The nation’s largest parental choice rally
 You probably heard them if you didn’t see them,
but 5,521 parents, students and educators
marched to the Capitol on Wednesday (March 24, 2010)
in the largest parental choice rally in the nation’s history.
Many of them got on buses before midnight on Tuesday,
coming from all parts of the state, and their message was that they want
more underprivileged schoolchildren to have the same option as they do.
They want legislators to pass CS/HB 1009, a bill that strengthens and expands
the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program.
“For corporate America to invest in education of our children, this is a
great thing to do,” Sen. Al Lawson told the thundering crowd. “I've had
parents tell me of problems their kids have had in other schools and, because
of this program, their kids have turned around.”
Lawson was part of a politically and racially diverse array of speakers that
included the president of Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the
civil rights organization founded by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which endorsed
the program. “I hope that people get that this is not about public
schools versus private schools,” said James Bush, acting SCLC president. “This is about reading and writing and diplomas and degrees. This is about
finding the place where every single student learns the best. This is about
fulfilling that very American promise of equal educational opportunity.”
 One by one, rally speakers endorsed the program and the legislation.
They included: Sen. Lawson, SCLC president Bush, Gov. Charlie Crist,
Rep. Ronald Brisé, Rep. Darren Soto, Rep. Anitere Flores, Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options (HCREO) president Julio Fuentes,
House Speaker-designate Dean Cannon, and , and bill sponsors Rep. Will
Weatherford and Sen. Joe Negron. Twenty-two public school teachers from
Dade County from a group called the Coalition of Hispanic Instructors in
Support of Parental Awareness also endorsed the bill.
“This was a remarkable day that shows how much low income parents
want this empowerment, ” said Step Up For Students Chairman John Kirtley“The support for this program is powerful.”
BILL UPDATE
The morning of the rally, the Senate passed CS/SB 2126 by a vote of
27-11, with Democrats Al Lawson, Gary Siplin, Chris Smith and Jeremy
Ring voting in favor. The next day (Thursday, March 25), the House
Finance and Tax Council approved CS/HB 1009 by a vote of 13-2, with
a majority of Democrats on the panel in favor.
Here are some points to remember:
ACCOUNTABILTY: The bill would add more academic and
fiscal accountability, requiring individual schools to post student learning
gains and file financial disclosure reports.
 SAVINGS: Both the Senate and House staff analyses have reported
the bill will provide $19.8-million of savings to the state budget
over the next four years. This is in addition to the $36.2-million that the
state Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
reported the state already saves from the program.
NO HARM TO SCHOOLS BUDGET: The savings projection
means the state will save in expenses more than it loses through tax credits,
which frees up dollars to improve all other public schools.
 GRADUAL SCHOLARSHIP INCREASE: The maximum
scholarship would be set at 80 percent of the FEFP average, but it would
take at least six years to get there. The first three years of increases will
merely restore it to the same level, relative to FEFP, as 2002-03.
ONLY FOR POOR CHILDREN: The bill does not change the
eligibility to enter this program. It remains at 185 percent of poverty orless, which is the same standard as free or reduced lunch. The average
household income last year was 120 percent of poverty.
 PARENTS ARE DEMANDING THIS OPTION: The turnout
for the rally was an astonishing statement of how committed lowincome
families are to this education option. So is enrollment growth,
which is 22.4 percent annually over the past five years. So is their out-ofpocket
costs, which are roughly $1,000 each year to make up the gap
between the scholarship and average tuition.
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