Gaetz seeks scholarships for low income students

NICEVILLE, FL - Thousands more low income children will be able to attend a school chosen by their parents with corporate scholarships under legislation introduced by State Senator Don Gaetz (R-Niceville).

The bill will significantly expand the Corporate Tax Credit Scholarship Program, also known as Step Up For Students. This program allows Florida corporations to designate a portion of their state taxes to fund scholarships used by economically disadvantaged children to attend either an out of district public school or a private K-12 school throughout the state.

Gaetz, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, has drawn wide support for the proposal.  Fourteen senators, including Democratic Leader-designate Al Lawson as well as leading Republicans, signed as co-sponsors the first day the bill was introduced.   

“This isn’t a Republican or a Democrat bill,” Gaetz explained.  “This is a bipartisan cause to promote better student performance and more educational choices for families.  I’m especially pleased to be joined in this effort by Senator Lawson, a highly respected legislator and a true champion for expanding opportunities for children.”

This year over 20,000 low income children attend some 900 private schools, thanks to the program.  The average household income of participating families is $23,000.  Over 40 percent of the children are African-American and about 30 percent are Hispanic.  Nearly two thirds come from single parent homes.

Under the proposed legislation, scholarship limits will be raised from $3,750 to $4,500 per child. The average tuition at participating schools is $4,600, plus about $200 for other fees. The current $1,000 gap is too much for many families, some of whom have more than one child on the program. 

The bill will also increase the number of students who can participate by allowing corporations state-wide to increase their tax credit contributions from $88 million to $118 million next year and $30 million more each year for the next four years. This year over 10,000 students and $30 million in contributions were turned away because participation was capped in existing law.   

The legislation will save taxpayers money, an advantage in what has become one of the worst budget years in recent history. Even at the higher amount proposed by Gaetz, the tax credit scholarships pay private schools less than two thirds of what it costs to educate the same students in public schools. The savings to taxpayers will be about $2,800 per student. 
Florida TaxWatch and the Collins Center For Public Policy have issued three studies demonstrating the advantages to taxpayers as more low-income students and their families opt for the scholarship program. Ten year savings were estimated at a minimum of $600 million. Another fiscal benefit not calculated is that public schools would otherwise have to build 50,000 additional students stations or about 2,500 more classrooms to accommodate those eligible to attend private schools under scholarships through this bill.

The senator said he was inspired to sponsor the legislation by parents in Northwest Florida who shared personal stories about how much the scholarships have meant in improving their children’s educational performance. One of the participating schools is Niceville’s Rocky Bayou Christian .

The Tax Credit Scholarship Program is also strongly supported by a longtime friend of Gaetz, former Congresswoman Carrie Meek (D-Miami. The Carrie Meek Foundation is one of the three non-profits approved by the state to administer the program.

The legislation requires scholarship students to be assessed for academic performance using either the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) or a comparable examination approved by the state’s education department.
“Parents and the public should be able to compare costs, quality and other measures of performance,” Gaetz noted. “Accountability is at the heart of this legislation.”