Politicians, advocates comment on voucher ruling

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Politicians, advocates comment on voucher ruling

The Gainesville Sun, January 5, 2006

Comments by politicians, parents and advocates from both sides of the school voucher issue after the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday declared the state's Opportunity Scholarship Program unconstitutional:

"I thought vouchers did a lot of good for a lot of kids. My son didn't get to learn much in public schools. He wasn't reading until he learned to read in the private school." - Janice Cameron, whose 16-year-old son, Ramon, attended a Roman Catholic school in Pensacola under a voucher for five years until returning to public school this year because of sports.

"Vouchers that force me to fund church-run schools are not the answer to address the real problems facing our public schools." - Susan Watson, parent of two public school students in Pensacola and a plaintiff in the voucher case.

"I still have the tire marks of taking this on as a candidate and then defending the idea that parents that did not have choices in failing schools deserve additional choices including private ones." - Gov. Jeb Bush.

"I'm sure that we will see efforts made to figure out ways around this, whether they're `devious plans' or other kinds of plans." - Ron Meyer, lead attorney for the Florida Education Association and other members of an anti-voucher coalition, referring to Gov. Jeb Bush's comment that he had "devious plans" to get around the state's class-size amendment adopted in 2002.

"What we must do to is to stop hare-brained schemes of funding (private) schools and focus on adequately funding the public schools. That's what our constitution requires of us and our taxpayers expect of us." - State Sen. Rod Smith of Alachua, a Democratic candidate for governor.

"Florida's teachers and children have shown the success of opportunity scholarships and now is not the time to turn back the clock. If elected Florida's next governor, I will ensure that all children in Florida have the educational opportunities to achieve their goals and dreams." - Attorney General Charlie Crist, a Republican candidate for governor.

"The politicians in Tallahassee have done everything they could to avoid tackling the tough job of really improving our public schools, and the Supreme Court of Florida called them on one of their tactics today. Public dollars are for public schools." - U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa, a Democratic candidate for governor.

"Today the judiciary chose to create their own law rather than follow the laws of our state. Five judges overruled the will of Floridians, and have stripped away opportunity from parents wishing to improve the lives of their children. Today's ruling was judicial activism based on ideology and not the law." - Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher, a Republican candidate for governor.

"This is an important victory for public education and church-state separation. Now the state legislature can devote its attention to improving public education rather than subsidizing religious and other private schools." the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of American United for Separation of Church and State.

"Losing his scholarship will be devastating to my grandson. I can't take him out of his school, and I just don't know what I will do. I have no means to keep him in his private school and I can't even imagine sending him to another school." - Ramona Nickson, whose grandson has voucher to attend a Roman Catholic school in Miami.

"We have the worst high school graduation rate, we spend less money per student than almost every other state in the nation and our solution has been to send kids to private schools. It makes no sense." - Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach.

"Today's ruling is disappointing, but we will look at the majority opinion and try to figure out a way to build a roadmap that might meet the constitutional objections of the Supreme Court. Whether that can be done or not, I don't know." - Florida Senate President Tom Lee, R-Brandon.

"Americans want all kids to have access to the strongest public schools possible. Vouchers are an expensive and ineffective distraction from that goal. They deserve to be abandoned, and now in Florida they must be." - Ralph G. Neas, president of People for the American Way.

"We call on Florida to consider revising the relevant section of the state constitution and enable this most worthwhile program to continue to function past this June, thus affording the children who represent Florida's future a decent and high quality education." - Nathan Diament, director of public policy for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations.

"Thanks to the Florida Supreme Court, parents, teachers and children will no longer see tax dollars siphoned away from our public schools to pay for alternative education programs that lack adequate accountability." - Florida House Democratic Leader Chris Smith of Fort Lauderdale.

"Today's ruling reflects a troublesome trend by liberals to protect failing schools to the detriment of those most served by opportunity scholarships: low income and minority students." - Florida House Majority Leader Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando.

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