Florida Department of Education

The system serves hundreds of thousands of students and costs billions. On "The Florida Roundup," Politico reporter Andrew Atterbury breaks down the legal challenge and why homeschooling is a major factor.

Districts have until May 18 to sign up for the new pilot program. The statewide implementation of the new course is slated for 2027-2028 school year.

It alleges nearly $5 billion in taxpayer dollars are being sent to private schools and charter schools via the Family Empowerment Scholarship, which aren’t held to the same standards or oversight as traditional public schools.

A collection of groups say proposed rules by the Education Department are “harmful,” arguing the move would affect the state’s economy and hurt currently enrolled students.

A hearing on the proposed rule is set for May 14 at Miami Dade College.

The Florida Department of Education appointed a financial board to both Union and Glades counties’ school districts to help with “operations, management and finances and to make recommendations for financial recovery."

Senate Bill 7036 is a wide-ranging, 40-page education bill, which among other things would allow school districts to purchase curricula developed by the Florida Department of Education.

According to the state, 92.2% of students earned a diploma in 2024-25 – 2.5 points over the previous year and 4.9 points over 2021-22. The progress was celebrated at the district level, including the Tampa area.

The Florida Department of Education says the statewide graduation rate for the 2024-2025 school year was 92.2%.

He said it's being run to benefit "the entrenched interests, particularly the school unions, rather than the parents and the students," and that the state should consider taking it over.

An analysis of data shows teacher vacancies across the state have declined recently, but gaps remain — and limitations in the data make it difficult to compare districts or identify where shortages are most acute and how they are affecting students and classrooms.

Private school owners continue to face financial struggles after the state dramatically expanded the school voucher program in 2023 and struggled to pay them in timely fashion.