A fresh redesign of the ‘Support Education’ specialty license plate was released Tuesday statewide.
It's the first update to the plate since it first launched 25 years ago. It now shows two children basking under palm trees, opening books and stretching out under a beachy sunset.
When a Florida resident purchases or renews this specialty tag, proceeds go directly back to support public schools and classrooms in the county where the tag is registered.
“You’ve got to have a license plate, so why not have one that supports public education?” said Linda Lecht, president of the Miami-Dade nonprofit the Education Fund.
Check out Florida's new education license plate. The proceeds benefit local schools in Miami-Dade County through our work in local schools. Get yours now. https://t.co/ACNN61Amuu pic.twitter.com/FhRqW03o1u
— The Education Fund (@EducationFund) December 11, 2018
The statewide Consortium of Florida Education Foundations(CFEF) works with specific nonprofits in each County to distribute the proceeds.
The Miami-Dade branch has raised about $40,000 every year through the past specialty license plates, Lecht said.
Lecht said she hopes the fresh design of the license plate will help bring in more funding for Miami-Dade Public Schools.
“Whether it’s taking them on field trips, or buying supplies, or whatever is needed in the classroom to make learning come alive, that’s what these funds are for,” Lecht said.
One of the nonprofit’s initiatives is to get kids outside and into what she calls “edible gardens” and “food forests.”
“Students have learned all sorts of science concepts, and also improved their eating habits,” Lecht said. “Whether its studying bungee jumping to learn about algebra, or studying robotics to better understand engineering, or its being out in a food forest and learning about science and healthy eating, all of these things are supported through the education license plate.”
County-specific education non profits -- like theBroward Education Foundationand the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County-- also receive funds from the sale of the plates.
The specialty tag’s annual fee is $25, in addition to local taxes and state fees.
