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Florida Tax Credit Scholarship

Senate advances voucher expansion bill, goes to House for final vote

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Florida senators, including some reluctant Democrats, voted to expanded two of Florida’s de facto education voucher programs that aid low-income students and those with disabilities. The Tampa Bay Times reports HB 15 passed 27-11 Friday morning, on a vote where four Democrats joined Republicans. The bill returns to the House this afternoon for final approval of the Senate language before it reaches Gov. Rick Scott‘s desk. The bill’s passage represents another victory for House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who made the…

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Heidi Gonzalez: Lawsuit against school choice will hurt children like mine

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Five years ago, my daughter Samantha was struggling in sixth grade and not getting enough help, because her teachers were dealing with too many struggling students at once. It wasn’t long before she began hanging out with the wrong crowd, and acting up in school and at home. I knew I had to make a change. I found out about a scholarship called the Florida tax credit scholarship, which allows low-income parents to send their children to private school. I…

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School choice advocate makes compelling case for Tax Credit Scholarships in Tallahassee speech

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In an impressive display of how to dismantle an opponent’s arguments point by point, school choice advocate John Kirtley this week made a compelling case for Florida’s Tax Credit Scholarship program. His argument: The program fits squarely within the state’s overall approach to education, despite critics’ claims that it violates the Florida Constitution. It is a part of, not a distraction from, public education. In addition to being legal, Kirtley noted, the program is smart for all Floridians, by keeping school districts around the state from having to find enough classrooms overnight to…

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Justice Fred Lewis addresses Catholic high school students

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Kudos to Florida Supreme Court Justice Fred Lewis. As detailed in an article in the Ocala Star-Banner, Lewis took the time to speak to students at Ocala’s Trinity Catholic High School. He did so as part of the court’s Justice Teaching Initiative, which he founded in 2006 to help Florida’s K-12 students understand the state’s laws and justice system. It’s a free program with trained volunteers who are available to lead classes in any school in the state, public or private. As often detailed on FloridaPolitics.com (see my October 2014…

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Pro-school voucher rally expected to draw 10,000 to Tallahassee on Tuesday

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Martin Luther King III, the oldest son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is slated to a march and rally in Tallahassee on Tuesday to support Florida’s Tax Credit Scholarship. Several thousand participants and spectators are expected. LobbyTools posed the event agenda last week. On Friday, Capitol Police director Chris Connell advised state workers via email that “organizers are busing in people from around the state and are planning for approximately 10,000 people to attend the rally.” “This event may significantly…

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