Save Our Scholarships
The League of Women Voters (LWV) joined the Florida Education Association (FEA) in suing the State of Florida to declare the Tax Credit Scholarship Program unconstitutional. This will affect families at One School who are benefiting from scholarship programs such as Step Up for Students. You can click on the button below as a small but important step in helping the cause to save our scholarships. Continue reading below for more detailed information on the lawsuit.
The lawsuit argues the tax-credit scholarship program violates two sections of the Florida constitution: Article I, Section 3, which says that "no revenue of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution"; and Article IX, Section 1, which says that "adequate provision shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free public schools that allows students to obtain a high quality education and for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of institutions of higher learning and other public education programs that the needs of the people may require."
However, Scholarships are all funded by private tax-credited corporate contributions. No direct tax dollars are used to fund the scholarship program. Companies receive a 100 percent tax credit (as opposed to a tax deduction) for their contributions to a Scholarship Funding Organization (SFO). The SFO is then required to review applications, award scholarships to eligible students, and issue checks, to be endorsed by the parent, to a state-approved private school of the parent's choosing.
Learn more and watch videos on links below.