ERIC Number: EJ759515
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-May-25
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0277-4232
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Court Showdown over Florida Vouchers Nears
Richard, Alan
Education Week, v24 n38 p1, 22-23 May 2005
This article reports on a nationally-watched case by educators and families which is scheduled to be heard by the Florida Supreme Court. The court is to decide whether Opportunity Scholarships, available to students enrolled in Florida's persistently lowest-rated public schools, run afoul of a prohibition on using public money in religious institutions. However, it is not just the 720 students statewide who now opt to use Opportunity Scholarships to attend religious or secular private schools whose plans could be determined by how the court rules. Lawyers on both sides agree that if the court strikes down those vouchers, other state K-12 scholarships now being used by some 25,000 Florida students could be in jeopardy. Along with scrapping the Opportunity Scholarships, a decision against vouchers could lead to the demise of Florida's McKay Scholarships, which provide state-financed tuition aid to about 14,300 special education students. Florida is one of 38 states with so-called "Blaine amendments" or with similar language in their constitutions prohibiting state aid for religious purposes.
Descriptors: State Aid, Scholarships, Educational Vouchers, Educational Finance, Court Litigation, State Church Separation, Theological Education, Economic Impact, Program Termination
Editorial Projects in Education. 6935 Arlington Road Suite 100, Bethesda, MD 20814-5233. Tel: 800-346-1834; Tel: 301-280-3100; e-mail: customercare@epe.org; Web site: http://www.edweek.org/info/about/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Florida
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A