Pensacola parents, teachers join rally in Tallahassee to support Tax Credit Scholarship Program and
Updated: Tuesday, January 19 2016, 05:08 PM CST
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WEAR)
Tuesday morning students, parents and teachers from private schools in Pensacola went to Tallahassee for a the “Rally in Tally.” The purpose of it is to save the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program. The program provides about 80,000 low income students in Florida with the funds to be able to attend private school. The Head of School at Jubilee Christian Academy, JaDean Stricker told Channel Three's Ricki Vann their goal is for the Florida Teachers Union to “Drop the Suit” they have against the program. "The concern is that we are taking money from them, but we are not. We are helping kids go to school who may not have the opportunity to go to a private school,” said Stricker. The Florida Education Association told our Capitol News correspondent the state sets aside more than $550 million for tax credits that could be helping to improve public schools. However, Stricker disagrees. She said, "This is not coming from public education funds, this is coming from a separate tax credit scholarship on businesses and it is allowing about 80,000 students in the state of Florida to be afforded private education that they would not be able to get otherwise." Ashley Hartwell has four students enrolled at this school and they are on scholarship. She said, "This school means everything to us. It is where my children have learned who they are and have gotten a quality education. That scholarship helps me to be able to do that." Martin Luther King III, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s son, is the keynote speaker. Stricker said, "This is also a great opportunity for the kids to learn the political process and how it works, but also to stand up for the scholarship."
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