The March 13 ruling was seen as a blow to Florida governor John Ellis Bush one week after the massive rally of thousands in Tallahassee against his attacks on affirmative action in the state.

The voucher program sought to undercut public education by cynically posing as a way for children at the poorest schools to gain a better education. At the same time, teachers are fighting low pay and worsening conditions in the Florida public school system.

The "A+ Plan," as the education initiative is called, was a cornerstone of Bush's 1998 campaign for governor. He said the state will appeal the ruling and that plans are in the works to expand the program throughout the state while the case is in the courts. Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush also hailed the voucher program as a prototype that he would like to copy on a national scale. Similar tax-dollars-to-private-school programs in Maine, Vermont, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have been struck down by state and federal courts.

The plan requires all students to take the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test once a year and for schools to be graded from A to F, based on student scores. Students at schools that receive an F two years in a row can use vouchers to attend the educational facility of their choice--whether it be another public school or a private school. Florida's Catholic schools had ready about 800 slots for children with vouchers in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

Teachers' unions, the Parent Teachers Association (PTA), and the NAACP have expressed support for the court's decision. The day after the ruling, hundreds of teachers gathered at the state capitol in Tallahassee to denounce the A+ plan. Teachers and union leaders, as well as some state Democratic Party members, presented a list of demands, including an average pay raise of 10 percent for teachers, boosting the minimum salary to $40,000, and hiring an additional 10,000 teachers over the next four years.

In a March 16 editorial, the Miami Herald urged the state to appeal the decision, and asserted, "Gov. Jeb Bush's A+ Plan is a bold initiative for improving public schools...for empowering parents to have a say in getting the best possible education for their children."

The United Teachers of Dade and the Dade County Council PTA/PTSA have leased 6,000 seats at the Miami Arena for a "Rally for Public Education" on March 31, which is a teacher planning day when students are not required to attend school. Teachers have been told they could receive an early release to attend. The leaflet for the event demands: stop the vouchers, reduce overcrowded classes, improve the facilities, and for professional respect.

On March 28, the Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Roger Cuevas declared that teachers could not leave to attend a "political rally." He told the Miami Herald, "A rally is political in nature. I'm not going to sanction during any work-duty hours a political activity."

Union officials are encouraging teachers to attend by using a half-day of personal time, taking a late lunch, or by asking permission from their principal.  
 
 
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