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Coalition Wants Florida Legislators to Expand Scholarship Funds for Full-time Private Virtual School Programs

It’s essentially a “Who’s Who” of school choice advocates urging Florida lawmakers to help families use scholarship funds for full-time private virtual school programs.

In recent years, Florida has been a national leader in the school choice movement. With the significant passage of HB 1 in 2023, the state became one of just seven states to offer a universal education savings account (ESA) program.

HB 1 expanded the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) to all K-12 students and provided all Florida families access to a diverse range of educational options, including sectarian and non-sectarian private school tuition, tutoring, home education, postsecondary institutions, and other education services. However, HB 1 did not extend the FES to full-time private online or blended school programs (both religious and nonsectarian).

Virtual schools play a small but important role in the school choice ecosystem in Florida. Some military families find virtual schooling best fits their needs. Some parents enroll their children in virtual schools to save them from bullying. Some parents find that virtual schooling offers their children the flexibility they need to excel in a talent that makes attendance in a brick-and-mortar school challenging. Whatever their reason, thousands of Florida families have decided virtual schooling is the best option for them.
The diverse groups supporting the legislation include: ALEC Action, American Federation for Children, Americans for Prosperity, Associated Industries of Florida, EdChoice, Florida Chamber of Commerce, Foundation for Florida’s Future, Florida Parents for School Options, Heritage Action, James Madison Institute, Liberty Council Action, Teach Florida.
The coalition is looking to ensure the Family Empowerment Scholarship provides Florida’s parents full access to all education options, including full-time private virtual schools, by supporting SB 1462 by Sen. Burgess and HB 871 by Rep. Giallombardo.

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