School Vouchers Last week, the House Education Committee passed a bill that would drastically expand the current voucher programs. These programs drain millions of dollars from public schools every year. The bill boosts the cap for the Family Empowerment Scholarship from 18,000 students to 28,000 students and would remove a requirement about students enrolling in public schools before becoming eligible for the vouchers. In addition, the bill contains a provision that reduces the required audits of the non-profits that manage all of the voucher funds from annually to once every three years. (Last year's audit found that Step Up For Students failed to properly check applicants’ household-income eligibility for the vouchers.) After an investigation by the Orlando Sentinel found that numerous voucher schools discriminated against children and families, many donor corporations publicly withdrew their support. However, the voucher bill includes no new protections for students attending voucher schools. Tell your elected officials that you expect them to support Florida's students and demand that they add accountability to these voucher schemes and invest in public schools instead of privately owned schools. | |
