| 2005
Opportunity March
Two thousand rallied
in Tallahassee in support of Opportunity
Scholarships
 Leaving their summer vacations
behind, thousands of students gathered in
Tallahassee on June 7 to support the state’s
Opportunity Scholarship Program and warn
parents about the future of educational
choice in Florida. If Opportunity Scholarships
are declared unconstitutional, other similar
programs that benefit 200,000 Florida students
could be at risk, including McKay scholarships
for students with disabilities, Bright Futures
college scholarships and the new Voluntary
Pre-K program.
March organizers, including the Black Alliance
for Educational Options (BAEO), Hispanic
Council for Reform and Educational Options,
Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce,
McKay Coalition, Florida African American
Education Alliance and the Florida Black
Chamber of Commerce, say the event will
enlighten parents and students about the
potential ramifications of this court decision.
At stake is the ability of families and
students to decide which schools best fit
their needs, regardless of religious or
non-religious affiliations.
“Because scholarships aid parents,
not schools or religious institutions, we
believe the court will rule in support of
Opportunity Scholarships, just as courts
did in other states with similar constitutions,”
said event emcee and founder of BAEO, Dr.
Howard Fuller. Fuller was superintendent
of public schools in Milwaukee when widespread
educational choice was implemented. “These
programs are legal according to Florida’s
Constitution, which guarantees a ‘high
quality education’ for each student.
These programs work. I saw first hand how
choice spurred improvement in Milwaukee’s
public schools – it’s accomplishing
the same goals in Florida!”
The march has drawn the attention of educational
leaders who are fighting for school choice
on a national scale including former Florida
Senator John McKay, founder of McKay Scholarships;
Julio Fuentes, President of the Florida
State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and
Virginia Walden Ford. Walden Ford, Executive
Director of DC Parents for School Choice
and Chair of DC BAEO, talked about being
one of the first black children to integrate
into public schools following the Brown
v. Board of Education ruling and why equal
educational opportunity remains a civil
rights struggle today.
More than 20 state and national organizations
have filed briefs urging the Florida Supreme
Court to uphold Opportunity Scholarships
including: The Salvation Army, Friends of
Lubavich of Florida, Inc., The Florida Catholic
Conference, The Child Developmental Education
Alliance, The Florida Association of Academic
Non-Public Schools and the Coalition of
McKay Scholarship Schools.
For details about Bush v. Holmes, visit
www.ij.org/schoolchoice/florida/index.html.
More information about our sponsors
can be found at the following websites:
Black Alliance for Educational
Options - www.baeo.org
Hispanic Council for Reform &
Educational Options - www.hcreo.org
Florida State Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce - www.fshcc.com
Florida African American Education
Alliance - www.aaedalliance.com
Florida Black Chamber of Commerce
- www.floridabcc.com
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