COLUMBIA - A new coalition of business leaders, lawmakers and education activists has formed to try to defeat Gov. Mark Sanford's signature education issue, the Put Parents in Charge Act.

The group, Choose Children First, held its first meeting Friday in Columbia.

Its members include some heavy hitters in South Carolina's business community.

Several GOP lawmakers and party boosters also have broken ranks with fellow Republican Sanford to openly oppose one of the governor's top priorities.

Put Parents in Charge would give parents tax credits to send their children to private schools or other public schools.

"We're going to get the facts out about this bill and what it really does," said Rick Ott, senior executive vice president of M.B. Kahn Construction Co. of Columbia, who spoke at Friday's meeting. "I see this voucher bill as exactly the wrong thing to do to build a qualified work force."

Lee Bussell, chief executive officer of Columbia public relations giant Chernoff Newman, said Choose Children First is an attempt to draw together a number of smaller groups and people already working to fight Put Parents in Charge.

Sanford made a plea for Put Parents in Charge in his State of the State address in January.

Proponents of Put Parents in Charge say it will give parents the opportunity to choose better schools for their children and improve all public schools through competition.

Denver Merrill, spokesman for South Carolinians for Responsible Government, said he was not surprised that a group has formed opposing Put Parents in Charge.

Choose Children First opposes the legislation for several reasons.

Its members say the proposal:

Would slow or stop progress the state has made in public education in the past five to 10 years.

Would benefit primarily wealthier South Carolinians, not middle- and low-income families.

Has no proven track record in other states.

"We have only one mission," Ott said. "That is to get the facts out about this bill."

Choose Children First is formidable for several reasons:

First, it represents a major step by the business community to oppose the Put Parents in Charge education initiative.

Bussell is a past chairman of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce, which has not taken a public position on the bill. The chamber has been active on education issues in the past; it was a major supporter of the Education Accountability Act in the 1990s.

Second, the group represents a bipartisan effort, not just a group of Democrats fighting a partisan battle with a Republican governor.

"Until the state adequately funds the rural school districts, I don't want to support any program that diverts additional monies from public schools," said Rep. Ken Clark, R-Lexington.

Also at Friday's meeting was House Education Committee Chairman Ronnie Townsend, R-Anderson.

In 2004, Townsend made clear his lack of enthusiasm for Put Parents in Charge.

He said then that he favored making it easier for students to transfer to other public schools in their home districts.

Democrats at Friday's meeting included Sen. Joel Lourie and Rep. Joe Neal, both of Richland County, and Samuel Tenenbaum, retired steel executive and husband of state Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum.

Although Democrats almost universally oppose the plan, a growing number of Republican lawmakers also say they oppose it.

A pair of GOP House members this week asked that their names be removed from the legislation as sponsors.

Reps. Garry Smith of Simpsonville and Gene Pinson of Greenwood say too many questions are unanswered about the bill.

Top Republican House leaders also have not embraced the bill.

Speaker David Wilkins of Greenville and Ways and Means Chairman Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, have not committed to voting for it.