Florida Senate Passes Bill Expanding Tuition Relief

The Florida Senate passed a bill Monday that will significantly increase the state’s income-based and special needs scholarships for nonpublic school students.

As of July 1, students from working- and middle-class families with income up to 375 percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible for scholarships to attend nonpublic schools at the same funding level per-student that public school students receive from the state – approximately $7,500 per student.

The bill, passed by the House last week, is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A coalition of school-choice advocates, including Orthodox Jewish and Catholic groups, lobbied for the bill, and hailed its passage Monday.

“Right now, more than 40% of Jewish day school students attend school with the help of state scholarships,” said Daniel Aqua, Executive Director of Teach Florida, a project of the Orthodox Union. “Thousands more still need help, and with this legislation, the assistance for many is here.”

“Education, chinuch, is the key to our children’s future,” said Rabbi Yisroel Niman, Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Toras Chaim Toras Emes. “The Florida state scholarships help us serve more children from lower-income households while improving the quality of our educational product.”