Florida senators on Thursday passed legislation that would allow more students to use taxpayer-funded scholarships to pay for private-school tuition, a major step toward expanding school choice in the state.
Voting 23-17 along party lines, the Senate signed off on a wide-ranging education proposal that would also restructure a controversial teacher-bonus program, tweak other voucher-type scholarship programs and make it cheaper for teachers to get certified by the state.
The Senate measure would create a new voucher-type program, dubbed the “Family Empowerment Scholarship” program, which could provide vouchers to pay for up to 18,000 students to attend private schools.
Democrats have vigorously opposed the new program, branding it a “continual nail in the coffin of our public education system,” while Republicans praised the proposal as a “bold” push to help the individual needs of students.
“When we talk about our public education, we need to be talking about the individual student and not the collective,” said Sen. Manny Diaz, the sponsor of the bill (SB 7070). “If one student — one individual student — is not receiving the education that they need to be a productive citizen and uphold the republic, we have not done our jobs.”
Passage of the legislation fulfills portions of the education agenda of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is pushing to expand taxpayer-funded school-choice programs.
“For me, if the taxpayer is paying for the education, it’s public education,” DeSantis said when he announced his education proposal earlier this year.
Mirroring DeSantis’ wishes, the Senate plan would add a fifth voucher-type program to other programs already operating in the state.
Late last week, the number of students who would be eligible to receive the new scholarship grew when a key Senate panel increased the income eligibility to include middle-class families of four that earn a little over $77,000 a year.
Priority will still be given to low-income families, as the Senate originally intended, according to Diaz. The eligibility change is an effort to move closer to a similar House proposal, as lawmakers seek to finalize their work before the legislative session concludes on May 3.
“It’s a little bit of a compromise,” Diaz told the News Service of Florida. “It’s semantics and details on where you land the plane, but it’s on the comfort level of leaders in both chambers.”
The House and Senate plans would make the new program available to families whose incomes are up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level during the 2019-2020 school year — a calculation that equates to $77,250 for a family of four.
Under the House plan, which is ready for a floor vote, the threshold would gradually increase, with a family of four making $96,572 eligible for the vouchers in the 2022-2023 school year.
During Thursday’s Senate debate on the measure, Democrats raised concerns that using taxpayer money to fund the new scholarship program would take money away from the state’s public education system.
“This Florida Family Empowerment Scholarship is expected to drain $126 million from our public education,” said Sen. Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale.
Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Fort Lauderdale, said he believed courts will find the program is unconstitutional because state funds will be used to pay for private schools, which often include religious schools. The state Supreme Court in 2006 struck down a voucher program backed by former Gov. Jeb Bush. But the court now has a more conservative majority of justices, and Diaz has said he is not concerned about potential legal challenges.
The measure also makes changes to the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, the state’s largest voucher-type program. The Senate plan would allow students to use up to $750 of their scholarship money for transportation costs within the district. Currently, students can use funds from the scholarship to pay for out-of-district transportation costs.
Under the current program, companies can receive tax credits for contributing money to non-profit organizations that, in turn, fund the scholarships.
Step Up for Students, one of the non-profit organizations that helps the state administer the voucher-type scholarships, collects roughly $9 million a year in that role, according to federal tax records.
The organization also reported last year that it played a “prominent role” in swaying state lawmakers to create two new scholarship programs, including the Hope Scholarship, which helps bullied students attend private school.
The Hope Scholarship was created in 2018 at the behest of then-House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who now serves as the state’s education commissioner. A year later, there are only 68 students registered in the program, according to figures provided by the Florida Department of Education.
Step Up For Students is currently the only non-profit organization that has handed out the Hope Scholarships to bullied students.
Florida Education Association President Fedrick Ingram blasted the sweeping education plan, saying the new scholarship program “will divert hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars from our neighborhood public schools.”
“It’s clear that this expansion of vouchers is not about what it is best for students, but what is best for private schools and for scholarship funding organizations,” Ingram said in a press release.
Aside from an expansion of voucher programs, the Senate bill also includes provisions dealing with teachers.
The proposal would make it cheaper for prospective teachers to retake a certification exam and would restructure the controversial “Best and Brightest” teacher-bonus program.
The plan would create a new one-time recruitment bonus for teachers and principals in an effort to attract better candidates. The legislation also creates a retention bonus for teachers who have demonstrated academic improvement in their classrooms, and eliminates the current requirements for top ACT or SAT scores.
But Sen. Victor Torres, an Orlando Democrat, said he is concerned that, unlike salary increases, teacher bonuses do not have an impact on educators’ pension plans.
“When you retire, you retire on a system based on how much you earned,” he said. “The bottom line is, what do you take home when you dedicated yourself 25 years or 30 years to get that pension to live your golden years on?”
–Ana Ceballos, News Service of Florida
Stretchem says
Yes, the Democrats have been attempting to “Brand” the private school scholarship programs since 2001. They continue to fail miserably at this branding since, to date, they have failed to present a valid and permeable opposing argument. Year after year the private schools have shown that they can, at least, perform as well as the public schools, and oftentimes far better. So year after year the scholarship programs get bigger and better.
Competition brings out the best in everyone. The scholarship programs represent around 2% of the overall educational budget in the state. So figure out a way to compete with the private schools that oftentimes work with a per-student budget far lower than a public school student. Until then, the scholarship programs will grow, and rightfully so.
A parent has a constitutional right to a quality education for their child, public or private should not matter.
judty06712 says
Since Mann Diaz thinks public school teachers are not giving a student an education, maybe he might think about how many students a teacher has and all the occupying problems with the students in public schools. I know private schools that have only 10 students in their classes. I’m sure public school teachers would love having only ten students in their classes.
As far as religious schools, the family and the church should pay for the students. Unless the religious schools accepts all students that apply with all the problems associated with the student and not require them to take religious classes, then public funds should not be used.
gmath55 says
@ judty06712 – When I went to the Catholic school my parents did pay for it and still paid school taxes! What do you think of that?
Stanley P Gruchawka says
Bravo! It is about time families are offered an alternative to public indoctrination of their children.
right says
Stanley P Gruchawka yeah private indoctrination is so much more effective.
Sherry says
I have never had children but am fine with paying taxes for “PUBLIC SCHOOLS”, because a good education is the foundation to a highly evolved social structure.
HOWEVER, I highly object to my hard earned tax dollars being spent on “ANY” non-public/for profit school that often is NOT regulated by the government my taxes are being paid into.
What do you think of that?
Stretchem says
For profit private schools are not eligible to receive scholarship families.
Private schools go through quite a rigorous eligibility process, for things such as facility guidelines and safety to academic accreditation to teacher certifications, all the same as public schools.
Scholarship parents go through a thorough income eligibility process to qualify, submitting all documentation of household income. Far more thorough and tightly regulated than even getting a mortgage.
Religious and non religious affiliated schools accept scholarships.
Public schools receive approximately $10,000 per student (excluding facilities costs), while private schools have proven to be at least as effective at educating children for around $6,000 per student.
You should all be familiar with your local Imagine School at Town Center, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and First Baptist Christian Academy. All of whom’s majority of students are recipients of the Florida Corporate Tax Credit Scholarship.
It ain’t going anywhere people. What do you think of that?
Pogo says
@Stretchem
You got some spaining to do…
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/os-schools-without-rules-story-gallery-storygallery.html
Pogo says
@Another Republican (and sarah huckabee sanders clone) who attended – but didn’t finish school – governing public education
“…Stargel was born in Tampa in 1966, and attended Land O’ Lakes High School in Pasco County, graduating in 1984. She later attended Tallahassee Community College in 1991, though she did not graduate, and later worked as a property manager for her family’s rental property. Stargel’s family has a long history of involvement in the state’s politics, with her great-great-great-grandfather, Aaron Jernigan (the namesake for Jernigan, the original name for Orlando), serving in the Florida House of Representatives briefly after statehood; her great-grandfather, James Lane, serving as the Sheriff of Sumter County from 1899 to 1911; and her husband, John K. Stargel, serving in the Florida House of Representatives from the 64th District from 2002 to 2006, and then as a Judge on the 10th Judicial Circuit.[2]…”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelli_Stargel
Kelli Stargel’s Biography
https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/107892/kelli-stargel#.XMS9E6R7lEY
maga? really?
hawkeye says
I dont like spending my hard earned tax dollars on any schools , I dont have kids , and think that people who have kids should be taxed appropriately to pay for their kids to go to school.
Dave says
I will say it again, our public schools are under attack. The funding is under attack. Our students minds are under attack. They will slowly dillute funds and trust from the public school system making people turn to for profit schools.
just the truth says
Don’t you get it? Of course Republican legislators, especially those who own private schools, want to spread the funds around, stealing tax dollars from public schools! Diaz puts the word, Family, in front of a bill and everyone believes he cares. He.Does. Not. Care. About. You! How many of these legislators visited a public school to see the advanced exciting learning taking place? Republican legislators want to arm teachers, for god’s sake! They are afraid to deal with gun control. Their thoughts and prayers are supposed to appease parents of children who have been killed in shootings. As a retired elementary school teacher, who loved my job and loved my students, it is heartbreaking to see what Republican legislators have done to visit cruelty upon public schools. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “The prime aim of education is adjustment to life and society.” Are we to ask children to adjust to guns in public schools where funding has been slashed due to Republican legislators filching money from their schools? Shame on them.
marlee says
I wonder if sponsor, Diaz, knows who wrote (SB 7070).
I called his office to find out what was in another bill he sponsored (Short Term Rental) and his staff didn’t even know he sponsored it or what was in it.
Stretchem says
Y’all aren’t getting it. The tax credit scholarship program represents less than what looks like 2% of the overall $23,000,000,000 Florida DOE budget. You’re giving a new definition to Majoring in the Minors. Getting all riled up thinking that it’s taking money away from public education and all our kids are morons because of it, when in reality the exact opposite is true.
There are nearly 3,000,000 K-12 students in Florida, with around 100,000 on the scholarships in BOTH private and public schools. You have to understand that the scholarships also provide for transportation costs of sending your child to an out-of-district school. So the percentages are VERY tiny.
FlaglerLive likes to use terminology like “Use Public Money to Fund Private School Tuition”. So what?! Show anywhere in the US or state Constitutions where it says that the government must use money to fund ONLY non-private school education. Show it! You can’t, because it doesn’t exist. The government is required to provide a quality, free, taxpayer funded education. That’s it. If quality means a private school education, well, okay then. So given that the public schools get 98% of the kitty, perhaps they need to step up to the plate and provide a BETTER and CHEAPER education than the private schools.
COMPETITION MAKES EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING BETTER. Pepsi/Coke, Walmart/Amazon, Jaguars/Patriots. Whatever.
Look at the statistics… Since the implementation of the School Choice programs in Florida (early 2000’s), educational quality in the state has gone up considerably (yet still in the lower tier nationally).
Final thought…. If the program went away tomorrow, then 100,000 kids have to enter back into the public school system. A system that needs $10,000 per child, as opposed to the $6,000 per child in private schools. That means larger schools and facilities, more teachers (remember your class size amendment?), more administrators, more crossing guards. Where will the other 40% of the funds to do all that come from? YOU! ME! The taxpayer. Thank your lucky stars these School Choice programs exist.
Robert says
ANYTHING to allow students to avoid the radical liberal indoctrination at public schools is a good thing. I never remotely considered sending my children to public schools—NEVER.
just the truth says
Sorry, Stretchem, but, Hogwash!
Sherry says
There is a huge difference between our government that “should be” by the people and for the people, which is controlled by laws born of our constitution, and capitalistic private industry.
Certainly things like Education and Health Care should be governed by principles such as “for the common good” instead of the greed of capitalism..