I was in a hotel restaurant recently and asked the waitress if she had children. Yes, she said, she was a divorced mother of three. Then I asked her if she was in control of her children's education. She said she was. "Did you pick the schools they go to?" I asked. "Did you approve the curriculum they're learning?" "Heck, no," she said. "I can't even talk to who's teaching them."

Nearly 250 of Florida Citizens for a Sound Economy’s activists lobbied their state representatives to demand support for H.B. 303 and S.B. 504. This legislation applies to parents of students attending schools at over 120 percent capacity. Parents would be allowed to take part of the tax dollars spent on their child and use it at another public or private school. Activists also urged support for separate legislation to allow a tax credit for businesses that contribute to private scholarships, thereby making school choice available to even more parents.

School Choice Why CSE Cares The Issue:

“Only CSE can fill a room with this many people.” – Florida State Representative Fred Brummer

On the heels of the CSE Day rally supporting choice in education, the Student Opportunity Scholarship (SOS) school voucher program was introduced in the Alabama Senate on Tuesday, April 11, 2000. Senate Bill 549 is sponsored by Sen. Bill Armistead (R-Columbiana) along with Senators George Callahan (R-Mobile) and Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia).

Will school choice raise taxes? No. Studies have found that most private schools cost far less per pupil than public schools. Will school choice mean a return to segregated schools? No. Currently, children attending public schools in their home district often are attending segregated schools. Today's private schools are often less segregated than public schools, especially in the inner cities. Do vouchers help children get a better education?

Real Reform Means School Choice