Board members urge oversight of voucher spending, push action on 'Schools of Hope' concerns
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Summary
At the Dec. 16 meeting board members urged state-level reform and local advocacy on the Florida Empowerment Scholarship and Schools of Hope colocation, citing an Auditor General review and pending Senate legislation to separate voucher funds and improve verification.
Several Pinellas County School Board members used the Dec. 16 meeting to press for legislative action and district advocacy on the Florida Empowerment Scholarship (FES) and the Schools of Hope initiative.
Board member Missus Hine recounted attending a Senate PreK–12 appropriations meeting and summarized findings she attributed to the Auditor General’s review: “they cannot account for about $270,000,000 on any given day,” and that the program could not locate roughly 30,000 students it was funding, she said. Hine described Senate Bill 318 as a proposed measure to separate the scholarship funding from the main K–12 funding formula and to require verification of student enrollment before disbursing public dollars.
Hine urged the board and the public to contact legislators and said she supports separating the Empowerment Scholarship funding so it stands on its own for transparency. Board members and the superintendent said the district is coordinating with the Florida School Boards Association, the Greater Florida Consortium and other organizations to advocate on these issues. The district also plans outreach and a written platform through those associations.
No formal board action on state legislation occurred at the meeting, but members said they will continue advocacy through established associations and draft letters as appropriate.