Record number of Florida students cash in on school vouchers; could cost $2.5 billion [View all]
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This fall will mark the first year Florida families don’t have an income requirement to qualify for a school voucher, and many are cashing in.
As of mid July, about 240,000 income-based scholarships have been awarded to students so far for the 2023-2024 school year compared to the approximately 170,000 that were given out last year, according to Step Up for Students, a state-approved scholarship funding organization.
“There’s a lot of excitement out there. We’re still getting a couple thousand applications a day,” said Doug Tuthill, president of the non-profit.
With the state’s median funding at $7,775 per student, this adds up to an increase of about $519 million heading to private schools this year.
Some school districts are losing students and the money that comes with them as a result of the state’s most recent expansion of its voucher programs. More worrisome, however, is what this could mean for the state’s public school system, said Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association.
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