DeSantis signs bill expanding school voucher program

BY ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation to allow all K-12 students in the state to get taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools. The law signed Monday by the Republican governor expands Florida’s voucher system by eliminating the income eligibility limits on the program. Democrats and critics have said the legislation has an unclear price tag, amounts to a subsidy for the wealthy and could harm public schools. The so-called school choice movement first gained traction in the U.S. in the 1990s but has seen a renewed push after coronavirus pandemic school closures and ongoing cultural debates over education around gender and race.