Florida State Representative says legislation is in process to expand school choice opportunities

Florida State Rep. Kaylee Tuck says that Florida is in the process of expanding school choice through scholarship opportunities for students. 

"Florida has been doing school choice for 25 years, so we didn't really go from zero to 100," Tuck said on the "John Solomon Reports" podcast. "But we're expanding the eligibility so that if you are a Florida resident, and you're eligible to be in a K-12 program, then you are eligible for one of these scholarships."

A bill that is currently on its way to the Florida Senate would make every student eligible to receive taxpayer-backed scholarships. Tuck is one of the sponsors of this bill. 

“HB1 will empower every parent to be able to choose the customized and tailored education system that fits best for their students," Tuck said in a statement, according to local media. "As a result, we will have students who have the best education possible that fits their unique needs.”

Tuck said another strategy to help with education is to remove the waitlist for FES-UA (Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities) scholarships. 

"We are eliminating the waitlist for the FES-UA scholarships," she explained. "That was created for students with disabilities, special needs, special learning needs.

"We've had a waitlist...I think as long as the scholarship has been available. The current cap is 26,500 and there's about a 9,000 student waitlist," Tuck explained. "So with the increase that we did, we will completely eliminate that waitlist in year one. It's a pretty heavy lift. We're really proud of that because it's been such a big need for so long."