Teachers Union Criticizes ‘Equal Opportunity Scholarship’
February 15th, 2019 by Jake Stofan
Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled a plan this morning to clear a backlog of students on a waiting list for the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship.
DeSantis is asking the Legislature to create a new “Equal Opportunity Scholarship” funded by general revenue to cover the scholarship for 14,000 students currently on a waiting list.
DeSantis defended his proposal to send public dollars to private schools, arguing if taxpayers foot the bill, it is public education.
The State’s largest teachers union disagrees.
“It’s a false notion, because we want the same regulations. If they’re going to be public schools let them have the same regulations. Let them test the same. Let them have the same qualified teachers. Let the understand the same budgetary constraints that we have. So that everybody is working from the same starting line. You’re trying to advantage one to disadvantage the other and that’s not fair,” said FEA President Fedrick Ingram.
At $6,500 a student, the total cost for the new scholarship could be as much as $90 to $100 million.
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