DeSantis touts school choice expansion: ‘Not every school is gonna work’

NAPLES, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke at the Freedom Institute of Collier County Wednesday, touting Florida’s school choice efforts in recent years.

“It does grow out of our commitment to education in the state of Florida,” he said. “We’re proud to be a state that has embraced education choice for parents.”

“Every parent should have meaningful options for their child’s education,” DeSantis said. “Not every school is gonna work for every kid.”

The Freedom Institute of Collier County has benefitted from school choice scholarship passed by Republicans and signed by DeSantis during his tenure.

The governor also pointed to Florida’s parental rights laws, allowing parents to challenge sexual and age-inappropriate books, along with preventing teachers from “indoctrinating” students on ideas like “gender ideology” and sexual identity.

He signed a school choice expansion bill in 2023.

“This is a huge thing in the state of Florida and we’re happy today that we’re able to do even more to make people’s dreams become a reality,” DeSantis said.

“Parents are going to be able to have the ability to get money for their student for their child, and they can do tuition, they’re also going to be able to use it for things like tutoring and other things that can be very important for a child’s development and well being,” he said.

With the new law, eligibility for Florida’s school choice scholarships was expanded to all students who are residents of Florida and eligible to enroll in K-12 in a public school. 

On top of school choice, Florida has implemented new requirements for students to be versed on the foundation of the United States and to learn basic civics.

The governor also urged Floridians to consider if they actually need to attend a four-year institution, or learn a specific trade and engage in workforce education.