Alexandria, Va. – June 6 – The National School Boards Association (NSBA) today urged the Florida Supreme Court to rule the state’s flagship voucher program unconstitutional.
On Tuesday the Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments in Holmes v. Bush to determine whether the state’s voucher program violates the constitution, as lower courts previously have concluded. The hearing comes six years after state lawmakers enacted the program.
“Florida’s multiple voucher programs have drained millions of dollars from the state’s public schools, have no credible record of academic success, and are devoid of any meaningful public oversight, which has led to several embarrassing scandals,” said Anne L. Bryant, NSBA executive director.
In addition, Bryant said that Florida’s constitutional language leaves little room for debate, since it prevents state or local revenue to be used directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or any religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution.
Earlier this year, NSBA joined a group of education, religious and parent organizations in filing a policy-oriented friend-of-the-court brief to set the record straight about vouchers’ educational shortcomings.
“The Court’s ruling may well have a profound impact on the school voucher issue beyond Florida,” Bryant said. “For years, Florida has been the preeminent state for school vouchers, with several programs operating statewide.”
The nation’s other publicly funded voucher programs involve fewer students and are largely limited to individual cities, such as Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Washington, D.C.
For additional information on the national implications of this case or an interview with a voucher expert, please contact Linda Embrey at 703-838-6737 or lembrey@nsba.org .
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