Could Florida's approach to K-12 be a national model?
In Nevada on Saturday, Ron DeSantis told a crowd that might be the case, as he rolled out a proposal to bring the state's "universal school choice" model to the rest of the country.
"K through 12. We are going to be able to do, I believe, universal school choice nationally. I think we're going to be able to do it. We're working on how," DeSantis said. "At least we'll be able to bring school choice to lower and working class people."
The Governor made the comments at an event hosted by his Never Back Down super PAC at Las Vegas Treasure Island Casino.
2023 saw an expansion of the state's school choice program, with new categories of students eligible to receive a voucher worth $8,000 per student to go to any private school. The cost to the state was estimated at the time to be at least $642 million.
The voucher program had been limited to families making 400% or less than the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), which is about $111,000 a year for a family of four. The state has been able to meet the demand from that group, although there is a waitlist for children with special needs to get funded.
New additions include children currently enrolled in public school whose parents earn more than 400% of the federal poverty level, children currently attending private school whose families make too much for the current scholarship, called the Family Empowerment Scholarship, and even homeschooled students who agree to a certain level of state oversight.
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Anne Geggis contributed reporting
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