Florida-NOW makes writing to our legislators easy at this link. Let me tell you why it's important that you click on the link and write our Florida legislators.
Taxpayer funds should be used to expand choices within each neighborhood school not subsidize the private school tuition of millionaires.
HB 1, the universal vouchers bill, is making its way through the legislative process. It eliminates the income cap on families qualifying for a voucher. Even billionaires will qualify for a voucher (subsidy) if HB-1 passes as proposed.
According to FL DOE School Choice website, 2,311 of 3,097 Florida private schools accept vouchers. Of those 2,311 schools, 1,598 voucher schools are unaccredited! I doubt those unaccredited schools are the ones the millionaires’ children attend. Those 1,598 unaccredited voucher schools are probably the ones whose tuition equals the amount of the voucher. Elite private schools’ tuition is thousands of dollars more than a voucher.
In previous years, 61% of voucher students return to public schools within two years. Was the tuition raised? Were promises not kept?
There is nothing stopping a voucher school from raising tuition. There is no requirement that the voucher funded private school be graded like the district-run and charter schools so parents can easily compare schools.
Public schools serve all students, but Step Up For Students (the funding organization the state pays to distribute the voucher money) continues to distribute voucher funds to private schools who break the federal nondiscrimination laws---even though by Florida statute, voucher funded private schools are required to follow federal nondiscrimination laws.
Please ask your legislators to spend education dollars on increasing choices within each neighborhood school, increasing teacher salaries, increasing mental health counselors, decreasing student to teacher ratio, increasing funds for tutoring, etc. Make every neighborhood school excellent! Vote no on HB-1, the bill that will expand vouchers so millionaires qualify.
Florida NOW makes writing to our Florida legislators easy at this link.
