>>MELANIE LAWSON: WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE. SO THIS WEEK, GOVERNOR DESANTIS SIGNED A
BILL MAKING EVERY STUDENT IN
THE STATE OF FLORIDA ELIGIBLE
FOR VOUCHERS TO ATTEND PRIVATE
SCHOOLS OR TO HOMESCHOOL WITH
TAXPAYER MONEY. CURRENT BUDGET
PROPOSAL SUGGESTS THAT THAT
COULD BE ABOUT $8500 ON
AVERAGE PER STUDENT. NOW, THE
FLORIDA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
DID RELEASE A STATEMENT SAYING
THE BILL WILL DRAIN BILLIONS
OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS AWAY FROM
THE NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC
SCHOOLS THAT NEARLY 90% OF
FLORIDA’S PARENTS TRUST TO
EDUCATE THEIR CHILDREN. THIS
MORNING, ANDREW SPAR,
PRESIDENT OF THAT. JOINS ME
VIA ZOOM. GOOD MORNING. THANKS
FOR JOINING US TODAY.
>> THANK YOU HAVING MELANIE.
>>MELANIE LAWSON: YOU KNOW
YOUR POSITION, VERY CLEAR. YOU
HAVE SAID THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ARE ALREADY UNDERFUNDED AND
UNDERSTAFFED AND THAT THIS
WILL MAKE A BAD SITUATION
WORSE.
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO
FLORIDA RANKS 45TH IN THE
NATION AND FUNDING FOR OUR
PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AND WHEN YOU
LOOK AT THIS THIS IS NOT ABOUT
HELPING STUDENTS WHO COME FROM
POOR FAMILIES GET TO
ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS. THIS IS
ABOUT GIVING WEALTHY
FLORIDIANS MILLIONAIRES AND
BILLIONAIRES, TAXPAYER MONEY
ANY ACCOUNTABILITY WHO ALREADY
SEND THEIR KIDS TO REALLY
PRIVATE SCHOOLS THAT MANY OF
OUR CHILDREN WOULD NOT BE
ALLOWED TO ATTEND. AND SO THIS
IS REALLY GIVEAWAY OF TAXPAYER
DOLLARS WITHOUT ANY
ACCOUNTABILITY AND IT WILL
HARM THE 40 SORRY WILL HARM
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS WHERE 90%
OF CHILDREN ATTACK.
>>MELANIE LAWSON: LET ME ASK
YOU, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW,
DESANTIS SAID THAT THIS LAW
WOULD IMPROVE THE CHANCES OF
ALL CHILDREN IN THE STATE
REGARDLESS OF THEIR
BACKGROUND, BY INCREASING
COMPETITION FOR SCHOOLS TO
PROVIDE THE BEST EDUCATION.
NOW WE’VE HEARD THAT ARGUMENT
EVEN WHEN IT COMES TO
EXPANDING CHARTER SCHOOLS IN
THE STATE OF FLORIDA, THE
GOVERNOR ESSENTIALLY HAS SAID
AND OTHER LAWMAKERS HAVE SAID
THAT A LITTLE COMPETITION
WON’T HURT IN A PUBLIC
SCHOOLS. TRADITIONAL ONES ARE
DOING THEIR JOBS AND PARENTS
WILL MAKE THAT CHOICE.
>> SO LET’S START WITH THE
FACT WE HAVE HAD VOUCHERS AND
CHARTERS IN FLORIDA NOW FOR
OVER 20 YEARS WHEN THEY
STARTED 90% OF KIDS ATTENDED
FLORIDA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS
TODAY, 87% OF FLORIDA’S KIDS
FLORIDA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NOT
CHARTER SCHOOLS, NOT SCHOOLS,
NOT PRIVATE SCHOOL AND NOT
HOME SCHOOL. SO PARENTS ARE
MAKING IT CLEAR THEY WANT
THEIR KIDS AND THEIR
NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
AND WE SHOULD SUPPORT OUR
NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS,
NOT DRAIN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
AWAY FROM WHEN WE’RE 45TH IN
THE NATION IN FUNDING FOR OUR
SCHOOLS. YET ONE OF THE
WEALTHIEST STATES IN THE
NATION. WE KNOW SOMETHING HAS
TO CHANGE WITH HAVE A MASSIVE
TEACHER AND STAFF SHORTAGE IN
OUR SCHOOLS AND THAT IS
IMPACTING THE EDUCATION OF OUR
STUDENTS. WE SEE THESE CULTURE
WARS GOING ON IN OUR SCHOOLS
THAT IS IMPACTING THE
EDUCATION OF OUR STUDENTS. BUT
THE FACT REMAINS PARENTS WANT
STRONG PUBLIC SCHOOLS
REGARDLESS OF POLITICAL PARTY.
THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
THEIR CHILD IS GETTING THE
BEST EDUCATION AND THIS
MISNOMER OF SOME KIND OF
COMPETITION WHERE THERE ARE
OVER 1300 PAGES OF LAWS AROUND
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND
PRACTICALLY NOT AROUND PI
PRIVATE SCHOOLS IS JUST
ASININE.
>>MELANIE LAWSON: MISTER BARR,
LET ME TALKING ABOUT DOLLARS
AND CENTS. EDUCATION LAW
CENTER ESTIMATES THIS LAW WILL
COST FLORIDA TAXPAYERS
4 BILLION DOLLARS COMPARED TO
THE 1.5 BILLION PER YEAR THAT
THE FAMILY EMPOWERMENT
SCHOLARSHIP TAKES FROM THE
STATE FROM TAXPAYERS, WHICH IS
BASICALLY THE EQUIVALENT. WHAT
WE HAVE RIGHT NOW. WHERE IS
THIS MONEY COMING FROM? AN IS
THE SYSTEM DESIGNED TO HANDLE
THAT COST?
>> ALL RIGHT. NOW THE HOUSE
AND THE SENATE ARE ARE LOOKING
AT THEIR BUDGETS. THE SENATE
IS DOING A BETTER JOB
ESTIMATING IN OUR OPINION, THE
COST OF THE VOTERS THAN THE
HOUSE IS RIGHT THE HOUSE’S
BUDGET IS MAKES IT REALLY
UNCLEAR WHERE THIS MONEY IS
GOING TO COME FROM. BUT BOTH
BUDGETS, THEY STILL UNDER ON
WHAT THE POTENTIAL LOSSES TO
PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHICH MEANS
THIS MONEY WILL COME FROM
PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AND THAT MEANS
THAT WE’RE ALMOST 90% OF OUR
KIDS GO. THERE WILL BE LESS
RESOURCES AND LESS MONEY
AVAILABLE TO ADEQUATELY PAYING
STAFF OUR SCHOOLS.
>>MELANIE LAWSON: LET ME QUOTE
SOMEONE. LAURA ZORC THE
DIRECTOR FROM FREEDOM WORKS
AND ADVOCACY GROUP THAT IS IN
SUPPORT OF THE BILL. AND THIS
IS WHAT SHE SAID ABOUT THE
GOVERNOR. WHAT I’M SEEING IS
THAT HE IS VERY PRO PARENT. HE
IS VERY IN TUNE WITH MAKING
SURE THAT OUR KIDS GET WHAT
THEY NEED TO BE EDUCATED. HE
FEELS THE PARENTS DO KNOW
WHAT’S BEST FOR THEIR KIDS
THAT HE’S ALLOWING US TO MAKE
THAT CHOICE. WHAT DO YOU SAY
TO PARENTS WHO SAY THIS IS A
GOOD THING?
>> WELL, LET LET LET’S LET’S
LOOK AT IT FROM THIS WAY. THE
GOVERNOR’S DOING THIS BECAUSE
HE’S RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES AND HE WANTS
TO DO SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN
USE AS HE RUNS FOR PRESIDENT
RATHER THAN HELPING THE PEOPLE
HERE IN FLORIDA. IF THE
GOVERNOR WAS TRULY TRYING TO
HELP PARENTS IN THE STATE OF
FLORIDA, THEN WHY NOT INVEST
IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN A
REAL WAY? WE’VE CALLED ON
LAWMAKERS TO INVEST 2.5
BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR FOR THE
NEXT 7 YEARS. THAT WILL MOVE
FLORIDA FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE
BASEMENT AND FUNDING FOR OUR
SCHOOLS TO THE TOP 10 IN THE
NATION IN FUNDING FOR OUR
SCHOOLS. THAT WILL HELP THE
EDUCATION OF OUR STUDENT. THAT
WILL HELP WITH A 90% OF
PARENTS WHO DECIDED TO ENROLL
THEIR KIDS IN OUR PUBLIC
SCHOOLS AND WAS NOT PLAYING
PARENTS ARE GETTING MORE
CHOICE BECAUSE PRIVATE SCHOOLS
DECIDE WHO THEY’RE GOING TO
TAKE OR NOT. AND PRIVATE
SCHOOLS ARE NOT OBLIGATED TO
TELL PARENTS THE CURRICULUM
FOR THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE
PEOPLE WORKING IN THOSE
SCHOOLS. THAT’S NOT EMPOWERING
PARENTS. THIS. THAT’S
DISEMPOWERING PARENTS. ALL
RIGHT. ANDREW SPAR, PRESIDENT
OF FDA, CERTAINLY GOOD TO TALK
WITH YOU THIS MORNING WILL
IMPACT THIS FURTHER AS THIS
DOES GO INTO EFFECT IN JULY,
ALLOWING FOR PARENTS TO HAVE