Would an Expansion of Florida Vouchers Stand Up in Court?
There's considerable speculation in Florida about whether new Gov. Rick Scott and state lawmakers will make a push for a major new voucher-type program, dubbed education savings accounts.
But even if the GOP-controlled legislature delivers a bill to Scott and he gives it his blessing, a voucher program might not yet be in the clear.
That's because the Florida Supreme Court in 2006 ruled unconstitutional the Opportunity Scholarship Program, which provided taxpayer funding to familes of students in poorly performing public schools to attend private schools. The court found that the program violated the constitution's provision that the state provide a "uniform" system of public education for schools.
Despite that ruling, Florida continues to offer vouchers to families of students with disabilities, and to low-income families through a corporate tax credit program. But the transition team for Scott, a Republican, recommended last month that all Florida families be given access to "education savings accounts," public money roughly equivalent to each student's per-pupil spending, to use as they see fit—including for a host of private school