School Vouchers

Since a major expansion of the program, Florida's private school voucher system has experienced delays in getting money to families and schools.

Six weeks into the school year, families of special needs students still have not received school vouchers following a major expansion of the program.

Nearly 123,000 new students are in line to receive school vouchers under a major expansion of the programs, while an organization that administers the programs says they will not bring an "exodus" from public schools as critics have predicted.

Sadaf Knight, CEO of the Florida Policy Institute, breaks down how the expansion of school vouchers in Florida is playing out.

The Florida education system has been in the spotlight lately after Gov. Ron DeSantis banned diversity and inclusion programs in public colleges and approved a controversial social studies curriculum.

Voucher awards in Hillsborough County increased from almost 11,000 to nearly 19,000. The uptick mirrors state trends and is concerning some public school officials who believe that state funds should stay within the public school system.

On this week's Florida Roundup, we talk about the latest in education news, the approval of PragerU educational materials in K-12 schools and Florida's recently expanded vouchers program.

They include laws on abortion, affordable housing, the death penalty, immigration and LGBTQ+ issues.

Florida Republican lawmakers voiced confidence in their estimated costs for the state’s newest expansion of school vouchers, but they’re setting aside money just in case those estimates are off.

Critics have raised concerns about the potential for 300,000 students to take advantage of the funding, while the schools they choose have no accountability to provide a quality education.

A conversation with Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, on abortion rights and free speech following her arrest during a protest; A look at legislation that would reshape Florida’s K-12 schools; Lawmakers consider a new approach to address state’s troubled insurance market

Legislators have already passed bills that allow for permitless gun garry, and allowing every student to be eligible for taxpayer-funded school vouchers.