Rebeca Nieves Huffman, President and CEO of Hispanic CREO welcomed the audience with the most remarkable truth to be told; “You are the protectors of each family's hope to send their children to a high quality school."

Representative Marco Rubio, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, presented the issue of creating a competitive workforce in the state by providing parents with the choice to select the best school for their children. “School choice should be a top priority to be an effective and educated industrial country, ” said Rubio.

During one of the general sessions, Reverend Miguel Rivera, President of the National Coalition of Christian Leaders and Latino Clergy (CONLAMIC), reminded audience members that school choice does not violate the separation of church and state clause. "Parents' decisions are theirs to own and the money follows a child not a religion. By violating parents' ability to choose, we are taking away the freedom and liberty guaranteed to us by our founding fathers," said Rivera.

Business, religious and parent leaders discussed action plans to protect the interests of our Hispanic children in Florida. During the closing ceremony, summit participants shared their support for “El Grito del Pueblo”, the national petition that unites the voices of Latino parents who demand more and better educational options for their children.

Phoenix, AZ - Hispanic CREO hosted its annual school choice town hall meeting to inform and educate 350 parents about school choice options available to them, specifically scholarship tax credits for foster, disabled and economically disadvantaged children.

Held at time when a new legislative session is about to convene and all voucher programs are being challenged, the event sought to increase public awareness about school choice programs among the Latino community.

Houston, TX - A coalition of Hispanic parents and faith based leaders brought together by Hispanic CREO represented the voice of 139,803 economically disadvantaged students, most of whom are Hispanic children trapped in one of 890 failing public schools.

A group of daring Latinos voiced their support for school choice programs by testifying in front of Senate Education Committee on Friday, October 13.

Hispanic CREO's coalition is in pursuit of quality improvement within the Texas education system by empowering parents with the fundamental right to send their children to whichever school best benefits their educational needs.

Last year, 75 percent of registered Hispanic voters favored school choice programs in Texas' largest inner city school districts.

During the public hearing, the Texas Chapter of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy & Christian Leaders, (CONLAMIC) unveiled a resolution addressed to Governor Perry and Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst demanding school choice as a solution.

This proposition would aid 1.8 million Hispanic children in their search for access to a high-quality education. CONLAMIC is the largest Latino Christian advocacy organization in the nation, operating throughout 32 states and representing 300 churches and 7,500 pastors in the state of Texas.

Hispanic CREO congratulates Florida's incoming Governor, Charlie Crist. It is the hope of many families in Florida that Governor Crist will follow the legacy of outgoing Governor Jeb Bush in promoting and creating school choice programs that benefit Latino children.

A recent poll shows that Hispanics are more likely to vote for candidates who support school choice programs. New Evidence Shows Bipartisan Support for School Choice in Florida by latino Voters

Denver, CO - The Hispanic CREO has partnered with the Colorado Rapids to improve Latinos' educational outcomes in Denver. The Colorado Rapids and Hispanic CREO hosted a community potluck to educate parents and meet with business leaders to kick-off a scholarship fund for K-12 children in Denver, a portion of which will be awarded to Hispanic CREO members.

Currently, not only do 49 percent of Latinos drop out of high school but 25 percent of students are attending failing public schools. For this reason, Hispanic CREO is running a year-long Univision television campaign to increase public awareness on the educational options available to parents such as public choice, charter and private schools, and virtual education.

The potluck luncheon was held on Sunday, November 12 at the Community Center of Saint Cayetan Church.

Every hour that passes in America, more Hispanics are signing El Grito to guarantee that every parent has the freedom to choose the best school for their children. Please visit www.justicebychoice.org.
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