The main private school voucher program in Florida is about to expand, thanks to a law signed on June 20 by Gov Rick Scott, the Associated Press reports, here via the Pensacola News Journal.
The law will open up the voucher program to middle-income families. Mr Scott approved the bill over protests from parent groups and the state’s teachers union. Most of the protesters believe the law will result in a reduction of quality in the state’s public schools. A barrage of lawsuits is expected to follow.
The current $300-million program, which serves about 60,000 families, most of whom send their children to private religious schools, is limited to low-income families. Under the new law, families who earn more than $60,000 a year could receive partial scholarships, beginning in the 2016-17 school year, when an estimated 68,000 students are expected to be served by the voucher program.
Some tuition-tax credit laws are being used as a way to shift public funds to private schools through scholarship programs, a May 2012 New York Times article noted. Some states have tightened restrictions on these scholarship programs after getting complaints, since tax laws don’t allow “scholarships” to be donated to named students.
Florida put strict controls on the current scholarships, making sure they only go to poor families. Only businesses that pay for vouchers are eligible for the tax credit, a regulation that prevents parents from donating for their own benefit.
