The subject of school vouchers is once again up for debate in Tallahassee.
This time a group of lawmakers wants to increase the number of students who get that money.
School vouchers are intended to help students in failing schools buy their way out. Low-income parents can use the money to help pay for better private schools, and now some lawmakers want more parents to get that chance.
Parent Jacqueline Rosier said she's all for expanding the school-voucher program.
"If the state of Florida would like for those children who grow up to be better performing adults and go back into society and be better performing adults in the world of work and so forth, I think it would benefit Florida a whole lot better," she said.
But expanding the program could come at a cost. The vouchers are funded by companies that get tax breaks in return, meaning less tax revenues flowing to the state to help pay for public education.
Critics of the voucher program say that if the public school system is broken, it's because it's not adequately funded. They say the way to fix it isn't by giving more money to private school.s
As a result, the Florida Education Association is pledging to defeat the bill.
FEA vice president Joanne McCall said the state has no business funding both public and private schools.
"When we're talking about a parallel system, I'm not sure that that's in the best interest of Florida public school students because we should be providing a top-notch quality - putting the funding into our public schools to make sure that every student has a high-quality education," McCall said.
Still, a lot of parents complain their children aren't getting that high-quality education right now, and lawmakers could be about to give them the opportunity to make a choice.
Currently about 50,000 students get help from the voucher system. Companies can only donate so much to the program, but if the new legislation passes, that amount would go up, and it more money is donated, more students get vouchers.