School Voucher Totals Increasing

Florida is poised during the coming school year to see an increase in students receiving state-backed vouchers that can be used for such things as private-school tuition, after the Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a massive expansion this spring. As of Friday, 240,291 vouchers had been awarded to students across the Florida Tax Credit and Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options voucher programs, compared to 173,416 vouchers awarded through the programs at the same time last year, according to Step Up for Students, a non-profit organization that helps administer voucher programs. For students with special needs, who are served by the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities program, 68,379 vouchers had been provided since the beginning of the year. Through the same period last year, 55,843 vouchers had been awarded. DeSantis in March signed a bill (HB 1) that, in part, eliminated income-eligibility requirements for families seeking vouchers.