Governor DeSantis Expands Educational Opportunity for 30,000 Students

Jun 25, 2020 by AFP

Grassroots group praises Governor DeSantis for rejecting one-size fits all approach to education

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Americans for Prosperity-Florida (AFP-FL) today commended Governor Ron DeSantis for signing HB 7067, a bill that gives educational freedom to almost 30,000 new students a year through enrollment in Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship Program. This represents a full 400% increase in parents and their children given the right to decide what educational system best fits their individual needs.

AFP-FL State Director Skylar Zander issued the following statement:

“With the stroke of his pen, Governor DeSantis ensured 30,000 students and families can receive an education that is best suited for their needs. Florida continues to lead the nation in transforming our education experience so one’s income or ZIP code does not determine a student’s educational experience. We thank the governor for signing this bill into law and getting us one step closer to empowering every teacher and family to find a learning environment that best fits each child.”

Background:

Expanding educational freedom has been a top priority for the grassroots group. Last year, AFP-FL launched a major education initiative encouraging lawmakers to create Education Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) for every Florida student.

Additionally, when the scholarship program cap is not reached it will increase the income threshold by 25% annually in perpetuity. Broken down this means that eventually this program will reach all income thresholds, helping reach our goal of a truly a universal program.

A statewide survey found that 78 percent of Florida voters agree that every family should be able to decide where to send their children to school. More than half of respondents believe that every student should be eligible to participate in educational opportunity programs. The survey also found that 72 percent support expanding ESAs to allow more students to thrive.

As educational opportunities have been created or expanded over the past few decades, Florida has seen a significant improvement in outcomes. According to the National Assessment for Educational Progress Florida has moved from the middle of the pack to making significant improvements in 4th and 8th grade math, and also showed statistically significant gains in 8th grade reading.

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