The Florida Supreme Court will not hear a challenge to the state’s corporate tax scholarship program. The move comes after months of pressure on the state’s largest teachers union to drop its lawsuit.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran calls the Florida Education Association “evil” for its lawsuit challenging the tax scholarship system. In refusing to hear the case, the state high court leaves in place a lower court ruling that says the union doesn’t have what’s called standing to challenge the program. Here’s John Kirtley, head of the largest voucher organization in the state, Step Up For Students speaking in November.
“Some people obviously don’t want low income parents to have all options. They want if a child is assigned to a certain school, they want them to go to that school, even if it’s not the right fit for them, and I don’t agree with that," he told reporters following a speech at Florida State University.
“We understand why parents want to send their kids to one of these voucher schools," says Florida Education Association spokesman Mark Pudlow. But the FEA still believes the program is unconstitutional.
"Why do we have two separate programs that go down two separate paths both financed by taxpayers?”
The corporate tax scholarship system gives businesses tax credits in exchange for donations to organizations which give students scholarships to attend private school.
