This is according to plan.

As the Tampa Bay Times reported, Step Up for Student's new guide to approved expenses for recipients of PEP vouchers in the 2023-24 academic year authorizes the purchase of theme park tickets. Theme park tickets were previously a prohibited expense, but Step Up for Students' "reconsidered after hearing from parents about the potential benefits."

...

Other approved expenses for all homeschooled students this academic year include swing sets, foosball tables, air hockey tables, skateboards, kayaks, standup paddleboards, dolls, and stuffed animals.

Insanity. And, of course, this is homeschooling parents all doing this.

Not a shock. It seems like something people would take advantage of.

This is disgusting. Hopefully this whole thing fails before Texas can enact the law.

As for teachers still being underpaid, that is the point. They are trying to gut public schools. All the teachers will need to make the switch to a private school, eventually, because that's where the demand will be.

The state will continue this voucher program until the majority of people have moved their children to private schools. Public schools will be left in a state of disrepair once they loose funding for every student that makes the switch.

The private schools will gradually raise tuition so that parents are paying as much as they can afford, even with the voucher. After everyone has move thier child over, they will discontinue the voucher program.

If the parents want their child to continue in a school that does any good, they will pay out thier ears. Everyone else will end up paying a huge chunk of thier check to send their child to whatever mediocre school is within their budget, or else they will have to go back to public school, which is now a underfunded shitshow.

Edit: some spelling

$8,000 for only 20,000 families... God Florida is really managing to destroy public education for cheap huh?

Who knew all it took was bribing people with something cool now to throw away the future of their families.

I don't think an average American can pass the marshmallow test anymore. No concept of future or delayed gratification

I'm sure all the rightoids and "centrists" that were mad about Biden "bribing" the electorate with student loans cancellation will be just as mad about this, right?