Legislative Branch

Florida Lawmakers Voice⁤ Concerns Over Accountability in School Voucher Program

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida lawmakers expressed frustration Wednesday⁤ over difficulties tracking how state funds are being‌ used​ within the state’s rapidly expanding school voucher program, raising questions ⁣about accountability for scholarship​ funding organizations. The concerns center on challenges in assigning state identification numbers to students new to the public school system who ⁤receive vouchers, and inconsistencies in data tracking between districts.

Florida considerably broadened its voucher program in 2023, making all students eligible for taxpayer-financed vouchers to attend private schools through the⁢ Family Empowerment Scholarships. The program is funded ⁣through both taxpayer dollars​ and the Florida Tax Credit program, which relies on private corporate donations. House Bill 1, signed into ⁢law in 2023, prioritizes the use of tax credit funds before allocated legislative funding.

The issue arose during a recent discussion where⁤ representatives from Scholarship Funding Organizations ⁢(SFOs) detailed their processes for verifying student enrollment. Lawmakers learned that students ⁤who⁣ have never ‍been enrolled in⁣ a public school -‌ and therefore lack a state ID ⁢number – face a complex process to obtain​ one, sometimes requiring a withdrawal request from their‍ zoned district despite never ⁢having ⁣attended.

“There’s‍ no accountability,” Rep. Ashley Gantt, D-Miami, told the ⁤USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida.”Millions of⁤ dollars are being paid to these scholarship organizations, and there is zero accountability when they’re required ⁢to track students the same way ‍public schools are required.”

Rep. Toby Overdorf, R-Palm City, questioned the complexity of the system, asking, ‌”How long⁤ does it take to change a form so the numbers follow the⁤ student and go to each⁢ department?”

SFO representatives stated they crosscheck scholarship files with district enrollment data, ⁣but acknowledged discrepancies exist due to differing systems across districts. Despite these⁢ assurances, lawmakers remained unconvinced that‍ sufficient oversight is in place to ​ensure proper allocation ‍of public⁢ funds.

Florida law mandates that every student receiving public funds have a state-assigned ID number. The concerns highlight a growing debate over ⁤openness and accountability as ⁢the voucher program continues to expand⁢ and utilize‌ increasing amounts of‍ public money.