Since the inception of the Florida scholarship program we have seen an exponential growth in students using the program. However, nothing has been more consequential for the school choice movement than the 2023 universal school choice law.
The 2023 law expanded the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) and the Florida Taxpayer Scholarship (FTC) to all Florida families regardless of income. The program also opened up the ability for families that educate at home to receive a scholarship towards these ends under the FTC-PEP program.
Many critics of the program say that the “wealthy” are receiving the benefit of this program, and that is simply a gross characterization. First, the 2023 law still kept in place income as the determining factor in deciding priority of applications. Meaning if a family makes below 185% of the federal poverty level, priority for scholarships are given to them first. For a family of 4, 185% of the federal poverty level is $59,477.50. The law also added a second tier of families over 185% but below 400% of the federal poverty level before the rest of the scholarships can be given out to “wealthy” families.
Another criticism the program receives is that only private schools are receiving a benefit from this expanded program. While currently most of the new scholarship students due attend a private school, this is glossing over an important detail about the law. Families that homeschool, educate in a co-op, et cetera, can receive these funds as well. The key is that currently caps are in place for how many PEP families can receive a scholarship. For this current school year only 60,000 home educated students can receive a scholarship. This is less than half of the current amount of home school children in the state. By July of 2027 this cap will be removed, and we suspect the number of home education families taking advantage of this program will increase.
Regardless of the recent change in law in Florida, we are seeing a massive growth in parents seeking alternative education models for their children. We have seen growth in homeschooling, private schools, charter schools, and micro schools nationwide. Parents should have the right and an easier time to seek out the best verison of education for their child.
