Statement by Sandra Feldman
President, American Federation of Teachers,
on Florida Court Ruling on the Unconstitutionality of Vouchers

We welcome the Florida trial court’s decision that school vouchers violate the state’s constitution.

The decision suggests that despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling, we are not likely to see widespread adoption of school vouchers. And that is fortunate for America’s public schools, students and taxpayers. The trial court has helped to strengthen the resolve of Americans who are seeking to create excellent public schools for all children. Unfortunately, by announcing that they will appeal the decision, voucher proponents are continuing to divert attention and energy from the important work of improving our public schools.

Florida, like many states, has a longstanding, strict constitutional restriction on using public dollars for sectarian schools. We have confidence that courts in such states will continue to block efforts to use public funds for private school vouchers. In states without these limits, we trust that voters and lawmakers will do as they have done every time vouchers have been on the ballot – support public schools by voting down vouchers.

We congratulate the members of the AFT state affiliate in Florida for putting together a coalition that has successfully fought this misguided law. We hope that this decision will lead to a renewed focus on bringing together advocates for quality education so we can build on the progress we’ve already made in many classrooms across the country. Working together, we can make sure that millions of children in the United States receive a better education.