Bold Plan Would Expand Learning Options for Florida Families, Students

Statement from Patricia Levesque, Executive Director of the Foundation for Florida’s Future, on the Senate’s bold proposal to expand learning opportunities for students.

“Florida students are struggling to keep learning during these historically difficult circumstances.

“These extraordinary times call for extraordinary leadership. The Florida Senate is meeting that challenge by enhancing and expanding successful and proven scholarship programs to make them easier for parents and students to use.

“By consolidating programs and reinforcing their fiscal stability, the Senate is ensuring more students will have access to the educational options that have made Florida the nation’s leader in student-centered learning and empowering parents with options.

“Senate President Wilton Simpson, Senator Manny Diaz and many others have truly put students first. We look forward to working with educators and policymakers to continue making Florida the best state in the nation to learn, to work and to live.”

Florida has one of the most robust education choice environments in the nation with 1.7 million PreK-12 students attending a school of their choice.  That’s nearly half of all students in the state.

Senate Bill 48 continues to improve Florida’s educational options by:

• Streamlining the application process for parents by folding the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship and the Hope Scholarship programs into the Florida Empowerment Scholarship program. This consolidation will provide long-term fiscal stability for the programs and simplify the application process for parents and students.

• Increasing the per-student amount for the Florida Empowerment Scholarship.

• Empowering families who are eligible for the programs to apply whether they are currently attending a public or private school or being home-schooled.

• Merging the Gardiner and McKay scholarships for students with special needs, increasing flexibility for families.

• Expanding digital access for learners by including the cost of an Internet provider as an eligible scholarship use.

For more information on Florida’s popular scholarship programs, visit the Foundation for Florida’s Future website.