BE A PART OF SOLVING THE TUITION CRISIS

For decades, asking the state of Florida to fund every student’s education seemed like a pipe dream. We’d ask, plead and argue, but to no avail. Now, in an incredible turn of events, the Florida House is considering the most transformational piece of legislation we will see in our lifetime: K-12 scholarships for all children in our state.

Championing this cause is Speaker of the Florida House Paul Renner, who has made universal school choice a priority by designating the school choice bill as “House Bill 1.” This year, a record 7,200 students in Jewish day schools received state scholarships for a total of $60 million. House Bill 1 would take this even further by granting scholarship access to all K-12 students. This will provide financial relief to countless families who are struggling to afford Jewish day school tuition and go a long way toward resolving what many are calling a tuition crisis.

However, we can’t simply sit back and hope for the best. Just because a bill is designated as high priority does not mean it will pass. As Maury Litwack, managing director of the OU and founder of Teach Coalition once told me, “You don’t get credit for hitting a home run when you start on third base.” I respectfully disagreed with him on this. As a lifelong Mets, Jets, Knicks and Islanders fan, I’ve seen plenty of runners stranded on third base and never score. It would be a shame to make it this far and not see the bill pass. Research shows that school choice has a marked effect on student success. Back in 1999, when the scholarship programs began, Florida’s high school graduation rate was 60%—today it is 87%! Twenty years later, an Urban Institute Study found that private school students with scholarships were 43% more likely to graduate high school and enroll in a four-year college than their peers in public school. School choice is truly a worthwhile investment for our children’s future.

It’s now time to do everything we can to ensure this bill makes it to the finish line, and that every child in our state receives the best educational opportunities we can provide for them. Our families deserve much-needed relief. Let’s reverse the tuition crisis and change history.

What can you do to help?

1. Sign our petition to let our elected officials know we support scholarships for all: visit FundEveryChild. com

2. Educate yourself with these talking points and share them with your state elected officials:

a. School choice does not hurt public school populations. In fact, public school enrollment has increased every year alongside the scholarship programs’ growth, with the exception of during COVID.

b. In addition to receiving money for every student, public schools receive nearly $10 billion in local tax funding. The scholarship program does not affect this funding at all.

c. Rankings: i. Florida is in the top 5 states in the nation for 4th grade reading and math, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a federal program. ii. Florida ranks #3 for K-12 education quality according to Education Week. iii. Florida ranks 16th for College Readiness according to US News & World Report.