- The Florida Senate approved a bill adding accountability measures to the state’s $4 billion universal school voucher program.
- Proposed changes include yearly audits, new application windows, and monthly scholarship payments.
- The bill aims to address concerns about overspending and lack of oversight within the program.
- Some opponents fear the changes could limit access to universal school choice.
Tallahassee, January 15, 2026
Florida parents seeking more transparency in the state’s $4 billion universal school voucher system are one step closer to seeing significant changes. The Florida Senate passed “Educational Scholarship Programs” (SB 318) Tuesday, a move that’s sparked debate over whether increased oversight will safeguard the program or ultimately curtail school choice.
The bill, a top priority for its sponsor, Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Crestview, directly responds to recommendations from the Florida Auditor General following a review of the program during the 2024-2025 school year. The audit revealed a “myriad of accountability challenges,” including millions in overspending with no clear path to recovery, insufficient oversight, and delays in scholarship distribution.
“To all of us who believe in parental choice and education, as I do, the auditor general’s report was tough medicine,” Gaetz said. “But… to disregard the auditor general’s findings and warnings and recommendations and just let things roll on as they are, would be legislative malpractice.”
The universal voucher program, established in 2021, hasn’t been without its challenges. Some opponents of the proposed accountability measures argue that current issues are simply growing pains associated with the program’s recent expansion.
An initial concern raised in the House centered on the audit’s recommendation to separate Family Empowerment Scholarship funds from the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP). Concerns arose that such a split could limit the amount of scholarship money available. The FEFP is the state’s primary mechanism for equitable distribution of funds to school districts, relying heavily on student enrollment numbers.
Gaetz expressed confidence that the House would collaborate on a solution, stating he had “faith” they would address the problem. “It’s bad for kids, bad for public schools, bad for private schools, bad for parents,” he added.
More Audits Needed to Account for Missing Funds, Senate Says
Gaetz, a former school superintendent, acknowledged the scholarship program’s underlying system is decades old. He emphasized that increased scrutiny, particularly of the Scholarship Funding Organizations (SFOs) – Step up for Students and AAA – would be crucial in accounting for missing funds, both to families and school districts.
The current “pay and chase” model, which releases hundreds of millions of dollars before the school year begins, would end under the proposed bill. It would also establish yearly audits of the SFOs, requiring them to return funds to the state based on audit findings.
“Fraudsters, unfortunately, have discovered our school choice program, and they scammed millions of dollars by creating fictitious students,” Gaetz said. He estimated that between $1 and $2 million had been diverted to fraudulent accounts, adding, “Not Minnesota, but not a good look.”
If enacted and signed by the governor, the bill would also:
- Establish fall and spring application windows, requiring a single application for all scholarship programs and multiple forms to verify residency and birth certificates.
- Mandate that the Florida Department of Education cross-check scholarship applicants against current district enrollment data to ensure funds follow the student.
- Require the department to assign a unique ID to all scholarship recipients.
- Confirm student eligibility before each payment and shift scholarship installments from quarterly to monthly.
- Reduce the administrative fee paid to SFOs from 3% to 2%.
Senate Democrats acknowledged past concerns, with some saying “I told you so,” but also thanked Gaetz for pursuing the accountability bill. “I’m hoping we can all get behind this, because transparency and accountability is exactly what has been needed in this for quite some time,” said Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami.
Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, reassured Floridians that the bill wouldn’t harm the program. “The purpose of why we’re bringing it forward is to save and preserve the program so that it continues to grow and thrive and live up to its fullest potential,” Burgess said. “I think collectively, we all may have some differences of opinion,” he added. “What we recognize above all of that is that doing nothing is even worse than trying to do something.”
Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, who spearheaded the 2023 bill expanding Family Empowerment Scholarships to all Floridians, conceded the state needed “a little longer runway to make sure that we’re able to cross our T’s and dot all of our I’s to fix the issues that are going to come down the road.”
