JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida lawmakers are taking steps to fix some of the issues in school funding.
A recent state audit revealed hundreds of millions of dollars meant for students have not always been going where they should. However, a new bill hopes to help fix that by tightening rules on Florida’s school voucher system.
Senator Don Gaetz (R-Crestview) filed Senate Bill 318, or Educational Scholarship Programs, which would bring some changes to education choice and school funding statutes “to increase transparency and improve efficiency for schools and families.”
The move comes after the state admitted it is struggling to track students and education funds.
According to state records:
- An audit of the 2024–2025 school year uncovered serious gaps in accountability
- The state couldn’t locate 30,000 students—taxpayers are paying for them, but their whereabouts are unknown.
- More than $270 million in education funds is in limbo on any given day
- Last year, $100 million that should have gone to public schools was mistakenly paid to scholarship accounts.
And with school choice programs growing fast, that’s creating big challenges for public schools.
According to state records, nearly 20% of Florida’s school-age children are now educated in private schools or home-schooling arrangements—paid for with public dollars.
That’s a sharp increase in just a few years, and it’s putting pressure on local districts.
For local districts like Duval County Public Schools, that uncertainty can affect staffing, class sizes, and resources. Fewer students in public schools often means less funding, while fixed costs like transportation and facilities remain — this includes staffing challenges, budget shortfalls, and larger class sizes.
That’s why lawmakers say they’re working on solutions, including the new bill to improve tracking and transparency.
Here’s what the new bill, Senate Bill 318, would do:
- Separate voucher funding from public school budgets
- Move scholarship payments from quarterly to monthly
- Require stricter eligibility checks and better tracking when students move between programs
- Increase oversight and audits to prevent fraud and misallocation
That bill will be up for debate when the legislative session kicks off Jan. 13.