The number of Flagler County students taking public money for private, parochial or homeschool education doubled from last year to this year, from 884 to 1,606, according to the district’s latest calculations, far more than initially estimated. In spring, the district, based on state-provided figures, estimated that 1,236 students would draw on vouchers.
The 1,606 students are draining $14.2 million in public education dollars from the district had they been attending traditional public schools. The state includes that $14.2 million as a line item in Flagler schools’ budget, but only as a passthrough–and an unintended reminder of sums leaving public education.
To be sure, many of those 1,606 students–perhaps still a majority–had already been attending private school and are only now tapping into the public-money subsidy. But that proportion is diminishing as the proportion of students leaving the district for private schooling increases. Superintendent LaShakia Moore in April said the district will lose 400 students to vouchers by next fall.
The doubling continues a rapid expansion of the state voucher program while eroding the school district’s enrollment, which in March stood at 12,447 students in its nine traditional brick and mortar schools. An additional 185 attended iFlagler, the district’s virtual school, and 900 attended Imagine School at Town Center, the privately run, publicly funded charter.
The district ended its 18th straight year between the 12,000 and 13,000 student mark even though the county’s population surged by more than a third in that period. The district is estimating that about 2,000 students are attending non-public schools, likely an undercount.
The state is providing vouchers valued at anywhere from $7,300 to $34,000 a year per student for families to spend on private education. The lower amounts are for general-population students in middle and high school, rising to $8,067 for elementary-age students. The higher amounts, from $10,000 to $34,000, are for special education students such as those with special needs. Oversight is scant. (See the breakdown by grade and diagnosis here.)
In the 2023-24 school year the district calculated that 798 students in Flagler County drew vouchers. The district this week revised the figure to 884 students, according to a document submitted to the School Board, up from 692 in 2022-23 and from 136 in 2020-21. The district’s finance office did not advertise those figures until Colleen Conklin, a school board member whose tenure ended last fall, insisted last summer that the figures be included in all budget documents.
The district as recently as this spring, based on state figures, was calculating that there would be 1,236 students using vouchers. The district revised that to 1,606 in accordance with the state’s so-called “third calculation” of the year, on which next year’s funding is based. The $14.2 million the state spent on vouchers in Flagler County this school year compares with less than $1 million spent on vouchers just four years ago.
Florida calls its voucher system “family empowerment scholarships.” Unlike most scholarships, there are no social, economic or other criteria to qualify for the money, as was the case before 2023: any student is eligible, assuming private schools have enough space. The state–and the district–also call it “choice.” Students are also eligible for vouchers through the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, which are funded through business tax credits, drawing dollars from general state revenue. The figures presented to the Flagler school board include only family empowerment scholarship dollars–not tax credit scholarships.
In the 2023-24 school year, 369,273 students across the state took vouchers, costing taxpayers $3.18 billion. Eligibility restrictions were removed in March 2023. In the current year, the legislature allocated $3.9 billion for the two voucher programs. According to the Florida Policy Institute, a non-partisan non-profit that advocates for equity and sustainability, the ratio of state funding for public education compared to voucher funding was 88 percent to 12 percent in 2021-22. In 2025, it was 77 percent to 23 percent.
Tammy says
As a parent that sends their kid to a private school without the government voucher
I have been doing this for the past seven years for my child
The difference in education is enormous
In the public education system, any child acting up, causing other students problems are ignored
Where in private education that child can easily be removed from the school so the other children can properly finish their education
In the public school system, the teachers are bullied. They are not able to be teachers. Flagler County needs to wake up
I hope it all goes private and the unruly get to go to maybe military school
Dennis C Rathsam says
CAN U BLAME THEM?????
JimboXYZ says
I don’t have a problem with the Voucher system defections. Hear me out on this ? The Flagler County Schools are actually improving grades per the most recent report card for public school systems. What is this telling us ? Are the underachieving students becoming the vouchering defectionss. I get it, a B is still a B ? Or is it really ? The “B’s” that are an 80-85% is not the same as 86-89% “B’s”. The grades are what are most important here, not counting the money for teaching & administrators. Priorities need to always reflect Quality & delivered within budget or affordably. Recently Matanzas High School opened a $ 23 million building ? Well the grades of Matanzas was an A , has been for quite some time, they accomplished that without the $ 23 million building ? How does one explain that fact away ? That’s the metric for anything results vs value. It’s not about inflating to unaffordably unsustainable education. There are a lot of things in life one is going to not be compensated fabulously for. Pride in one’s accomplishments is the reward for doing the best one could under any cicrumstances. More money spent on education is a waste when there are no tangible/real gains from those extra dollars. It’s always been that way, just more expensive to get the same thing anyone was always getting (Bidenomics 101).
Atwp says
Why not give us the number of students by race who are getting the money? I really would like to no how many African American students are getting vouchers for private school if any. I don’t want my tax dollars helping white students and black students are ignored.
Canary says
Being gifted does not qualify a student for a higher scholarship in the state’s programs. They get the same as any other non-disabled student. The higher scholarship amounts are solely for students in the FES-UA program, which serves students with disabilities, as defined by a very specific list in the legislation establishing the scholarship. Autism, Down Syndrome, Anaphylaxis, anything on the NORD list of rare diseases, and a short list of other things qualify. The higher the IEP matrix score, the higher the amount, and the highest amounts are typically only available to kids whole need very hands on medical care. (Yes, I understand that it is confusing because the handbook says that having an IEP is acceptable for documentation of eligibility. However the IEP will only be accepted as documentation IF it contains a diagnosis of an eligible disability. An IEP created for other purposes, such as for a gifted child, would not be accepted.)
As for whether certain races are being ignored by the program, everyone who applies can receive a scholarship. The real divider is financial, since to homeschool requires the ability to have a parent at home, and private school tuition usually costs more than the scholarship amount.
Bo Peep says
Haha how that social engineering I. The classroom working out for you now? CRT, Pride, and WOKE studies enabled the citizen voters to push for this voucher system.
RK says
VOUCHERS ARE COLOR BLIND !
don miller says
the public schools asked for it. they have been telling us what they are going to do. What they do conflicts with the parents expectations for a basic quality education. Public schools teaching to the lowest common denominator has been rejected. Their obsession with lbgtq accommodation runs the majority off who want those resources spent on everyone. The public school system has been pretending only a few objected to their socializing agenda. Now the truth is out when the escape valve opened. Desantis smoked that lie out with the vouchers.
Tony says
If parents want to send their children to a private school, that is their choice. But taxpayers already support education with their taxes. Vouchers should not be given for nonpublic education.
Stacey Smith says
This looks like a solution to me. Maybe Flagler County Schools would resolve their teacher shortage. Class sizes could be smaller, benefitting all students and no need to build more schools. Less students = less need
Looks like balance.
They could even SAVE money by reassigning all those experts from the County Office back into classrooms where they can be more effective. Get rid of all these extra assistant principals, put them into classrooms. Shoot, the money they could save! All those inflated salaries could be cost saving in times of desperation.
Behavior issues? Your angel can’t be a respectful and follow simple social courtesy, come take them home. Parents should be forced to leave work, be bothered and decide to correct Angel’s behavior, or homeschooling them. No loss.
It’s not rocket science, though I would have loved to see Elon go through Flagler Schools and audit them.
Nate brunt says
Atwp
We love how you make this about race that’s the problem with our country
Right there the whoa is me card
Jill says
@ATWP you have addressed the real
conversation we need to be having about vouchers. The number of black and brown students who will be able to take advantage of this system should be published. In fact, all socio-economic data would be very enlightening. Unless these private and religious schools are required to provide transportation as the public schools and Imagine do, how does $8000 really help besides offsetting tuition? As a Flagler teacher, I can assure you that Black and Brown students are not being ignored, but I can agree that MANY students of all races are less likely to have the additional resources to take advantage of vouchers when it comes to transporting their children, uniforms, etc. Without that information being made public, I will continue to suspect that the diversity (choice) in our private schools will be limited to one flavor: vanilla.
All Games says
Aren’t the vouchers also used for home schooled kids? What should really be discussed is how many parents are getting the home school vouchers for $10,000 in October-than reenrolling their kids into public school! Public schools can’t turn them away. It’s a gimmick. Then the teachers spend the next two semesters getting the kids caught up. So…basically…how many kids are taking a 4 month summer break so their parents can collect $10k?!
Pierre should totally bust this game wide open!
Just say'n says
It’s pretty simple and can’t seem to understand the argument about drained resources from public schools.If there is no student to educate in public school how did the school loose money?The left has failed our students and it pretty obvious the public is aware and now that there is an alternative there taking advantage of it.Standards in school have dropped to the point where kids can’t do simple math or speak in coherent sentences without saying “like or whatever “and teachers in some states don’t even need to pass tests they give to students and that seems to be acceptable by some.Your all about to see a huge change in public perception,when private schools start producing better kids then what?Better get some ketchup to go with the hot steamy crow your gona be eating!
Florida Girl says
I know that my youngest granddaughter was bullied so severely at Bunnell Elementary School that we had to pull her out of the public school system. It spilt over from the schoolhouse to the bus stop in the e section where these boys tried to assault my grand sexually. As she was being drug into the woods at the bus stop, her older siblings were fighting the group of kids off of her in the woods, they got away from them and they made it home, somewhat unharmed. My daughter is a single parent and works. She was fifteen minutes from home. Before she got there, the other children’s family chased them to the house where my grands live and were beating on the doors and windows trying to get them to come out of the house, the mom to the other children not only drove them there but was one of the ones beating on the windows at the house threatening my elementary school child. Had my grands older siblings not been at that bus stop to walk her home – who knows what would have happened to her. Nothing was done, from the school or from the school resource officer as far as charges go. They could not enforce the safety plan they themselves put into place for her because there were to many children and not enough professionals to take care of the children enrolled at Bunnell Elementary School. We home schooled her in k-12 online. We are introducing her again this year to the public school system – middle school this time. However, if there is one incident that could affect her safely. We will again apply for a voucher and pull her.
I have five grands in the school system here in Flagler. One of them I spoke on above. I am not happy with the school system we have in place for our children. I find them greatly lacking.
My grands are the fourth generation to come out of Flagler Couty Schools in my family. Buddy Taylor was my principal, and he grew up with my daddy, and both went to Bunnell Elementary-High School. These schools today, are a sad reflection of what our schools once were. But so is society…
You know, my daughter has spoken on pulling them all over the last couple of years. And I really hate that. A child should not have to fight for the right to an education, and they certainly do with the bullying and fighting the racial tensions that are still alive and well in Flagler County – and outright disrespect of teachers and their teaching environment.
I think the question we need to be asking ourselves is – the conversations we need to be having is how do we change this? How do we make this a better tomorrow for our ALL students and future students?
Atwp says
Jill I thank you!
BIG Neighbor says
Lots to consider here as an outsider …racial cards, unschooled gang mentality, parents stupefying anything they can to make political dreams come true….yeah, cut ‘em check. But it doesn’t change the fact public schools still need to be funded in case those unschooled want to return and leave vouchers behind or for socializing among public school activities. Don’t get wrong, vouchers have a purpose. And I agree, conduct in public schools is a Lord of the Flies challenge. This is a moral crisis. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sfekgjfh1Rk&t=691s&pp=ygU_VGhlIHRlcnJpZnlpbmcgdGhlb3J5IG9mIHN0dXBpZGl0eSB5b3Ugd2VyZSBuZXZlciBtZWFudCB0byBoZWFy
Bailey’s Mom says
Not a fan of the Voucher System. Public taxes should only support Public Schools. You want to home school or send your child to a private or religious school then you need to pay for it.
We need to support the Flagler County School System and the Teachers.
Parents need to be help accountable for any child that is a problem in the classroom and not blame the teachers.
We need to Vote Out 75% of our State Legislators and the Governor so we can move forward.