Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law on Monday that will expand school-choice vouchers to all students in the state.
Speaking at an Catholic all-boys school in Miami, DeSantis hailed the move as a major and historic victory for school choice. “Today's bill signing cements us in that number one position because we’ll be signing legislation which will represent the largest expansion of education choice not only in the history of this state but in the history of these United States. That is a big deal,” DeSantis said to cheers.
House Bill 1 expands eligibility so that “a parent of a student may request and receive from the state a scholarship…if the student is a resident of this state and is eligible to enroll in kindergarten through grade 12 in a public school in this state.”
The scholarships previously had income caps, but priority will still be given to students who are low-income. Students whose household incomes are less than 185 percent of the federal poverty level, or roughly $51,000 for a family of four, will be taken care of first.
The funds can be used by parents for an array of education-related expenses in addition to tuition.
“If you just look at the private scholarships that students in Florida have been able to utilize and these are mostly low-income families, also middle-income families, we represent one-third of the entire number of scholarship recipients in the entire country,” DeSantis said regarding the success of the old scheme.
Prior to the new law, students with disabilities were similarly prioritized. However, the new legislation will eliminate the waiting list for students with unique abilities to ensure their unique needs are met.
The number of students who will utilize the scholarships is expected to shoot up.
Additionally, several revisions will be made to Florida's Education Code. The bill reduces hurdles to a five-year temporary teacher certificate for anyone with a bachelor's degree and for those with three years of effective or highly effective service. The bill also offers districts flexibility in facility costs for new construction, and offers student transportation flexibility to improve efficiency, while maintaining student safety.
DeSantis explained during the press conference that the move bolsters the state’s strength in education and in particular, educational freedom, citing number one rankings from the Center for Education Reform and the Heritage Foundation.
Critics have argued that this will hurt public schools, but supporters have maintained that greater competition improves the system as a whole. The new scheme is expected to cost around $2.2 billion.
Florida follows several other states who have also expanded school choice. Arkansas governor Sarah Sanders signed a bill into law earlier this month that does just that.
“I am not interested in being a caretaker of the failed status quo. I vowed to be a changemaker for our people,” she tweeted. “Today, I am delivering on that promise, and will sign into law my transformational education plan, unleashing a new era of freedom, opportunity and prosperity for all.”
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