Private Voucher Programs Interfere with Public Schools

>> SO FOR MORE ON THE OUTLOOK FOR THE 2026 27 ACADEMIC YEAR. I'M JOINED BY ANDREW SPAR. PRESIDENT OF THE FLORIDA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION TO THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME TODAY. >> ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. >> SO NOW THIS YEAR, THE FLORIDA STATE BUDGET REACH NEAR RECORD HIGH PER STUDENT FUNDING AROUND 30 BILLION DOLLARS. BUT THE FDA HAS SAID THAT DOESN'T MATCH WITH THE RISE IN INFLATION. SO HOW FAR OFF IS THE ACTUAL BASE STUDENT ALLOCATION FROM WHERE YOU BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE? >> WELL, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR FUNDING HERE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, IN OUR BASE STUDENT ALLOCATION IN OUR FUNDING PER STUDENT, WE RANK ABOUT 43RD IN THE NATION AT BEST AND WE'RE ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST STATES IN THE NATION AND ARE RAISED THIS YEAR IN FUNDING FOR OUR SCHOOLS WAS LESS THAN 2%. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT INFLATION COSTS ARE CLOSING IN ON AROUND 4% NOW, I BELIEVE CLEARLY OUR DISTRICTS ARE STRUGGLING AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOOK TOO FAR. YOU SEE IT IN DISTRICTS ALL OVER THE STATE. THEY ARE ELIMINATING POSITIONS, ELIMINATING COURSE INCREASING CLASS SIZE ALL IN AN EFFORT TO TRY TO BALANCE THE BUDGET. SO WHAT WE HAVE CALLED ON THE LEGISLATURE FOR FOR SEVERAL YEAR NOW IS TO INCREASE THE PER STUDENT FUNDING BY $1000 PER STUDENT FOR AT LEAST 7 YEARS TO MOVE FLORIDA FROM NEAR THE BOTTOM IN THE NATION TO TOP 10 IN THE NATION. WHY NOT LEAD THE NATION IN AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE OF OUR STATE. WHY NOT LEAD THE NATION IN MAKING SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE GETTING THE EDUCATION THEY DESERVE AND NEED. >> NOW, ONE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT DID RECEIVE ADDITIONAL FUNDING WAS THE SCHOOL VOUCHER PROGRAM. I BELIEVE THEY RECEIVED ABOUT 4.5 BILLION DOLLARS. THESE FUNDS COULD HAVE OTHERWISE BEEN WORKED INTO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. SO WHAT IMPACT IS HAPPENING AS THE SCHOOL VOUCHERS ARE GETTING SOME OF THESE FUNDINGS THAT COULD OTHERWISE GO TO OTHER EDUCATIONAL OUTLETS. >> YEAH, I MEAN, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SCHOOL VOUCHER PROGRAM, IT'S GOING TO CLOSE IN AND NEARLY 5 BILLION DOLLARS BEING DIVERTED AWAY FROM FLORIDA'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO THESE UNACCOUNTABLE VOUCHER PROGRAMS. YOU KNOW, FLORIDA'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS MUST FOLLOW 1408 PAGES OF LAWS. THE VOUCHER PROGRAM, LIKE A DOZEN PAGES LIKE 12, LITERALLY. BUT THEY HAVE TO FOLLOW. AND IT'S MOSTLY JUST MAKING SURE THAT THE PEOPLE THERE HIRING GO THROUGH BACKGROUND CHECKS IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, RIGHTFULLY SO. WE DEMAND THAT TEACHERS MEET A MINIMUM STANDARD THAT THEY MUST BE CERTIFIED. THAT THING MUCH HAVE A DEGREE THAT THEY MUST MEET CERTAIN ACADEMIC STANDARDS IN ORDER TO TEACH IN OUR SCHOOLS WHERE IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS, QUITE HONESTLY, SOME CAN TEACH. THEY'RE NOT EVEN HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE AND BE CALLED A TEACHER. AND NONE OF THAT HAS TO BE COMMUNICATED TO PARENTS. SO FOR US, IT'S ABOUT FAIRNESS. IT'S ABOUT TRANSPARENCY. IT'S ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY WITH WHAT HAPPENS WITH TAXPAYER PAIR DOLLARS. AND I'LL ADD THIS AS WELL ABOUT 15% OF FLORIDA STUDENTS NOW GET A VOUCHER. MOST OF THEM ARE STUDENTS WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS YET. NEARLY 25% OF FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS GOES TO THAT VOUCHER PROGRAM. THE NUMBERS, A MISMATCH. THE VOUCHER PROGRAM IS GETTING MORE PER STUDENT THAN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. >> ONE AS THE DOUBTERS SYSTEM GROWS, IT SEEMS TO BE IMPACTING ENROLLMENT. I KNOW IN LEE COUNTY ALONE, I BELIEVE IT DECLINED BY 2000 STUDENTS THIS UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. IS THIS A TREND THEN YOU SEE CONTINUING AND HOW THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS THEN REACT TO THIS AND HOPE TO GET THEIR ONLY ENROLLMENT NUMBERS UP. >> WELL, LETS LOOK AT THE ENROLLMENT NUMBERS BECAUSE THERE'S A FEW FACTORS COMING INTO PLAY HERE. NUMBER ONE, BIRTHRATES ARE DOWN IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. SO THERE ARE LESS STUDENTS WHO WOULD BE NATURALLY COMING INTO THE EDUCATION SYSTEM. NUMBER TO MORE AND MORE FAMILIES ARE MOVING OUT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA BECAUSE THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO LIVE HERE. THERE WAS JUST A REPORT THAT CAME OUT SAYING THAT FLORIDA IS ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE STATES FOR FAMILIES. IN FACT, MIAMI ACROSS THE COAST IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE CITY TO LIVE IN IN THE NATION RIGHT NOW WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING COSTS. SO WHEN YOU PUT ALL OF THOSE FACTORS TOGETHER AND THEN, YES, ADD IN SOME OF THE SO-CALLED SCHOOL CHOICE OPTIONS WHICH ARE DIVERTING STUDENTS FROM THE SCHOOL'S INTENTIONALLY BY MISLEADING THEM BY PUTTING MONEY OUT THERE TO LURE PEOPLE AWAY FROM THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. YOU SEE OBVIOUSLY AN ENROLLMENT DECLINE, BUT IT'S NOT ALL VOUCHERS. IT'S A COMBINATION OF THINGS. AND WE SHOULD BE HONEST ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING TO EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. >> SO ARE THERE ANY CHANGES FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR? YOU THINK PARENTS SHOULD BE AWARE OF OR OTHER WAYS THEY CAN BE MORE PROACTIVE TO MAYBE ENSURE THAT THEIR PUBLIC SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT HAS A THRIVING SCHOOL YEAR. >> LISTEN, WE ALL AS PARENTS WANT THE BEST FOR OUR KIDS. WE WANT OUR KIDS TO GET THE BEST POSSIBLE EDUCATION. AND FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, THERE NEEDS TO BE TRANSPARENCY. THERE NEEDS TO BE ACCOUNTABILITY AND THERE NEEDS TO BE FAIRNESS ACROSS ALL PLATFORMS IN WHICH EDUCATION IS OFFERED. AND SO WHAT I WANT TO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO CONSIDER IS THERE'S A PRIMARY COMING UP VOTE IN THE PRIMARY. THAT'S WHERE MOST SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS ARE GOING TO BE DECIDED AND VOTE FOR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE GOING TO SUPPORT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE NEED STRONG PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN EVERY COMMUNITY TO ENSURE THAT THAT COMMUNITY IS ABLE TO THRIVE BOTH SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY SPEAKING. AND SO WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE WE ELECT THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE PRIMARY AND THEN AGAIN, IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION. LET'S MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ASKING EVERYONE WHO RUNS FOR OFFICE. ARE THEY GOING TO SUPPORT OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS? ARE THEY GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE GETTING THAT CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIRED EDUCATION THAT THEY DESERVE AND NEED. AND IF SOMEONE IS NOT WILLING TO STEP UP AND STEP OUT AND SPEAK UP ON BEHALF OF OUR STUDENTS AND OUR FAMILIES THAT WE SHOULDN'T BE PUTTING THEM IN OFFICE. >> EMAAR SPARRED, THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SPEAK WITH