AFP-FL praises bill to streamline school choice options

Americans for Prosperity-Florida lauded a bill filed by Sen. Manny Diaz that would expand eligibility for school choice programs.

SB 48 would sunset the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program and move the students currently receiving it to the Family Empowerment Scholarship. It would also merge the McKay Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities and the Gardiner Scholarship Program, creating a new program for students with unique abilities called the McKay-Gardiner Scholarship Program.

Diaz, a Hialeah Republican, said the bill would simplify the state’s education choice options to reduce confusion among parents.

Free-market group Americans for Prosperity-Florida, which supports expanding school choice, praised the bill on Thursday, shortly after it was filed.

“This public health crisis has demonstrated our one-size-fits-all system does not meet the education needs of every child. This bill recognizes that we need to rethink education, provide needed flexibility for students and families, and ensure more Florida students can access an education that works for them — no matter where they live or how much money their family makes,” AFP-FL State Director Skylar Zander said.

“We thank Senator Diaz for introducing this bill that takes us closer to giving every Florida student the tools and resources they need to unleash their potential. There is still more work to ensure every student has access to an educational environment that best fits their unique needs and talents. We look forward to educating Floridians about this bill and mobilizing support throughout the state for this bill that puts students rather than bureaucracies first.”

AFP-FL has been at the forefront of advocating for increased educational freedoms. In 2019, the grassroots group ran TV ads featuring key messages from U.S. presidents from different political parties that recognized every child deserves a quality education.