Help Bring School Choice to Connecticut

Welcome! We need your help today to bring school choice to all children in Connecticut.
Take Action Today!

Introduction

We need your help! Connecticut legislators are considering a bill that will bring meaningful school choice to the Constitution state. The bill, modeled after successful programs in other states, will help provide thousands of low-income children with the opportunity to go to better schools. It will also reward companies that make generous contributions to nonprofit scholarship-granting organizations.

Currently there are nine Connecticut city mayors who support school choice in your state and you can join them. Take just five minutes today and let your legislator and Governor Rell know that you support SB 283! Use this site to learn more.

Similar programs have saved states like Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia, and Arizona millions of dollars while improving the quality of education. Click here to take action today! Tell the governor, your state senator, and your state assembly member that you support school choice for Connecticut!
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Legislative Issues

Read the Full Bills

About SB 283

  • What does the bill do?

    SB 283 will provide up to $5 million in tax credits for companies that make generous contributions to nonprofit organizations providing scholarships for low-income children to attend private schools. The program will:

    • Increase the school options available to children in Connecticut, fulfilling our obligation that every child receives a high-quality education.
    • Save Connecticut taxpayers up to $5 million per year.
  • Who would benefit?

    The program will be targeted to low-income families the opportunity to attend the school of their parents’ choice.

    • To ensure that children who most need help are assisted by the bill, only families with incomes that do not exceed 250 percent of the federal poverty line ($55,125 for a family of four) will be eligible for participation.
    • Only students from distressed municipalities would be eligible to receive scholarships
    • Corporations can donate up to $50,000 to sanctioned scholarship granting organizations.
    • Eligable students would be able to use the scholarships to attend a private, religious or out-of-district public school of their parents' choice.
  • How Will Scholarship Organizations Use Funds?
    • Donations to scholarship organizations can only be used for scholarships—not administrative or promotional funds.
    • Scholarships for students attending:
      • nonpublic elementary schools will be up to $2,500
      • nonpublic high schools will be up to $6,500
      • out-of-district public school will be up to $10,000

Smart Policy: Key Reasons to Say Yes to SB 283

  • Families in Connecticut deserve more educational options—right now
    Far too many children in our state attend schools that are failing to provide a quality education. About 63 percent of 8th graders in the state are not proficient in reading, and 65 percent are not proficient in math. The tax credit bill provides more options so that low-income parents can choose the best education for their children, encouraging all schools to improve.
  • We must stimulate job creation and economic growth.
    The bill promotes job creation and economic renewal by allowing corporations to receive tax credits for making contributions to nonprofit organizations that support all children’s educational needs. Plus, the bill will not raise any taxes it will increase the amount of money spent on educational improvement. As a state, we use tax credits as a method of encouraging economic development and the environment.
  • Now is the time to use innovative, proven solutions to improve education throughout Connecticut.
    Other states—such as Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and even neighboring Rhode Island—have enacted similar tax credit programs. These states have enjoyed overwhelming success with these programs, including increased student achievement, high parental satisfaction, and widespread cost-savings.
  • School choice saves tax dollars.
    Studies have demonstrated that similar programs save tax dollars while improving educational quality. With our economy in crisis, many parents—especially low-income parents—cannot afford to send their children to private schools, even if nearby public schools do not meet the needs of their children. Private schooling already saves state taxpayers more than $700 million a year. By providing parents with modest support today, we keep costs down, prevent tax increases, and enhance parental involvement in education.
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Take Action

With your help, meaningful school choice could be coming to Connecticut—providing thousands of families with new opportunities. Will you take the following four steps today to ensure that SB 283 becomes law!

  • Send an e-mail to your legislators.
    We encourage you to send a personal e-mail to your state senator and state assembly member. Click here to locate the lawmakers from your district. Use one of our letter templates to help craft your e-mail!
  • Contact Governor Jodi Rell. Ask Governor Rell to publicly support SB 283. Send Governor Rell an e-mail by clicking here, or write her a letter at:

    Governor M. Jodi Rell
    Executive Office of the Governor
    State Capitol
    210 Capitol Avenue
    Hartford, Connecticut 06106

  • Send a letter via U.S. mail to your legislators and Governor Rell.
    Sending personalized letters via regular mail makes a big difference and we strongly encourage you to send both an e-mail and a letter! To help you get started, we’ve written a template that you can use. Make sure to personalize the letter by adding a brief paragraph about why this legislation is important to you.
  • Stay involved.
    E-mail us     your address and we’ll send you a bumper sticker and action alerts.
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Make Your Voice Heard

You can use this template letter as a starting point for your letter or e-mail to Governor Rell or your state legislators.

Dear _____________,

I am writing to voice my strong support for SB 283, legislation that will create an innovative educational improvement program for Connecticut and will save the taxpayers of Connecticut up to $5 million.

SB 283 provides low-income parents with an opportunity to choose the best schools for their children, public or private. At the same time, it rewards generous corporations—with tax credits—for making donations to scholarship organizations that help K-12 students from low-income families.

At a time when our economy is in crisis and many of our schools are underperforming, we must do everything possible to make sure that every child has the opportunity to receive the best education possible. Other states—including neighboring Rhode Island—have instituted corporate scholarship tax credit programs, saving money and improving education in the process.

I am a strong supporter of our states public and private schools and I want Connecticut to lead the nation in education and economic prosperity. SB 283 is one important step towards achieving that goal. I respectfully encourage you to support this legislation and to do everything possible to ensure its success.

Sincerely,
YOUR NAME

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Join Our Prominent Supporters

In supporting SB 283, you will be joining the mayors of nine Connecticut cities who have voiced public support for school choice.

The leaders of Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, Danbury, Ansonia, New Britain, Torrington, and Middletown are supporters!

  • Mayor Bill Finch of Bridgeport
  • Mayor Eddie Perez of Hartford
  • Mayor John DeStefano of New Haven
  • Mayor Michael Jarjura of Waterbury
  • Mayor Mark Boughton Danbury
  • Mayor James Della Volpe of Ansonia
  • Mayor Timothy Stewart of New Britain
  • Mayor Ryan Bingham of Torrington
  • Mayor Sebastian N. Giuliano of Middletown

School choice is also supported by a multitude of prominent Connecticut organizations, including:

You can become the next supporter of school choice in Connecticut! Take action today!

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News & Views

Stay up-to-date on news and issues regarding school choice in Connecticut. Read what media outlets are saying about the legislation and check back here for upcoming radio interviews and television appearances by bill sponsors and school choice supporters.

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