S P R E A D I N G T H E N E W S
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 28, 2009
CONTACT:
Jon East, 813-258-2700 x232, 727-420-6993, jeast@stepupforstudents.com
Jillian Metz, 813-258-2700 x231, 727-492-1213, jmetz@stepupforstudents.com
The Florida Senate today (April 28) voted to strengthen an eight-year-old scholarship program for low-income children, sending to the governor a bill with broad bipartisan support in both chambers. The bill, HB 453, diversifies the funding base and streamlines applications for K-12 Tax Credit Scholarships, and it met with strong support across the political spectrum.
The final margins, 26-11 in the Senate and 96-23 last Wednesday in the House, told only part of the political story. Those vote tallies included: more than half the Legislative Black Caucus, 13-12, including Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson; nearly half the Legislative Democratic Caucus, 25-33; and all of the Hispanic Caucus, 13-0. In 2001, the program was created by a Republican majority with the support of only one Democrat.
“It’s so gratifying to see how far we have come politically,” said John Kirtley, chairman and founder of Step Up For Students, the nonprofit scholarship organization that distributes the scholarships. “The more that people know about our program the more they can see that we’re a partner with public schools, that our goal is to help public education fulfill the promise of equal opportunity.”
The program is currently serving 23,400 students in nearly 1,000 different private schools across the state. The students come from families that qualify for the federal free or reduced lunch program, and the average income for a household of four is $25,600. Two-thirds of the students are African-American or Hispanic and three-fifths live in single-parent homes.
In the House, bill sponsor Will Weatherford, R-Tampa, spoke of the sacrifices made by families that choose the scholarship. “This program is recognized nationally as a model for what a corporate tax scholarship program should be,” he said, “And we can’t afford not to support a program such as this. It is allowing students from households that make $25,000 a year, with families that are willing to come up with a thousand dollars extra out of their own pockets, to attend schools that give them opportunities they need to succeed in this world.”
The program is funded through contributions made by corporations that receive a dollar-for-dollar credit against state corporate income taxes for up to 75 percent of their tax liability. HB 453 adds insurance companies to the list, allowing them to take the same credit for insurance premium taxes. The bill leaves the current program cap, $118-million, unchanged. Two other features of the bill are: 1) Families that have been certified for state income-based programs such as food stamps and Temporary
Assistance to Needy Families don’t need to recertify their income; 2) If requested and paid for by scholarship funding organizations, school districts should inform free and reduced lunch recipients of the program’s existence.
STATEMENTS:
Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Tampa, House sponsor: “This program is recognized nationally as a model for what a corporate tax scholarship program should be. We can’t afford not to support a program such as this. It is allowing students from households that make $25,000 a year, with families that are willing to come up with a thousand dollars extra out of their own pockets, to attend schools that give them opportunities they need to succeed in this world.”
Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, from floor debate: “I stand for a fully funded, freely accessible, high quality public education. But in this society in these days of technology and access and educational advancements, we need to give families choice. And young children, whether they’re black or Hispanic or Asian, ought to have access to the same kind of private privileged education that some of our other children have just because of who their parents are. By voting for this legislation, we are not robbing public education of dollars. We are enhancing it. We are supplementing it where necessary.”
Rep. Bill Heller, D-St. Petersburg, from floor debate: “I’d ask you to put a face on this bill. I want to talk to you about a little guy who was in the public schools in the second grade and he was having trouble. And he was losing confidence in himself. He was losing his self-concept and was having great difficulty — coming home at night not feeling good and his mom not feeling good about his particular progress. What this bill does is that it gives the mom and the other members of the family and the children a different kind of a chance. If you’re failing in school, it gives you a chance to maybe find another location and to get started.”
Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate, from floor debate: “ I know I’m going against my party and my region by voting for this, but my eyes are opened by what I have seen firsthand.”
CHAMBER VOTES:
House, Thursday, April 23: 96 Yeas, 23 Nays
Senate, Tuesday, April 28: 26Yeas, 11 Nays
VOTE BREAKDOWNS:
House Democrats: 21-23
Senate Democrats: 4-10
House Black Caucus: 11-8
Senate Black Caucus: 2-4 |
