Court Upholds School Voucher Plan

A Florida appellate court in Tallahassee upheld Gov. Jeb Bush’s contentious school voucher plan, saying the program did not violate the state’s Constitution despite sending tax dollars to private schools. The first statewide system allowing students to leave failing public schools and enroll in private institutions served as a model for a national program proposed by Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush, the older brother of the Florida Republican governor. In a unanimous ruling, a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal said Circuit Judge L. Ralph Smith concluded erroneously in March that the voucher system violated a recently enacted state constitutional provision requiring Florida to offer an adequate and free system of education.