By Lynn Hatter
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-955919.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – A bill to expand the state's corporate tax scholarship program would give those scholarships to most public school students. The idea was first brought up in December by Governor Rick Scott. But as Lynn Hatter reports, there are some exceptions regarding eligibility.
Under the proposal, current public school students would have the choice of staying put, taking a voucher and going to a private school, or rolling that money into a college savings account. The student would have to be entering kindergarten or first grade, or have been in public school the previous year.
However, students who are in Juvenile Justice programs, virtual school, the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind or are already receiving a voucher would be ineligible for more.
The bill may not be that welcome in the legislature. Senate President Mike Haridopolos has said his first priority is finding the money to close the ever-growing budget deficit in education. The Florida Education Association, the teacher's union, says some students would be left behind in ill-equipped public schools. If the bill passes, it would most likely face a constitutional challenge.