Moving quickly, a House panel next week will take up a proposal that could lead to a major expansion of school vouchers in Florida. The House Choice & Innovation Subcommittee is scheduled Jan. 26 to take up the bill (HB 1), which is sponsored by subcommittee Chairwoman Kaylee Tuck, R-Lake Placid. House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, held a news conference Thursday to release the proposal, which would make every student in Florida eligible for vouchers and essentially set up what are known as education savings accounts.
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Choice is about empowering parents and creating competition that raises the level of excellence in all of our schools. #YourKidsYourChoice pic.twitter.com/FlncOEmLNo
— Paul Renner (@Paul_Renner) January 19, 2023
Official release from the @FLGOPMajority:
“The Florida House believes in funding students, not systems.”Thankful for the leadership of @Paul_Renner @GovRonDeSantis and the school choice warriors who have been in this fight for years! pic.twitter.com/WIj4IoLNU4
— John Snyder (@Johnfsnyder) January 19, 2023
Tuck said the proposal would allow parents to create a “customized and tailored education system that fits best for their students.” But the proposal drew criticism from Democrats, with House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, calling it a “continuation of Republican attacks on our public education system that helped create the American Dream by providing education to the poor and rich alike.”
Florida once again in the running as THE #SchoolChoice state! https://t.co/TGggWpSvQN
— Erika Donalds (@ErikaDonalds) January 19, 2023
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The House will hold committee and subcommittee meetings over three days next week as it continues preparing for the annual legislative session, which will start March 7.
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