School Voucher Program Starts
The nation’s first statewide school voucher program began Monday with 58 youngsters starting classes at four Roman Catholic schools and a private school at taxpayer expense.
Under a law championed by Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, students in Florida’s worst public schools can get vouchers of up to $3,389 a year to pay for a private or parochial school education.
Only children in schools twice deemed failures by the state are eligible. So far, only two schools, both in Pensacola, have gotten two failing grades, based on student test scores. Florida has 2 million public school students.
Lawsuits challenging the program have been filed by the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, teachers unions and others.
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