The 2006 SOS Rally received news coverage from stations across the state of Florida click here to view the media clips

Click here to view the 2006 SOS Rally Slideshow

Dear Friends,

As you know well, our state Supreme Court issued an absurd decision in January saying that the OSP violated the constitutional requirement of a “uniform system of public schools”. All 700 children in the program have to leave their chosen schools next Fall. The ruling was so devoid of legal principle that it now threatens at least two other programs: the McKay Scholarship Program under which 16,000 special education children attend private schools, and a tax credit program for companies that donate to scholarship funds that allow poor families to pay private school tuition. Over 15,000 children use that program, and the average household income is $22,000 (60% from single parent homes).

Prior to the ruling we had hoped there would be a legislative remedy to preserve these programs; however, this court has now proven that they will do anything in their unlimited power to remove any choice program. Thus our legal advisors, including the Institute For Justice, inform us that the only true alternative left to preserve these programs is an amendment to our state constitution. Otherwise over 30,000 poor and special needs children will be forced to leave schools chosen by their parents.

Last Wednesday over 4,000 parents, children and administrators came to our distant capitol of Tallahassee. They came to support Governor Bush’s call for the legislature to place an amendment on the ballot this November.  They traveled from as far away as Miami—those from that city boarded buses at midnight the night before for the eight hour trip. The march began at the Tallahassee Civic Center, and went the five blocks up to the courtyard of the capitol. I have attached one photo of just some of the crowd marching up the street. I will never forget that sight.

They carried signs of their hometowns and signs saying “SOS--Save Our Students”, the theme of the rally, which was sponsored by the Black Alliance For Educational Options (BAEO), the Hispanic Council For Reform and Educational Options (HCREO), and others.  Led by a drum corps from a choice school, the crowd marched into the courtyard of the capitol. The Master of Ceremonies, Bishop Harold Ray, is the leader of a dynamic church in West Palm Beach that also has a school that serves scholarship children. He also happens to be a lawyer who once argued a case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. He did a masterful job overall, and this great work began by making sure the legislators could hear the crowd upon their arrival.

First to speak was Former Senate President John McKay, the namesake of the program for special needs children. He was followed by a McKay parent and an OSP parent, who gave moving testimony of empowerment. Governor Bush followed, and he demanded that the legislature to place the amendment on the ballot. Bishop Ray closed with words worthy of the civil rights movement. He called this rally the beginning of a revolution. After the rally parents and children visited legislators, including 14 Senators. Especially interesting were visits to two African American Democrat Senators who have adamantly opposed choice in the past. One, Senator Tony Hill from Jacksonville, has 2,609 children in his district on these programs. He received a visit from parents and administrators from five schools in his district, including one at which 200 of 500 children attend on scholarships.  All of the schools are vital members of the Jacksonville African American community. He was clearly uncomfortable explaining his opposition to the amendment. I promise you that this is just the beginning of a public and private dialogue with these Senators. I have attached a picture from the meeting with Senator Hill.

This issue will be at the forefront of the 2006 Governor’s race in Florida. It will expose the fault line that you have identified. The majority of our scholarship families are African American and Hispanic. Not only does the Democratic party risk losing African American support, they are at great risk of losing Latino support on this issue. Latinos are a growing political power in this country, and certainly in our state.  Under the coordination of HCREO, the President of the Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce took six of his board members to last week’s rally and lobbied the legislature in favor of the amendment. With him was the head of the state’s largest alliance of Latino ministers.

Governor not ready to end fight for vouchers
Thousands gather at the Capitol to campaign for school choice
By Bill Cotterell
Tallahassee Democrat Political Editor

Declaring school choice "as American as apple pie," Gov. Jeb Bush called for a constitutional amendment Wednesday to contradict the state Supreme Court ruling that scuttled his tuition-voucher plan.

The Florida Education Association said it will fight the proposal Bush will seek from the Republican-run Legislature in the session convening March 7. But the GOP has more than enough votes in the House and Senate to put the issue on the November ballot, and Bush pointedly announced that the current and future leaders of both chambers support the idea.

"We view our fundamental right of choice to be the pre-eminent civil-rights issue in our country," said Bishop Harold Ray, founder of the Redemptive Life Fellowship and redemptive Life Academy in West Palm Beach, who presided at a 45-minute rally in the Capitol plaza.

"This is much more than a march, it is now our mission," he said. "This is much more than a protest, it is a proclamation. This is much more than a rally, it is the beginning of a revolution."

In a ruling Jan. 5, the Florida Supreme Court threw out the voucher plan Bush pushed through the 1999 Legislature. The 5-2 ruling said it is unconstitutional to use tax money to send students to private schools. Bush's proposed amendment has not been released yet but it could carve out an exception for students in chronically failing schools to transfer to better ones.

Bush and Ray said the ruling also jeopardizes not only the "Opportunity Scholarship" vouchers but also the McKay Scholarship program for special-needs children, the Bright Futures college program and even the pre-kindergarten program for 4-year-olds.

Aside from the legal or academic arguments over vouchers, a statewide constitutional amendment campaign gives Bush a wedge issue for his political last hurrah. If the Legislature musters the three-fifths majorities needed for an amendment, he said, he will enthusiastically campaign for its ratification.

Passage seems certain, with the GOP holding 26 of the 40 Senate seats and 85 of the 120 House seats. Senate President Tom Lee, R-Brandon, and House Speaker Allan Bense, R-Panama City, are both on board, and Bush said their designated successors - Sen. Ken Pruitt of Port St. Lucie and Rep. Marco Rubio of Miami - will sponsor the amendment.

Politically, an amendment campaign would force the FEA and other pillars of the Democratic Party to devote time and money to fighting the ballot initiative. It could also help the Republicans make inroads in black precincts, where school choice polls well.

"Voters, parents, should be able to decide whether or not poor, minority or disabled students should have the same option as wealthy parents," Bush told the crowd. "I know, if presented this choice in November, that Floridians will say yes - that this is a fundamental right, that this is a civil right, that this is as American as apple pie."

Sen. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, predicted that both parties and national education organizations will make Florida a battleground if the amendment gets to the ballot.

"That's one of the reasons we have separation of powers," Lawson said. "The Supreme Court, in its wisdom, said that the issue of vouchers was not allowed by the Constitution, and I think we should respect that. I don't think that every time a ruling is not in your favor, you try to amend the Constitution."

Bush and other speakers at the rally hammered at the argument that rich people can afford private schools and the middle class can move to better districts - and that vouchers help poor families choose better schools.

"I ask our Legislature to do whatever is necessary to protect the future of my child," said Vanessa Williams of Jacksonville, mother of a child enrolled in the voucher program. "All I want is what every other parent wants - what's best for my child."

The "SOS: Save Our Students" rally was organized by the Coalition of McKay Scholarship Schools, Florida Alliance for Choices in Education, Black Alliance for Educational Options and the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options. Bush estimated the crowd at 4,000.

FEA President Andy Ford issued a statement saying voters have mandated in 1998 that a uniform public-education system is the "paramount duty of the state." He said legislators will shirk that duty if they put a voucher amendment on the ballot.

"Taking money out of troubled schools is no way to fix the problem and it is no way to meet the mandate of our Constitution," Ford said. "You can't say, with our schools 50th in graduation rate and 40th or worse in other categories, that we have met this mandate."

Gov. Bush endorses school voucher amendment

Gov. Jeb Bush, who called vouchers a fundamental right, was joined by state lawmakers in pushing for a constitutional amendment that would keep the program alive.

By RON MATUS, St. Pete Times Staff Writer
Published February 15, 2006

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Jeb Bush and legislative leaders endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment Wednesday they hope will keep private school vouchers intact despite a crippling court ruling.

"This is a fundamental right we all should have," Bush told 4,000 cheering voucher supporters, most of them African-American, on the steps of the Old Capitol building. Let voters decide, he said, "whether or not poor, minority and disabled students should have the same options" as wealthy students.

A joint resolution laying out the details of the amendment is expected before the beginning of the legislative session on March 7. If lawmakers give their okay, the proposal would appear on the November ballot.

Then comes the hard part: Passing muster with a skeptical public. National polls show people are sharply split on vouchers.

"You got 4,000 people up here, but the majority of people are either saying, "We don't want vouchers' or saying, "The Supreme Court has spoken, let's move on,' " said Sen. Les Miller, D-Tampa. "There's a group of people out there who can't take no for an answer."

Vouchers were central to Bush's education overhaul when he was elected in 1998, and now extend to more than 30,000 students - mostly low-income, minority and disabled - in three separate programs. But their future has never been more in doubt.

Last month, the Florida Supreme Court struck down the smallest of the programs, Opportunity Scholarships, saying it violated constitutional restrictions against public money going to private schools. Experts said the ruling threatens other voucher offerings, including the state's pre-K program.

Supporters, meanwhile, denounced the decision as the whim of activist judges and vowed a fix.

A short-term remedy already is on the table.

Some lawmakers want to change the funding source for Opportunity Scholarships to make them more like another voucher program, the Corporate Tax Credit Scholarships, which offers businesses credit for donating state corporate taxes to organizations that provide vouchers. The Senate Judiciary Committee decided Wednesday to introduce such a plan in the upcoming session.

Legal observers say tax credit vouchers may be harder for opponents to overturn, but there's no guarantee. And that still leaves in limbo the McKay Scholarship program for students with disabilities.

Hence, the call for a constitutional amendment.

Wording for a proposed amendment is still being crafted by legislative leaders and the governor's office. But Bush said Rep. Marco Rubio, R-Miami, and Sen. Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie - who are in line to be the next leaders of their respective chambers - have agreed to serve as chief sponsors.

"That's a fairly telling sign that there's going to be support for this," Bush told reporters after the rally. He said it's possible a constitutional fix might require two amendments.

Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said any constitutional solution is likely to deal with the broader issue of legislative power to create programs such as vouchers - a power he said was called into question by the court ruling.

Asked whether the amendment could wind up pitting lawmakers against the courts, Baxley, who chairs the House Education Council, said, "Obviously, we need some further guidance from the people as to how these roles fit."

Many attending Wednesday's rally didn't care about the specifics. They just wanted their vouchers.

Hundreds sported black shirts with orange letters that said "S.O.S." - "Save Our Students" - over the image of a life preserver and a child reading a book. Some boarded buses at midnight to make it to the 11 a.m. rally on time.

Rally organizers said national school choice organizations footed most of the bill.

"I'm worried. I want him to stay in private school," said Lake City resident Charles Shaw, 73, referring to his grandson, Andrew Clayton.

Andrew has a learning disability and attends Lake City Christian Academy on a voucher. He was struggling and anxious in public school, Shaw said. Now, with 1-on-1 attention, he's "happy and learning," Shaw said. "That's the bottom line."

Shannon Coates, a single mom in St. Petersburg, obtained a voucher for her 8-year-old daughter after the Pinellas school choice plan assigned Taylor, then in kindergarten, to a school far from home. Now Taylor attends Yvonne C. Reed Christian School, where mom says she's thriving in a small setting where Christian teachings are part of the mix.

"The ultimate goal is the child should be able to succeed," Coates said. "Some kids can't succeed in public school."

For voucher supporters, their immediate goal is a number: 24.

To get a constitutional amendment on the ballot, 24 of 40 senators must sign off.

Republicans hold 26 seats, but Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Treasure Island, said he is firmly opposed. Assuming all 14 Democrats stick together - Miller, the Senate minority leader, said they would - it would only take two more Republican votes to ground an amendment.

A favorable vote is "very tight," said Jones, who said he considers vouchers a financial drain on public schools. "I would have to think there's probably a few other Republicans who would not be supporting (vouchers) at this time."

Public support is divided, too.

Several national polls, including one last year by Gallup and Phi Delta Kappa International, a professional educators' group, have found a majority of people oppose vouchers. Asked whether they favor allowing students to attend a private school at public expense, 57 percent of respondents said no in 2005, up from 50 percent in 1998.

Support for vouchers tends to fall along political party lines, with many Republicans in support and many Democrats in opposition. But there are key crossover constituencies in both camps, said Chad d'Entremont, assistant director for the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education, based at Columbia University's Teachers College.

On the Democrat's side, support for vouchers is stronger among African-Americans and Latinos, whose children are more likely to attend struggling schools. The overwhelming majority of the 700 students who hold Opportunity Scholarships are minorities, as are many of those receiving vouchers through tax credit programs.

On the other hand, some white, suburban Republicans are less supportive of vouchers because they like their local public schools and see vouchers as a redistribution of tax money to other schools far away.

Bush expressed confidence Wednesday, saying vouchers could win public approval if properly framed by a good campaign. When it comes to choosing schools for their children, some people have choices and some people don't, he said.

"That's an un-American concept, in my opinion."

Times researcher Carolyn Edds and staff writer Joni James contributed to this report. Ron Matus can be reached at 727 893-8873 or matus@sptimes.com

The Florida Times-Union

Voucher fans rally at Capitol

By J. TAYLOR RUSHING
Capital Bureau Chief

TALLAHASSEE -- A new fight over an old argument kicked off Wednesday in Tallahassee as school voucher supporters rallied to save Florida's derailed system, and opponents fought back just as fiercely that private schools still shouldn't receive public money.

A "Save Our Students" rally drew about 4,000 students and parents to the Capitol, organized by a coalition of groups using the state's current vouchers and including an estimated 1,300 people from Jacksonville, the largest contingent in the state.

After the rally, Republican legislators got to work pursuing two paths -- a new state law and a new constitutional amendment -- to bypass a Jan. 5 ruling by the Florida Supreme Court that vouchers violate a state constitutional mandate for a uniform system of free public schools.

Gov. Jeb Bush said the new law would temporarily transfer Opportunity Scholarship students into the state's Corporate Tax Credit voucher program, while a voter-approved amendment would more permanently answer the question of whether parents can use public money to send their children to private schools.

"That ultimately is the bigger issue," Bush said. "Voters will be able to decide whether or not these school choice programs are valuable. I think they'll say yes."

But the woman who launched the lawsuit that has imperiled the voucher programs, Ruth Holmes of Panama City, remains just as firm that public money and private education should not be mixed. Holmes, a former state president of the Florida Educational Association, said voucher opponents have never disagreed with a parent's right to choose their children's education.

"You just can't use public money to do it," Holmes said Wednesday. "My message to the governor is that this is a clear violation of the constitution, the Supreme Court has affirmed that, and it's time for him to follow the constitution."

Florida has three voucher programs -- Opportunity Scholarships, McKay Scholarships and Corporate Tax Credits -- with 30,000 students, including about 4,350 from Northeast Florida. Although the Supreme Court's January ruling targeted only Opportunity Scholarships, which 69 students in Northeast Florida are receiving, Republicans say the remaining two programs are now legally vulnerable.

Vouchers have been a keystone of Bush's educational reforms since he took office in 1999, and Florida's program is considered the nation's first statewide voucher system. Several Jacksonville parents and students at Wednesday's rally said they cherish the program because their children had special needs that Duval County's public schools could not accommodate.

"The public school system is staying in a box, and I wanted to let my child breathe," said Leanne Jose, a mortgage processor whose 12-year-old son, Evan, attends Lighthouse Christian School. "Money is money. He now has a higher self-esteem and lower class sizes."

Marissa Scott said she sends her 7-year-old daughter, C.J., to the North Florida School for Special Education because class sizes were too big at Twin Lakes Elementary School.

"There's only nine students per teacher at North Florida," she said. "We should always have the right to decide where to put our kids."

Later Wednesday, the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee approved SPB 7104, a bill that would fund the Opportunity Scholarship Program from corporate tax credits. Committee Chairman Daniel Webster said it meets the mandate of the Supreme Court ruling because the tax credit program encourages charitable donations by corporations to non-profit scholarship programs -- money that never reaches state coffers.

jt.rushingjacksonville.com, (850) 224-7515, extension 11