Above the Fray [Wow! Great essay supporting Jeb & vouchers, by George F. Will, in today's NY Post]

NY Post ^ | March 23, 2006 | George F. Will

[summer]

March 23, 2006 -- WHAT Florida's teachers unions consider a menace, and what Florida's Supreme Court considers an affront to the state's Constitution, weighs 105 pounds, smiles shyly, speaks softly and wants to be a nurse.

Octavia Lopez, 17, an 11th-grader at Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School in the heart of this polyglot city, was enabled to come to this school because of the smallest of three school-choice programs enacted under Gov. Jeb Bush.

The Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) currently serves just 733 children statewide, 62 of whom are at this school .... Archbishop Curley, which in 1960 - just its seventh year - became the first Florida secondary school to be racially integrated, has grades nine through 12 and sends more than 98 percent of its graduates to college.

But Florida's Supreme Court ...disrupted the lives of the 733 children..., by declaring, in a 5-2 ruling, that the voucher program is incompatible with the state Constitution. ...

...All of Archbishop Curley's 43 Opportunity Scholarship children who are not graduating in June are going to stay in the school. ...

It is stirring to see the quiet tenacity of persons whose lives are disrupted by other people's political struggles. When Octavia and her mother ... - recently gathered around a table at the school to discuss the end of the Opportunity Scholarship Program, there was no rancor. The children and parents at the table were black. None were Republicans. ... But the people at that table spoke only words of gratitude for the school - its small classes and respectfulness. All displayed the dignified patience that ordinary people often display when they are buffeted by the opaque storms of politics.

[summer]

I didn't even realize 2 of Florida's 7 judges dissented in this matter. Lots of facts here in this editorial -- very eye-opening.

You really can't get a sense of what Will is saying by reading this excerpt, but it's all I could post as an excerpt with the 300 word limit. It's a very interesting editorial, and really tells a lot that I didn't even know about the judges' decision in this matter. It's worth registering at the NY Post to read this editorial, and I never advocate registering anywhere! But, that's how much I liked it.

[summer]

BTW, if you pick up a copy of the NY Post today, this editorial is right in the middle of the newspaper, with a photo of Gov Bush up top, on the right side of the right page.

[summer]

PS If you want to catch up on the latest in FL education reforms, check out this brief summary I wrote this morning on FR:

Score at Half-time on Jeb’s Final Round of Education Reforms:
FL GOP, 10 / FL Dems, 2

[MNJohnnie]

About time Will remember which side he is suppose to be on.

[summer]

FYI.