TALLAHASSEE, FL – Jeb Bush, Florida’s 43rd Governor and Chairman of the Foundation for Florida’s Future, issued the following statement in response to the lawsuit filed this week by the Florida Education Association (FEA) challenging the state’s school choice programs:
“This lawsuit is a desperate attempt to undermine the nation’s largest and most successful school choice programs and bar parents from making decisions about where and how their children are educated.
“Florida’s school choice programs are not new or unaccountable. They have been part of our state’s educational landscape for nearly a quarter of a century, providing a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of families who simply want the best learning environment for their children.
“Education is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. The success of our state depends on a diverse educational ecosystem where public, charter and private options exist together to serve all students. Instead of working to improve all schools, the special interests in this case are choosing to spend their time and resources on a Hail Mary attempt to undermine students and families.
“Florida families deserve a diverse system of choice, not for special interest groups to constantly stand in their way of making that choice. Let’s hope the Florida Supreme Court takes this opportunity to overturn Bush v. Holmes once and for all.”
In Bush v. Holmes, the Florida Supreme Court held in 2006 that the state’s newly enacted voucher program violated the uniformity clause of the state constitution. The ruling set the stage for Florida to instead enact a tax credit scholarship program to provide school choice options for children.
