EDITORIAL: Florida shows what Nevada families could have
Nevada governors have spent decades pledging to improve Nevada’s public schools. Florida shows what effective changes actually look like.
This month, Step Up For Students released a breakdown of where students in Florida attend school. The headline statistic is that more than half of Florida’s 3.5 million students in 2023-24 attended a campus outside their zoned public school. That’s a major change from the traditional model of bureaucratic line-drawers telling students what schools to attend.
Florida has long been a leader in giving parents real options. Its tax credit scholarship program launched in 2001. It’s structured in a similar way to Nevada’s Opportunity Scholarship program, although it’s much larger. In 2019, it passed an education savings account program. In 2023, Florida approved a bill that gave every student access to school choice. “Florida is No. 1 when it comes to education freedom and education choice, and today’s bill signing represents the largest expansion of education choice in the history of these United States,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at the time.
This would seem to be the doomsday scenario that members of the education establishment have warned about. They’ve long claimed that choice will leave public schools with a less desirable student population and less money as students leave. On the surface, this is a self-defeating argument. Parents shouldn’t sacrifice their children’s future to make it easier for the adults in the system to do their job.
But the Florida data shows something more interesting. Around 400,000 students attended charter schools. Another 275,000 used open enrollment in a public school district. Approximately 150,000 went to career and professional academies at public high schools. Private school choice was a popular option, too. Around 285,000 students used an ESA or tax credit scholarship to attend a private school. Also, almost 100,000 students used an ESA designated for students with special needs. More than 115,000 students homeschooled.
That’s not all. There are virtual and hybrid schools and public schools offering International Baccalaureate programs.
The winners in this system are Florida’s families. They aren’t stuck sending their children to a one-size-fits-all option. They can find an educational option that works best for each individual child. And quality public schools play a large part in that.
Nevada families have a taste of these options. Charter schools continue to grow despite Democrats’ attempts to restrain them. Gov. Joe Lombardo successfully pushed to expand open enrollment. The Clark County School District offers a number of career and technical education programs.
But as Florida shows, there’s more to be done.