Leon school board chair, a Republican, invites voucher advocate for ‘healthy dialogue’

Tallahassee Democrat | By Alaijah Brown | January 16, 2025

Laurie Lawson Cox – the lone registered Republican on the School Board – said she figured it was time for the board to talk vouchers.

In one of her first acts as school board chair, Laurie Lawson Cox stirred up a slight controversy earlier this week by inviting a school choice voucher advocate to Monday’s board agenda review meeting to speak about Florida’s growing program.

What resulted was a tense debate on the matter.

“I just find the whole notion that we would be lectured about the virtues of school choice and voucher programs as rather disingenuous,” school board member Darryl Jones said. He referred to the discussion as “offputting.”

In 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis approved an expansion of Family Empowerment Scholarships to all Florida families regardless of income. Funded by taxpayers, the initiative has amassed over $4 billion in payouts. Over 1.4 million students are using a school choice option, according to DeSantis.

Opponents of the voucher expansion have referred to it as an effort to defund and deregulate public schools. Supporters have heralded the movement as an aid for parents who seek to customize their child’s education.

In her defense, Cox – the lone registered Republican on the School Board – said she figured it was time for the board to have dialogue about how to operate in a new era of customized learning. She said she doesn’t regret extending the invitation to education policy expert Bill Mattox.

Cox captured 52.3% of vote in August to defeat Democratic challenger Jeremy Rogers to earn a second term on the panel. Among those endorsing her candidacy was Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Mattox is senior director of the J. Stanley Marshall Center for Education Freedom at The James Madison Institute, a conservative state policy think tank in Tallahassee. He’s also chair of the advisory board for the Village Square, which identifies as a civic organization that seeks to bridge cultural, political, religious, and racial divides, according to its website.

“The intent was not to change anyone’s mind but to hear a different perspective,” Cox told the Tallahassee Democrat following Monday’s meeting. “I wanted him to be able to hear from us and for us to be able to hear that perspective.”

With the growing popularity of school choice vouchers, especially in the state capital, Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna and some board members have lamented the fact that the district has had to respond to a decline in student enrollment while competing with charter and private schools.

Last April, in an effort to address the growing competitive market for students, the district launched a campaign equipped with public research surveys and a new logo all totaling to $100,000.

Bill Mattox is Sr. Director of the J. Stanley Marshall Center for Education Freedom with the James Madison Institute.

For an hour, Mattox argued in favor of the voucher program, assuring the board he came to speak as a “friend, not a foe.”

But the friendly discussion became more tense as Mattox compared school choice vouchers to Sunday schools, citing that parents choose their place of worship based on personal preference, and the principle should be extended to school choice. He advised the board to embrace the changes, rather than resist the competition.

One of the suggestions Mattox presented was to sell individual courses to students on scholarships to draw some money back into the district’s circulation, an option other Florida school districts have chosen.

Hanna said that even though philosophically Mattox wouldn’t sway him on his anti-voucher stance, an a-la-carte course offering is something he would be willing to explore.

“You’re brave to be here,” Hanna told Mattox. The superintendent has been clear that the voucher expansion presents an “unlevel playing field” with private schools being funded with public funds without public accountability.

School board member Rosanne Wood said the dialogue was healthy, but holding the voucher recipients responsible for the education they provide is important.

“We put out millions of dollars and we don’t really know what the education is,” Wood said. “Every school is not for every kid, but I think it’s our responsibility to find different avenues for them to learn.”

Leon County School Board member Darryl Jones attends a board meeting on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.

Other board members said they were genuinely confused by the discussion. “With all due respect, what are you talking about right now,” School board vice chair Marcus Nicolas asked Mattox about the purpose of his discussion. Mattox’s presentation was a late addition to the agenda.

“I’m not entirely certain of why we’re even having this conversation at a public-school board meeting,” Jones added.

In response, Mattox said, “I’m suggesting that the dollars should follow the student. Whether one likes it or not, I think school choice is here to stay especially in Florida.”

Leon County School Board member Laurie Lawson Cox leads a board meeting on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.

Cox has been vocal about her support for DeSantis’ administration and his expansion of school choice. “This is not a Republican or Democrat issue,” Cox said. “There are people across both party lines that are in support of the voucher program.”

Mattox said that in his opinion, it isn’t a red or blue issue either, it is about where a child fits.

“It is both unrealistic and profoundly unfair to expect any public school to be able to be a perfect fit for every single child that might be zoned for that school,” he told the board.