Florida lawmakers seek greater accountability for school voucher money
Tampa Bay Times | Jeffrey S. Solochek | June 10, 2025
Florida lawmakers say the state must do a better job of keeping track of students who accept education vouchers.
Too frequently, they say, thousands of students move among schools to the point that the place that’s actually educating them does not receive the money to do the job.
“Obviously, accountability for scholarships has not gone well,” Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, said Monday.
This spring, the state House and Senate proposed a variety of ideas aimed at improving the situation. One of the primary initiatives senators advanced would create a separate line item in the state budget, so school districts and voucher recipients would know exactly how much money is available and could plan appropriately.
The House balked at the concept, though, arguing education dollars are education dollars regardless of where they’re spent. On Monday, the Senate backed off the nearly $4 billion separated line item during budget negotiations between Hooper, the Senate’s budget chairman, and Rep. Lawrence McClure, his House counterpart.
The two did agree on other approaches, though, including moving to monthly reporting on where the students attend, along with monthly distributions of the voucher money. That review has been done quarterly in the past.
“The monthly report is going to ensure that the money does follow the child,” Hooper said during press availability after a committee meeting. That way, he said, whichever entity is educating the student will get its proper funding.
The sides also anticipated continuing a stabilization fund as a backstop in case projections of the number of voucher students are off.
Among other settled budget items, the Senate agreed with a House request for $6 million more for the Schools of Hope charter school program, Florida Politics reports. It also accepted the House proposal to fully fund a line item supporting high school advanced and technical courses at $596 million, Florida Politics reports.
Negotiators will continue to refine several others items, including a variety of specific project appropriations, as budget conferences continue today. Check out the most recent offer, and stay tuned for more.
