The Florida Republican Legislature has brazenly begun to pass laws that violate precedent of the Florida Supreme Court. The majority of the Florida Supreme Court in 2006 found that Florida’s school voucher program violated the state constitution’s requirement of a uniform, high-quality public education system open to all children.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/03/florida-supreme-court-desantis-republicans-precedent.html
Two organizations are permitted to administer the voucher programs in Florida: Step Up for Students and AAA Scholarship Foundation. The Orlando Sentinel reported that last year, 156 private Christian schools with anti-gay views received state money toward the tuition of more than 20,800 students, at a cost of more than $129 million.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/01/30/two-major-banks-pull-support-florida-school-voucher-programs-because-anti-lgbtq-policies/
Schools that accept vouchers also lack proper oversight and accountability. They do not have to employ certified teachers, teach to the state standards, or give their students the assessment tests mandated of public schools. And of the more than 2,100 Florida schools that take vouchers, 70 percent are unaccredited. A long-term investigation by the Orlando Sentinel found that voucher schools have falsified fire-safety and health records, hired staff with criminal convictions, and held classes in potentially dangerous buildings. This bill also does nothing to end discrimination in the state’s voucher programs. Private schools do not abide by federal civil rights laws that apply to public schools. Unlike public schools, private schools accepting vouchers often deny students admission or expel them for a number of reasons. These include religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, academic abilities, disciplinary history, or ability to pay tuition.
https://www.au.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/Fla%20vouchers%203.21.pdf
The voucher program for private, online and home-schooling has no accountability. How do taxpayers know that public funds are not used to bolster religious and even wacko conspiracy theories taught in some private schools? There is no state curriculum oversight — or even requirements for certified teachers.
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/opinion/2021/02/21/dont-fooled-florida-school-voucher-bill-has-dark-side-opinion/6790458002/
Miami Herald reporter Kathleen McGrory broke the story two days ago that the CEO of Step Up for Students (SUFS), the administrative agent for Florida’s voucher program appears in a YouTube video in which he brags about the manner in which SUFS goes about its business. Doug Tuthill told a Cal-Berkley audience in 2011 that “one of the primary reasons we’ve been so successful (is) we spend about $1 million every other cycle in local political races, which in Florida is a lot of money. In House races and Senate races, we’re probably the biggest spender in local races.” According to an audit, SUFS took in more than $271 million in “pledges receivable” in 2013. The audit reveals that they may be using money from tax credits or sales tax revenue intended to fund vouchers to engage in political activity.
https://flaglerlive.com/65435/step-up-for-children-tuthill-bs/
