May 12, 2008

 

Dear Parents:

 

Required Services are 15 separate packages of information that are required by state law to be provided to the state by nonpublic schools like Archbishop Rummel High School.  These services have to do with attendance records, health statistics, college entrance records, school lunch programs, teacher certification qualifications, and any other records mandated by the State Department of Education. 

 

The Louisiana State Legislature has cut the $2.6 Million increase for Required Services that Governor Jindal put into the Appropriations Bill, House Bill 1.  It is critical that you PERSONALLY CALL, not email, your local legislator and urge him/her to restore those monies.  This must be done before Thursday’s vote on the House floor.  Calls can be made Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday between 2:00-3:00 p.m.

 

You can determine who your House Representative is by going to the Legislature’s website at www.legis.state.la.us and scrolling down to “Your Louisiana Legislators”.  Then you will see “Who are your state Senators and Representatives? Find Out!”  Click there.  Fill in your address and the system will tell you who your legislators are.  Click on their names and then write down the legislators’ district office phone information for both your Representative and Senator.  Save it for use today and in the future.

 

For this situation we need you to call the House of Representatives main operator’s number at 225-342-6945.  Listed below are some basic talking points about the issue, but it is important that you express in your own words what this funding means to our school.  Let them know that you are deeply upset by this cut which affects your child and that they need to work to get it restored to HB1.

 

Talking points:

. Please restore the $2.6 increase that the Administration supports and that the Appropriations Committee removed from HB 1.

. We now are only reimbursed for 60% of what it is mandated we spend to collect this information for the State Department of Education.

.  Private Schools Save the State a Great Deal of Money.  If we disappeared, the state would need to pay $900 Million to educate all Louisiana private school students ($7,000 times 127,000 students).

. This is an Equity issue - All that we are asking for is what we legally are entitled to.

 

If the legislator does NOT take your call, then call his/her district office and tell the legislator’s assistant who answers the phone the same story.  They will pass it on to the Representative later in the day.

 

Again, he best time to call is from 2:00 – 3:00 in the afternoon, when the House floor is typically dealing with non-controversial matters.  Mornings do not work, as they are in committee meetings.

 

Please call today.  Time is of the essence in securing our money.

 

Thanks for your continued support,

 

Michael J. Begg

President