TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s Tax Credit Scholarship program, which offers tax credits to businesses providing private school scholarships to low income students, is expected to get a major boost Tuesday. Martin Luther King Jr.'s son is set to lead thousands of program supporters in a rally in Tallahassee.
The Florida Education Association has taken the program to court, challenging whether or not the tax credit scholarships are constitutional. Around 78,000 children around the state are enrolled in the program.
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The Florida Tax Credit Scholarships give low-income families the ability to send their children to private schools and provides tax breaks to the businesses funding the scholarships.
The Rev. R.B. Holmes said the program gives minority youth a chance.
"Your zip code shouldn’t decide what school you go to," Holmes said. "Your commitment to your child ought to decide where you send your kid. All parents want to send their kids to the best schools. Why not poor parents? Why not minority families? They love their children like we love our children."
The rally comes just days after public education advocates flooded the Capitol. The FEA helped organize the event last week. It's also leading the charge against the scholarship program, saying the more than $550 million the state sets aside for tax credits could be helping to improve public schools.