a critical step towards achieving this goal. And, according to a poll from the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Public Policy, the majority of Mountaineers agree that expanding educational freedom will improve our education system. We the undersigned are proud to stand with 11 organizations to work in support of solutions that give educators, families, and students the tools and freedom they need to succeed. For these reasons, I ask you to join us in support of educational opportunity and vote “Yes” in support of The Comprehensive Education Reform Act.
Sincerely,
Jason Huffman Cardinal Institute for WV Policy
West Virginia State Director
Americans for Prosperity
Eric L. Kerns Greg Dolan
Administrator Director of Policy and Outreach
Faith Christian Academy Catholic Education Partners
Dr. Jerry Fisher Dan Brokke
Executive Director Administrator
West Virginia Christian Education Association Grace Christian School
Ashley DeMauro Johnathan Butcher
Northeast Legislative Director Senior Fellow
ExcelinEd in Action The Goldwater Institute
Michael Chartier Jack Davis
Senior Director of State Relations Superintendent
EdChoice Teays Valley Christian School
Institute for Justice
