School voucher providers are clarifying what parents can purchase

If you’re homeschooling your child in Florida, you could be eligible for a big-screen television, a ping-pong table, or maybe even tickets to Universal Studios on the state’s dime. According to Florida’s largest voucher provider, those are all permissible for a state reimbursement.

Since Florida has become the largest provider of public vouchers for private schooling in the country, lawmakers now expect organizations administering this money on the state’s behalf to clarify what parents can spend it on. 

Adam Emerson, executive director of the state Office of School Choice, gave lawmakers a briefing on implementing HB 1 — the largest expansion of universal school vouchers in the county — during the first school year since its approval this spring. He spoke during a meeting Wednesday of the House Choice and Innovation Subcommittee.

These vouchers are typically worth about $7,700. For students with special needs who are eligible for a “unique abilities scholarship,” that figure can run in excess of $10,000, according to Step Up for Students, the state’s primary “SFO,” or scholarship-funding organization.

Step Up and the state’s other SFO, the AAA Scholarship Foundation, are mandated by HB 1 to collaborate on purchasing guidelines to be approved by the state commissioner of education by Dec. 31, Emerson said.

“That is also something that we are in discussion with the SFOs on a daily basis.  We are providing whatever assistance we can, and I can tell you we will meet that deadline,” Emerson said.

Emerson was joined on a panel testifying about the effort by Step Up and AAA representatives.

Field trips

Susan Valdés of the Tampa area, the committee’s ranking Democrat, questioned the panelists about reports that voucher money has been used by home-schooling parents on things like big-screen televisions, video game consoles, and theme park tickets and how those items are permissible.

Step Up allows parents to spend up to $500 annually for “field trips,” which can include admission to Florida theme parks as well as museums, aquariums, and cultural events, according to a 2023-2024 purchasing guide. For “At Home Classroom Furnishings,” Step Up allows the expensing of televisions up to 55 inches and indoor projectors with an annual cap of $2,000.

John Kirtley, founder and chairman of Step Up, said that in other states their own departments of education determine what is eligible for reimbursement. He gave Iowa as an example of a state with very specific statutes — “on the other end of parental empowerment” from Florida.

“The Legislature had — I believe — communicated to us a desire that parents have more empowerment, more flexibility, to customize their children’s education,” Kirtley said. “Particularly children with unique abilities.”

Kirtley said his organization works closely with the state to develop purchasing guidelines. While Florida law allows for spending on “instructional materials,” it does not specify what those items are.

“The question might be: Why would you ever allow a big-screen TV? Well, because you might have a vision-impaired child who needs that TV to do their lesson plan,” Kirtley said.

Vast expansion

Patricia Froebel, director of operations for AAA, said her organization had never approved items like those for reimbursement.

“We interpret that for educational purposes,” Froebel said. “I don’t see where a large television is considered educational.”

Sadaf Knight, CEO of the Florida Policy Institute, called for more answers on implementing HB 1 in a statement Wednesday.

“How much total funding has been disbursed, and from what sources? Can the data be released on a monthly basis and by district?” Knight said, also requesting information about the family incomes of enrolled students.

The number of vouchers awarded by the state has increased by 51.7% since the passage of HB 1, and more than 2,000 private schools now participate in the program, according to the FPI.

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