On Thursday, June 27, 2002, the United

States Supreme Court upheld the

constitutionality of Cleveland Ohio’s school

choice program. Milwaukee, Cleveland and

Florida all have tax-supported school choice

programs. Although each program has

different eligibility requirements, each is

designed to allow parents to make choices

regarding their child’s education.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

These state operated programs, like

Florida’s Opportunity Scholarship

Program, allow students to escape failing

public schools. They make school choice

accessible to families who often would

not be able to afford private

school tuition.

 

The ruling in this case sends a

message that parents are the ultimate

judge in the educational well being of

their children. Offering parents and

students every possible option to meet

their individual needs is paramount to

individual success

.

 

Secretary of Education Jim Horne

The Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO)

expressed its approval of the Supreme Court ruling

in a statement issued by Lawrence C. Patrick III,

President & CEO: “We realize that Black parents

and children, especially low-

income and struggling,

working-class black families

need the power of choice to

get a good education. We

hope that this decision will

allow the Florida program to

continue to grow and

flourish so that more black

families can benefit.”

 

Parental choice in education

certainly is not limited to private

options. In Florida, parents also

have a variety of public options at

their disposal. The combination

of public and private education

institutions, and the strengths

that each have to offer, make

Florida’s choice programs strong.

 

The Supreme Court ruling was, in

part, based on the fact that

Cleveland parents have a variety

of public options, as well as non-

religious private options, from

which to choose. All of Florida’s

scholarship programs, the

Opportunity Scholarship

 

Program

, the

McKay

Scholarships for Students with

Disabilities Program

and the

Corporate

Tax Credit Scholarship Program

, provide

parents with both public and private

choices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The State Board of

Education Choice Office

exists to provide parents

with information regarding

all of their education

options, public and private.

The Choice Office provides

information regarding

scholarship programs,

home schooling, non-public

education, charter schools,

magnet programs and controlled open enrollment.

The Choice Office staff is committed to ensuring that

parents understand their rights, options and

responsibilities in choosing an educational setting for

their child.

I

am pleased the U.S. Supreme

Court today . . . upheld the

constitutionality of the Cleveland

school choice program. Most

importantly, this is a victory for the

children who were trapped in some

of the worst schools in the country,

and for the frustrated parents who

had no real options. The Court’s

ruling affirms the constitutionality

of programs that allow parents a

real choice, including the option of

receiving an education at a religious

school. The Bush/Brogan A+ Plan

offers real choices to parents and

students, and I continue to be

confident that Florida’s program is

constitutional.

Governor Jeb Bush

 

We are excited that the Court has said that

vouchers are legal, but we know that we

have a long

fight ahead. The forces

arrayed against school choice don’t

want

low-income Black families to have any

options. This struggle is not about

vouchers—it’s about empowering low-

income parents by

giving them choice.

We’re for it, and they’re against it.

 

Lawrence C. Patrick III, President & CEO

Black Alliance for

 

Educational

Options

Parents deserve to be aware of all of the options for

their child’s education. Each child is an individual,

with a unique learning style. Florida’s school choice

programs place the decision regarding a child’s

education back in the hands of the parent.

 

 

Florida actively strives to ensure that no child is left

behind. The recent Supreme Court ruling validates

Florida’s vision of quality choices in education for

every child in Florida.

 

---

Dr. Brenda Parks

deals not only with calls from

schools participating in the Opportunity and McKay

Scholarship Programs, but also with callers

interested in information regarding traditional non-

public schools. This information includes directories,

statute citations and interpretations relevant to home

schools and private schools, contact information for

the private school professional associations and

accrediting agencies

.

This information, as well as

the list of private schools that are participating in the

scholarship programs, is now available to the on the

Choice Office website at

www.floridaschoolchoice.org. The complete Florida

Nonpublic Schools Report for the 2001-02 is also

available online.

Dr. Rufus Ellis, Karen Bennett, Lynn

Turner, Karen Hines-Henry,

and

Melvin

Jones

have worked diligently to

complete the final copy of the

Public

Charter Schools Federal Grant

Application

in response to the U.S.

Department of Education call for

proposals. If funded, this grant will allow

charter schools to continue to offer

innovative learning methods to Florida’s

students, further enhancing Florida’s

commitment to public education. The

Department of Education received

23.3

million dollars

through the 2001 federal

competition for this grant.

 

  

Dr. Rufus Ellis and Lynn Turner,

Michael

Davis

and Betty Coxe attended the

National Charter School Conference

on

June 19-22, 2002, in Milwaukee,

Wisconsin. The conference focused on

what has been learned about charter

schools over the last decade, reflecting

on the many successes that charter

schools have enjoyed. The conference

included workshops and panels on

various federal initiatives, including the

No Child Left Behind Act. Florida is

among the states with the highest

numbers of charter schools operators,

organizers and providers at the

conference.

During the 2001-02 school year, twelve percent of

Florida's elementary and secondary students, a total

of 354,541 students, were enrolled in one of

Florida’s 1,906 private schools.

 

Ruben Vazquez

undertook the task of surveying

districts, in order to obtain Charter School

Projected/Actual Enrollments. This survey provides

the Department with an accurate student count for

the purpose of releasing Capital Outlay funds to

districts for the 2002-2003 school year. To complete

the process for releasing capital outlay funds,

districts must be surveyed, the data must be entered

and verified. The data must then be analyzed and

disseminated as requested. This data will be

ultimately be used for the release of Capital Outlay

Funds during July and August.

 

 

Dr. Ellis also offered this expertise to the

conference by facilitating the Florida

meeting, which included an update of

issues and trends relating to Florida’s

charter school initiative.

 

Since the recent release of the 2001-2002 school

grades,

Ed Bennett

has been offering technical

assistance to Palm Beach, Dade and Orange

Counties regarding the implementation of the

Opportunity Scholarship Program. He is also taking

the lead on refining the Opportunity Schools

website, setting priorities and identifying new

components.

 

The Charter Team has also routed pre-

approval packets for the

Second Year

Continuation Grant

, as well as the

Dissemination Grant

. Once the grants

have been pre-approved, applications will

be mailed to the appropriate charter

schools and school districts. A grant

writing workshop will soon be hosted by

the Department of Education for the

applicants eligible to apply for the

Dissemination Grant.

 

Mary Lou Carothers

assisted a homeschooling

student who was being denied acceptance into the

United States Navy. After speaking to the Navy

education specialist, and discussing the many ways

that a student may be home educated in Florida, the

student was admitted to the Navy, using criteria for

home education students.

  

 

  

 

  

 

Kendra Lee

creates the publications for the Choice

Office, including the Choice News. This week she

attended the Agency Fair, as part of the Governor

and Cabinet’s “Capitol For A Day” in Miami.

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

 

Florida Charter School Accountability

Center Workshop in Panama City on

June 28, 2002

.

Statewide Charter School Conference

Steering Committee Meeting in

Tampa on

July 9, 2002

.

Miami-Dade Charter School Public

Information Meeting on

July 11, 2002

.

Charter Schools Statewide

Conference in Orlando on

October

29-31, 2002

.