In response to a recent Tampa Bay Times report on school vouchers, funded by Floridians’ taxpayer dollars, authorized to be used for unrelated educational expenses such as 55-inch TVs and stand-up paddleboards, Representative Robin Bartleman (D-Weston) issued the following statement.
“While our traditional and charter schools struggle with resources, our ESE parents fight for services and lower-class sizes, our state is experiencing a massive teacher shortage, and our teachers are struggling to live, Floridians’ tax dollars, meant for public education, are being spent on Disney Park passes, big screen televisions, and trampolines.
“As a tax payer, former teacher, and a mother of a teacher who can’t afford housing in South Florida, I am so angry that our warnings fell on deaf ears. A similar situation unfolded in Arizona. Florida House Democrats highlighted the issues, alongside Arizona Legislators who recognized the detrimental impact their voucher bill was having on their education system, during this past Legislative Session. We filed amendments and argued on the House floor to implement safeguards to protect Floridians’ tax dollars and it was ignored. Are these parents required to return the televisions, paddle boards, video games, and other items if they return to a brick and mortar school midyear? This has to be revisited next Legislative Session.
“Expanding school choice should be done responsibly and cautiously; this hurts the whole movement. Floridians’ hard-earned money should not be used for expenses not deemed educationally appropriate and reimbursement should be required if the parents discontinue homeschooling. How many of us can’t afford to take our children to Disney World and are now subsidizing other families’ vacations?”
