Florida may be on the verge of a major new school choice initiative to put more cash in families’ pockets to make their own decisions about their kids’ education.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that the Sunshine State’s House of Representatives, run by Republicans, has introduced their own version of a recent state Senate bill to create what they’re calling “education savings accounts.”
But you and I know them as school vouchers.
The two legislative chambers’ bills differ in the details and costs, but generally speaking, some of Florida’s existing education programs’ funding would be shifted into a different bucket that would then be distributed to families to spend on private schools or other educational needs.
Florida’s been out in front of the rest of the country on voucher programs for years.
The Tampa Bay Times has more details on the state’s voucher leadership:
Florida has the biggest scholarship and voucher system in the nation. And in the past few years, it has aggressively grown its initiative — even amid heavy criticism that the efforts were hurting the public education system that the Florida Constitution deems a “paramount duty” of the state.
As a result, many eyes across the nation are watching its progress on this latest proposal.
