Editor’s note: This piece from Katie Swingle, an active school choice parent and advocate in Polk County, appeared in the Lakeland Ledger in response to a column published in the Ledger in February.
As a mother whose children benefit from Florida education scholarships, I was offended by the recent “Your Turn” column by the Rev. Ray Johnson (“‘Scholarship’ program threatens education,” Feb. 17).
He’s alarmed that under education choice, parents, not educators, evaluate their children’s educational progress. Apparently, he doesn’t trust parents to know what’s best for their own children. Perhaps he should meet some of the hundreds of thousands of scholarship families over the years who moved mountains trying to find the best learning environment for their children.
I’m one of them.
He uses scare tactics to misrepresent how education savings accounts work, likening them to “gift cards.” My son Gregory, who is on the autism spectrum, receives the Gardiner Scholarship for special-needs students. That program, which has been around since 2014, operates as an ESA, similar to how Senate Bill 48 would transform the Florida Tax Credit and Family Empowerment scholarships for lower-income students.
We do not receive a debit card. Funds are deposited into an account. Purchases must be made from a list of pre-approved items and services. If something is not on a list, parents must submit a pre-authorization request that is reviewed by a committee and approved before the money can be spent. I know this to be a rigorous process.
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