ORLANDO, Fla. — State-funded scholarship programs are changing, but not everyone is in favor of the redesign.
On May 11, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 7045 into law, which includes an extensive expansion of the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program.
This new legislation consolidates various state-funded scholarship programs into one overall program. In other words, all of Florida's education scholarships essentially go toward one money pool.
Critics of the legislation say State Scholarship Funding Organizations, such as Step Up for Students and AAA Scholarship Foundation, will not be able to handle the influx of scholarships.
There are also concerns about unbalanced competition. This bill creates a system in which students with more significant needs will be competing with students who have fewer needs for a limited number of scholarships. These needs are determined by a state-assigned matrix score.
Our guests this week:
- State Rep. Chris Latvala, R-District 67, Clearwater
- Doug Tuthill, president, Step Up for Students
- Camille Gardiner, Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida