BOOST is action‑packed, high‑energy, and filled with people who are genuinely positive, supportive, and generous. In a moment when so much of the public education conversation is framed around struggle, defense, and scarcity, BOOST is a place rooted in hope, possibility, and believing in what’s still possible when people come together with intention.

The work and connections I experienced there brought to mind one of my favorite Mr. Rogers quotes:
“There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”

BOOST has become a place where that feels deeply real to me—because so many people I’ve met there have truly left something profound behind that I carry forward in my work.

This year, I had the honor of attending with two incredible partners and friends, Julia Sarmineto‑Cohn and Aleasha Stevens, who co‑presented with me. Together, we highlighted the partnerships between the Alliance for Public Schools, Hillsborough County Public Schools, and 7 Mindsets—partnerships rooted in trust and shared purpose, all focused on supporting student leaders in meaningful ways.

Our small partnership then became part of an even larger collaboration when we joined forces with Daniel Hatcher of Alliance for a Healthier Generation—my original BOOST buddy—to help create and support the ZEN Den. The ZEN Den became a space for conference participants to slow down, reconnect, breathe, and take care of themselves amid the excitement and energy of the conference. It was a reminder that caring for young people requires us to also care for ourselves—and that wellness is a collective responsibility.

Another powerful moment for me was presenting our session focused on going beyond simply listening to student voice and instead sharing real decision‑making power with student leaders. We talked about what it looks like to treat students as essential stakeholders in the education ecosystem—not as symbolic participants, but as leaders with agency and influence.

Hearing from close to 100 educators from across the country was incredibly grounding and hopeful. Participants came from school districts, nonprofit organizations, partner agencies, and universities. Some are already doing deep work to fully integrate students into decision‑making processes. Others are just starting, curious and committed. Many are somewhere in between. What united them was a shared belief in young people and a genuine hope for the next generation of leaders.

I left that session feeling energized—not because the work is easy, but because there are so many people willing to do it thoughtfully and together.

I also want to offer deep thanks to everyone I interacted with at BOOST—the new connections, the familiar faces from previous years, and even surprise reunions like seeing William Wong now with Woodcraft Rangers, who I presented with on a legislative panel in DC more than a decade ago. Some conversations were long and meaningful. Others were brief hallway moments. But each one mattered.

I may not remember every name, and some encounters may have lasted only a few minutes, but I know this:
you left something with me—an idea, a reminder, a sense of belonging, or a renewed commitment to the work. And for that, I am deeply grateful.

BOOST continues to remind me that partnerships aren’t just about strategy or alignment. They’re about people showing up, sharing pieces of themselves, and building something better—together.

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I knew why I had been appointed as a representative from my school. I’ve never really been shy about telling my principal what I think. I’ve always had opinions — sometimes a lot of them — about what was working at Chamberlain and what needed to change. If something didn’t sit right with me, I usually spoke up.

But that was my school.

Chamberlain was a safe space I had built over time. It didn’t happen overnight. It took effort and honestly, a lot of struggle — like it does for so many students trying to find where they fit. Eventually, I did. Going into my senior year, I felt ready to call myself a student leader and to take responsibility for being part of Chamberlain’s long, proud legacy.

What I wasn’t ready for was stepping outside of that comfort.

The Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council brought together student leaders from more than 20 high schools across the district. Suddenly, I wasn’t just representing myself, or even just Chamberlain. I was one voice in a room full of students who already seemed confident, organized, and deeply involved in leadership work that had been going on for a long time.

I didn’t feel ready.

I walked in anyway.

The truth is, that overwhelmed feeling didn’t go away right away. I kept comparing — my school to their schools, our progress to their programs — and quietly wondering if I really belonged in that room. As students shared the work they were doing, it only made that feeling stronger. They talked about monthly leadership meetings, detailed work plans, ongoing data conversations, and real student-led initiatives already happening.

At Chamberlain, our Principal’s Advisory Council (PAC) had met once in the spring.

That meeting mattered. We looked at data to better understand academic challenges. We had honest conversations about how students felt about our school’s climate and culture. It was meaningful — but it was also just a start. There was no monthly meeting schedule yet. No real work plan. No consistency.

And on top of all that, the second representative from my school didn’t even show up for training.

That part really stuck with me.

In the middle of feeling overwhelmed, finding Margaret helped more than she probably knows. She was a student leader from another school who had already served a year on the council. She helped me understand how things worked, what was expected, and, most importantly, reminded me that feeling unsure didn’t mean I didn’t belong.

Mrs. Erickson from the Alliance for Public Schools was also incredibly welcoming. She created space for us to be honest — not just about leadership roles and titles, but about what it really means to represent other students and take that responsibility seriously.

As the day went on, something started to click.

Leadership isn’t about walking into a room with everything figured out. It’s about walking in willing to figure it out. It’s about noticing what’s missing — not as failure, but as work that still needs to be done. And it’s about accountability, especially when things don’t go exactly as planned.

By the end of that first day, I stopped asking myself whether I deserved to be there. Instead, I asked a different question:

If I want to call myself a leader, what am I going to do next?

The answer was clear. There was work to do — at Chamberlain and within myself. I couldn’t wait for things to be built for me. I had to help build them. That meant committing to our PAC, creating structure where there wasn’t any yet, bringing more student voices into the conversation, and making sure feedback didn’t just get collected — but actually led to change.

I didn’t walk out of that training feeling perfectly confident.

But I walked out determined.

And I have learned, sometimes, that’s exactly where leadership begins.

Breanna Peppers is a senior at Chamberlain High School in Tampa, graduating in May 2026. She completed the Junior Achievement 3DE course of study and served this year as the Senior Representative to the Hillsborough County Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. Passionate about student voice and leadership, Breanna will continue her education at Florida Gulf Coast University in the fall of 2026.

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By Aug. 11, more than 382,000 students had received vouchers for the 2023-24 school year, giving them access to money for private school tuition, homeschooling services or therapies for children with disabilities, according to Step Up For Students, the private group that administers most of Florida’s scholarship programs.

The scholarships are worth an average of about $7,800 a year, though actual amounts vary by student’s grade level and by county. The voucher programs are still required to prioritize giving awards to children whose families earn no more than 185% of the federal poverty limit, or a family of four earning $55,000 a year or less. But everyone, whether middle class or very rich, is now eligible to apply.

Step Up for Students is the charity that administers the voucher program. They take a 2.5% fee for every voucher they process and are currently one of the 20th wealthiest charities in the nation according to Forbes.

There are many proponents of the program including the Archdiocese of Miami which has seen a significant increase in enrollment in their Catholic schools from families using vouchers.

But the new law also faces fierce critics. They worry its price tag — one estimate says it will cost the state $4 billion in its first years — will devastate public school budgets and dislike that private schools that take vouchers face little regulation from the state.

“This is the design, to undermine our public schools,” said Karen Castor Dentel, an Orange County School Board member during a board budget discussion earlier this month.

“The public dollars that they have given to private schools, those are our public school dollars that they are now giving to people to go to a private school,” Castor Dentel said. “Those are public school dollars they are now handling over to unaccountable private schools where you don’t have to have a qualified teacher.”

Private schools that take state vouchers are mostly religious schools, and they make their own decisions as far as teacher qualifications, curriculum and facilities. Some have hired teachers without college degrees and employees with criminal convictions, set up in rundown buildings and offered curriculum outside mainstream academics, the Orlando Sentinel has reported.

Providing scholarships to families whose children already were in private school or were being homeschooled “is absolutely taking away from public school dollars,” said Norin Dollard, a senior policy analyst with the Florida Policy Institute, a progressive think tank that warned back in February that the new law would cost the state billions of dollars.

Many of the private schools accepting vouchers opened their doors just after the original voucher program was established. From the Sentinel’s article from March, “Well-established or brand-new, none of these schools need to meet public school standards for teacher credentials, academics or facilities, as state scholarship laws allow private schools to set their own rules.

A private school in west Orange County, for example, hired a daycare worker — a woman without a college degree who’d been fired from her last job — as a fourth-grade teacher in 2020.

To accept state scholarships, private schools must meet only a few state rules related to building safety and employee background checks. Even schools that violate those rules are often allowed to remain in the programs.”

Proper regulations and standards should be in place to ensure that all schools receiving tax money, whether public or private, provide a high standard of education and transparency for the use of those funds.

Take action today using our simple online tools. Make sure your lawmakers know your priorities for students and public schools.

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Teachers and Parents- First, THANK YOU for ALL you are doing with your students at this time during our change in the face of education as the nation and Hillsborough County adjust to a “New Normal”. As Educators, whether you are a parent or a teacher, you are on the front lines of assisting our students when we have an issue with learning. Whether that issue is Math, English or understanding what is happening in our world today, the students turn to you for guidance and that turns out to be a big lift, especially when you are trying to get through these times yourselves.

When you get on a plane, the pilot and the flight attendant allow you to get really comfortable. You get your luggage in the overhead compartment; you get your family situated; and then as the plane is taxiing to the runway, they provide you with safety instructions. The safety instructions often include instructions that indicate that you are to put on your mask first before helping anyone else in an event of an emergency. That is because if you pass out you cannot help yourself, your family or anyone around you. The same holds true when you are providing a mental health check for your student daily.

Quick reminder: Feel free to feel your feelings. When you have the responsibility of checking in with your students feelings and those of your family and friends, it’s an immense pressure on you, especially since you are not mental health professionals. When everyone is working under stress, they are going to likely feel an increase in demands.  Many times the pressure of this stress, whether real or imagined, is added to their stress of family’s and spouse’s or significant other’s feelings the same. And- experiencing the stress and feelings associated with care taking are by no means a sign of weakness or a reflection on you as a teacher or parent.

We all need and must intentionally employ coping skills. As teachers and parents, you must put into practice different strategies during times of stress. These can include getting enough rest, finding respite time during work or lunch, eating meals – ideally healthy food- and you have to make sure these are at a scheduled time. Engage in physical activity, like afternoon yoga, and make sure you get up to take a break from your computer along with your students and take time for meditation. Encourage your students to stay in contact with their family and friends. 

Perform regular check ins with your students. Monitor your students for symptoms of depression/stress disorder. If they seem tired or the say to you they feel like something will happen, these are signs that they have feelings of hopelessness. Ask them to talk to you or, if not you, to a trusted friend. Encourage them to be open to seeking professional help if you notice that the symptoms persist or get worse over time. Many times, the students won’t ask for help on their own.

The news at this time can be less than exciting for us, so imagine how your students feel when they listen to the news. We must make it a regular habit to step away from our computers and smart phones from time to time.

Offer your students support like time to blow off steam and regain a sense of calm. You could offer to listen with no opinions or offering to fix their problems- just be a good listener.

By monitoring and reviewing your student’s wellbeing, you could help to identify any risk or emerging issues and be able to respond to their needs. Create an environment of open communication by allowing your students to speak openly about their concerns, providing mid-morning chats, addressing challenges, providing mechanisms for your students to express their concerns, ask questions and possibly put together a peer mentoring group amongst students. This demonstrates that you are creating a supportive environment for your students to communicate.

When you are speaking to your students who are stressed, it is not a time to use complicated language. PLEASE use clear understandable communication and simple language with students- particularly those students with English as a second language or physical disabilities. Remember many students’ do not solely rely on written information so, use signs and pictures when possible. When someone is stressed, the last thing they want to hear is a bunch of words that they are not able to process.

Incorporating guidance about stress into everyday conversation with your students – remember emotional distress and anxiety are common in everyday life let alone during a pandemic such as COVID-19. Normalize stress for your students and let them know that everyone feels the way they do. Teach them how to recognize the signs of distress; let them know you are feeling the same and discuss with them ways to reduce it through healthy diet, exercise, talking with friends and loved ones and meditation.

Now, this is time for you…here are some different things that you can do for yourself. You have a full plate taking care of your family and your students and now we are going to talk about how to take some time for you. Take time for yourself before starting your day, when you have some quiet time and everybody is still sleeping. Do something that you enjoy – exercise, eat breakfast, watch TV (but NOT the news), meditate/pray.

During this time, we are often so focused on what we are doing that we tend to stay 6 ft. away from everyone in our house. Give your loved ones a hug or some type of affection daily. It’s ok to let things sit– the dishes, the laundry, shoes on the floor. Give yourself a pass or permission not to do a chore or a task if it won’t cause harm to yourself or others in the home.  Take care of yourself, pay attention to your health, and listen to your body. If you are exhausted, rest.  Don’t forget to laugh with our students, with our friends, with our family, by ourselves, just be silly or do something funny…enjoy life.

It is completely normal to experience a range of emotions, especially right now. Accepting your feelings is not only important, but the first step to building resilience. The simple act of naming your emotion has been found to benefit wellbeing. So, take a moment right now to tune into your body and notice how you are feeling. Also, practice gratitude every day at a set time in your daily routine. Write down one thing you are grateful for. Cultivating a spirit of gratitude has a plethora of benefits, including the reduction of stress and anxiety.

Thank you so much for all you do for our students on a daily basis and especially during this “new normal”.  Thank you for all you do for our students and for being a sounding board for them as they also go through this crisis.  Remember take care of yourselves and each other. 

Karen Perez was elected to the Hillsborough County School Board serving District 6 in 2018. She graduated with a Master’s in Social Work from University of South Florida in 2002 and went on to earn her certification in Traumatology from the University of South Florida.  Since graduating, she has worked for the Department of Children and Families from 2002 – 2006 as a reunification specialist and the Department of Veterans Affairs for 15 years.  Her most recent position was as Social Worker with the Home Base Primary Care.  She worked with and provided services for veterans who could no longer go to the VA for their primary care appointments. In addition, for the past 20 years, she has had her own private practice, Embracing Changes Center for Wellness, LLC, where she serves clients and their families including veterans and their families.

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The award winning Orlando Sentinel series, “Schools Without Rules“, found that private voucher schools will collect nearly $1 billion from the state this year “through a system so weakly regulated that some schools hire teachers without college degrees, hold classes in aging strip malls and falsify fire-safety and health records.”

Unlike public schools, private schools, including those that accept the state scholarships, operate free from most state rules. Private school teachers and principals, for example, are not required to have state certification or even college degrees…Nor do private schools need to follow the state’s academic standards. One curriculum, called Accelerated Christian Education or ACE, is popular in some private schools andrequires students to sit at partitioned desks and fill out worksheets on their own for most of the day, with little instruction from teachers or interaction with classmates.

A similar program in Arizona seemed likely to expand yet again until grassroots opponents stopped it in its tracks.

Lawmakers last year approved expanding the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program to all 1.1 million public students by 2022, broadening eligibility from special-needs and foster students, as well as those in poor-performing schools.

In response, a grass-roots group of parents named Save Our Schools Arizona collected more than 110,000 signatures to refer the new law to the November ballot. Proposition 305 asks voters if they want to scrap or keep the program that gives tax dollars to families to subsidize private school tuition or other education expenses.

Over 65% of the electorate voted to block the expansion of vouchers in their state. Save Our Schools was founded by six women and powered by a volunteer network of 3,000 people who fanned out to collect the signatures required to put the voucher issue before the voters. They were up against a well-funded voucher lobby and lawyers from the Goldwater Institute but they prevailed.

They had no money behind them. No organization. Just six women and a belief that that creating a universal school voucher program would be another step in undermining Arizona’s already-underfunded public school system.

One year, 111,540 signatures and one Supreme Court ruling later, Save Our Schools Arizona has turned this state’s political establishment on its ear.

Florida public school advocates face similar odds and a political establishment that controls the governor’s mansion, the Board of Education, the state house and senate. In spite of a massive expansion of so-called “choice schools” like charters and vouchers, over 85% of Florida’s children attend traditional public schools. Yet, Florida’s politicians fund education at pre-recession levels and the state’s teachers are among the lowest paid in the country. With the new administration and leadership, Florida’s public schools should expect additional constraints on their budgets.

As Orlando Sentinel columnist, Scott Maxwell, proposes, if the Florida Legislature refuses to add accountability- there might be another way:

It seems like Florida could instead do the obvious — crack down on bad actors and add standards to ensure that tax dollars aren’t being wasted and children aren’t being robbed of an education.

But since Florida leaders are unwilling, maybe it’s time to see what voters have to say.

As in Arizona, it will take an army of grassroots advocates to save Florida’s schools, students and teachers. Join us and stay informed about this and other issues impacting Florida’s public schools.

The post Arizona voucher opponents’ win- a model for Florida? appeared first on Alliance for Public Schools.

Corcoran — whose wife runs a Pasco charter school — had more power over public education during his last two years as House Speaker, where he advanced charter schools through programs like “Schools of Hope,” which cleared the path for state-approved providers to bring schools into communities where district campuses have fared poorly.

“Richard is known as a no-nonsense reformer whose sole focus has been how best to support students, parents and teachers,” DeSantis said in a statement. “This issue is very personal to me. Casey and I believe that the future of our children and the future of all Florida’s children depend on our education system.” Tampa Bay Times

The Vice Chair of the Education Committee, Senator Montford issued a dire warning for public schools.

“If we don’t change the course which we are on, the traditional public school as we know it is threatened,” said Montford.

The former middle-school teacher, high school principal and school superintendent wants a review of the reforms adopted the past decade and a sorting of what worked and what didn’t.

“It’s time to take a breather and see what the impact has been,” said Montford, who added a dual education system has arisen in the wake of the Legislature’s work.

“One is generously funded, and one is not. The traditional public school system is not funded as well as a generation ago nor does the prospect look good now,” said Montford.

Public education stakeholders like the Florida Education Association have already sounded the alarm. They have called for the Board of Education to initiate a nationwide search for a qualified candidate for the commissioner job. The Florida League of Women Voters have joined that effort and issued a statement demanding a nationwide search for an alternate candidate. The Alliance for Public Schools, Florida PTA and other public education advocacy groups are reminding citizens to remain engaged and to be ready to raise their voices as the new administration takes over. Stay tuned…

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At the July meeting of the Florida Board of Education, board members voted on the rule governing the new law. According to the Tampa Bay Times:

In crafting what they called the “Hope Scholarship,” lawmakers did not include wording to require the bullying complaints be verified — something the Senate requested but relented on.

The absence of such criteria prompted many critics, including some school district officials, to question whether families could game the system. They raised such concerns during a rule-making workshop in June.

State Board of Education member Tom Grady focused on that issue during debate on the measure.

“What’s to prevent someone who’d just like to have a scholarship … from simply claiming they’re a victim?” asked Grady, who attended the July meeting via phone. “What is there to prevent that fraud from happening?”

Good question. State officials explained that the potential for fraud was not addressed in the new rule. They noted that once a school has 10 or more vouchers, an evaluation must occur and speculated that perhaps fraud might be uncovered during this process. However, once a student makes a claim, the law does not require verification of the bullying.

The drain of funds from public schools to private schools with no oversight or accountability continues. Please sign up to stay informed of issues impacting children and public schools. Make sure you are registered to vote and be ready to vote for kids August 28th and November 6th.

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