Ron DeSantis Signs Massive School Voucher Expansion
by Danielle J. Brown, Florida Phoenix
March 27, 2023
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed an expansive voucher law to provide public money for children to attend parochial, secular and other private schools across the state, despite previous skepticism about letting millionaire and billionaire families participate in Florida’s K-12 school voucher programs.
In the past, voucher, or “scholarship” programs have been used by low-income and middle-income families. But that won’t be the case under the new law that begins July 1, 2023. Soon, the wealthiest of families will be eligible for taxpayer dollars to give their kids a private education, including at elite, pricey private schools.
Just recently, the governor has received several million-dollar contributions from his Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC, as he potentially tees up a presidential run for 2024, according to campaign finance documents.
Meanwhile, questions abound as DeSantis and other officials stood in an auditorium at Christopher Columbus High School, a Catholic private school for boys in Miami. (Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. told the crowd that his son graduated from that private high school.) However, there were several young children in uniforms at the event.
What happens if a child wants to go to a private school but is rejected? What if a private school has a tuition fee that is higher than the value of a voucher provided by the state?