Florida parents can spend leftover school voucher funds on TVs, kayaks, Disney tickets

[Nevilledog]

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article278868324.html

No paywall
https://archive.ph/1oeiw


As Florida lawmakers expanded eligibility for school vouchers this year, they also gave parents more ways to spend the money.

Theme park passes, 55-inch TVs, and stand-up paddleboards are among the approved items that recipients can buy to use at home. The purchases can be made by parents who home-school their children or send them to private schools, if any voucher money remains after paying tuition and fees.

The items appear in a list of authorized expenses in a 13-page purchasing guide published this summer by Step Up For Students, the scholarship funding organization that manages the bulk of Florida’s vouchers. Many of the items are similar to what was permitted for vouchers to students with disabilities in the past, but now they’re available to anyone who receives an award of about $8,000.

The list quickly raised eyebrows as it circulated.

“If we saw school districts spending money like that, we would be outraged,” said Damaris Allen, executive director of Families for Strong Public Schools, who recently started speaking out publicly on the issue. “We want to be conservative with our tax dollars. We want to be sure it is being used for worthwhile things.”

*snip*

[tanyev]

1. I'm gonna guess plenty of the people doing this are outraged!

when SNAP cards are used to buy soda and chips.

[jimfields33]

3. And crab legs and steak. Don't forget the birthday cake.

Hypocrites!

[elleng]

2. 'The purchases can be made by parents who home-school their children or

send them to private schools, if any voucher money remains after paying tuition and fees.'

[angrychair]

4. Exactly

Who is to say someone "home schooling" their kid and just spend the money on TVs and shit?

[Igel]

6. Link

https://go.stepupforstudents.org/hubfs/GUIDES/FTC%20FES-EO%20Purchasing%20Guide%202023-24.pdf

Pays to read the whole thing, not what the opposition says. There are caveats along the way, limits, and restrictions. (Not as many as I'd like, but overlooking them is hardly a neutral stance. I go to the text of a Biden EO to understand it, or at least a fairly neutral source, to the extent I can find one, not the NY Post to give a clear-eyed neutral view on the text.)

Note that this is not the original legislation, but one group's advised understanding.

[Solly Mack]

5. SMH

[dlk]

7. School vouchers are a scam

The entire idea is to weaken public schools which weakens our democracy.

[LenaBaby61]

8. REALLY THIS 👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻

[leftstreet]

12. +1

[Conjuay]

9. so, DimSanity is okay with people buying Disney Annual Passes with the excess money?

Howze 'bout we take the kids to a drag show with the 'windfall'?

Just askin...

[Initech]

10. I would laugh so damn hard if they spent voucher money on Disney World tickets.

That would totally get under Ron DeShithead’s skin!

[struggle4progress]

11. "Anything's fine, as long as they don't teach their kids about slavery!"