The 2006 Florida Legislative Session is the most important law-making session for educational issues since the beginning of Florida’s school choice programs. There are two major areas on which we are focusing our legislative outreach: the joint resolution on scholarships and scholarship accountability legislation.

At the FACE Tallahassee Rally on Feb. 15, Gov. Jeb Bush proposed a joint resolution that would put the issue of state-funded scholarships on the ballot in November. The Supreme Court ruled in January that Opportunity Scholarships are unconstitutional. The ruling signals danger for the McKay and CTC Scholarship Programs, so the Governor’s proposed amendment would protect those programs in case of a future legal challenge. Three-fifths of the legislature must agree for it to be included on the ballot. FACE applauds the Governor for putting school choice back where in belongs – in the hands of parents. To ask your elected official to support the joint resolution, click here.

To help ensure the McKay and CTC Scholarships continue to improve the lives of thousands of Florida children, FACE supports accountability legislation for program participants. We have worked closely with schools and other organizations to develop requirements that help the public measure the value and stability of the programs without being so strict as to prevent good schools from participating. One of the reasons the Supreme Court cited in its opinion on Opportunity Scholarships for not supporting the program was lack of accountability. It is crucial, then, that we put into law the good standards and practices already in place at the vast majority of schools who accept scholarships. To learn more about the current accountability legislation being considered, click here.