Florida’s largest teachers union has sued the state's Department of Education, arguing that the disparity between traditional public schools and private schools receiving taxpayer vouchers violates the state constitution.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that the lawsuit brought by the Florida Education Association says nearly $5 billion in taxpayer dollars are being sent to private schools and charter schools, which aren’t held to the same standards or oversight as traditional public schools.
That discrepancy violates the Florida constitution’s requirement for the state to “make adequate provision for a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high-quality system of free public schools,” the lawsuit asserts.
The lawsuit was prompted in part by Florida’s 2023 expansion of voucher programs that made all children eligible for a state-funded scholarship to pay for private school or homeschooling services. The lawsuit argues that as more money gets directed to private schools, public schools have suffered and been “asked to do more with less.”
Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas responded on social media to the lawsuit by defending Florida’s expanded voucher program.
“Every Florida family has access to universal school choice, empowering them to select the learning environment that best fits their child’s individual needs,” Kamoutsas wrote.
As of March, there were an estimated 521,000 students enrolled in private and home school options using voucher funds for the 2025-26 school year, according to data from the state’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research.
According to the lawsuit, about a quarter of the state’s education budget is going to voucher programs, up from 12% in 2021.
