Tallahassee FL – Opponents of tuition vouchers in Florida filed suit on Thursday against the state’s corporate tax credit scholarship program, saying it illegally subsidizes religious schools and violates the state’s requirement to guarantee uniform public education for all.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Former Governor Jeb Bush had originally introduced “opportunity scholarships” 15 years ago. After an appeals court ruled in 2006 that the scholarships violated the prohibition of state aid to any church, sect or religious domination, the legislature separately enacted the corporate tax-credit system.
Lawmakers expanded it in the past legislative session.
Bush and Governor Rick Scott and have championed the scholarship program, saying it helps students get into schools that their parents otherwise could not afford.
The lawsuit by the Florida Education Association (FEA), a federation of teacher and education workers’ labor unions, and other critics of the plan was filed in Leon County Circuit Court.
It cites appellate court rulings from 2006 that said the program violated two parts of Florida’s Constitution: the requirement that all students get a uniform education and the section prohibiting tax aid to religious institutions.
“The courts told the legislature and the governor that the voucher program was illegal and provided them with two good reasons why vouchers didn’t pass constitutional muster,” Joanne McCall, vice president of the FEA, told a news conference.
“But political leaders didn’t listen and continue to expand voucher programs, like the tax-credit vouchers, which are being challenged today.”
Critics of voucher systems say they drain funds from U.S. public schools and subsidize overtly religious education. Supporters say they offer families greater choice in schools.
“Once again, the usual Obama team of trial lawyers and unions are playing politics instead of putting Florida children first,” Scott said in a statement.
Scott, a Republican, is campaigning for re-election against former Governor Charlie Crist, who has been endorsed by the FEA.
In a statement, Bush called the suit an attack on parental choice “by an entrenched education establishment more concerned about protecting the status quo” than helping families.
Bush said up to 69,000 needy students can apply for the aid, and Scott said nearly 70 percent of them are black or Hispanic.
Joining the FEA in the lawsuit were the Florida School Boards Association, League of Women Voters, Florida PTA, Association of School Administrators, Florida NAACP and Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Agudath Israel of America who has been for a longtime advocating for the scholarship program expressed its profound disappointment at the decision.
Speaking at a press conference in Tallahassee this morning, Agudath Israel of Florida director Rabbi Moshe Matz said, “a lawsuit, filed just days before the beginning of the school year is nothing more than a shameful attempt to scare parents away from exercising their right to choose the school that best meets their child’s needs.
“We hope the courts will dismiss this ill-advised lawsuit” said executive vice president of Agudath Israel, Rabbi David Zwiebel, Esq., “and affirm the right of parents to choose the learning environment that best suits their child.”
The Separation Clause was only insititued so that a religion wouldn’t persecute others and ‘take over,’ the way the Americans were oppressed by the British. How is Judaism going to oppress others? Are we so big and powerful. So therefore make the burden of tuition costs so great that families cannot afford it. Perhaps American’s leaders become REAL leaders and realize this county has a huge moral problem. There is (at least) a 50% divorce rate. The prison system is cruel bec. it separates families. Kidnapping truthfully. Discuss? [email protected]
Time to change Florida’s Constitution.
Where is New York on this? Our politicians should be passing laws like this to benefit all if us tuition paying constituents.
The courts have been supportive of these types of efforts and will likely rule in the side of school choice.
The greatest government-mandated violation the U.S. Constitution is the public funding of government schools and denying parents the liberty to send their children to the schools of their choice. The courts who rule differently are modeled after the courts of ancient Sodom. Call your Congressman (202-224-3121) to support of the D.C. Civil Right Act for Equal Educational Opportunity.
What a great program! Really! I wish we had that possible in France! It allows competition between schools and thus better education for our kids. Plus, we can choose the school, like Jewish day school, that are generally prohibitive. We pay a portion of real estate taxes to fund schools that we don’t send our kids to; we should get the money back in vouchers!
The point on religion is… pointless, specially for us Jews. To not allow it for muslim schools would make some sense, since they preach (undercover of course) destruction of the US.
Not surprised the lowly teacher unions, May Hashem cut their ideas off, are trying to fight it! They want to keep their gruseome stipends, acquired through bias political means.
“Critics of voucher systems say they drain funds from U.S. public schools and subsidize overtly religious education. Supporters say they offer families greater choice in schools”.
If your schools are so great – the parents will give you their voucher, if your schools are bad – the parents will send their children to a better school!
It’s time to start working on improving the public school education, whatever you learn here in 8th grade – kids in Europe learn in 4-5th grade!
And if the parents want religious education for their kids – so be it!
Bush and Governor Rick Scott and have championed the scholarship program, saying it helps students get into schools that their parents otherwise could not afford. The lawsuit by the Florida Education Association (FEA), a federation of teacher and education workers’ labor unions, and other critics of the plan was filed in Leon County Circuit Court. Thanks