PRESS RELEASE

TALLAHASSEE – Private colleges and universities in Florida continue to receive a growing share of public education funds. Florida TaxWatch has made a new report available on their website at that illustrates a steady increase in state appropriations to private postsecondary education institutions, including religious institutions, over the last decade.

As Florida leaders debate the impact of vouchers on K-12 education, it is important to recognize the state has been providing vouchers for private education for 20 years.

"It think that Floridians will be surprised to learn that for 20 years Florida has had a voucher program where public funds have been expended for students attending private postsecondary institutions," said Dominic Calabro, president of Florida TaxWatch. "This information is relevant to the discussion and debate concerning the recently enacted scholarships for public school students in low performing schools."

Florida's independent colleges include approximately 200 institutions and student enrollments of approximately 150,000. Appropriations to these schools jumped from $47 million in 1990-91 to more than $96 million in 1999-2000, an increase of more than 100%. State appropriations over the last ten years total $613.5 million.

Since 1979 Florida has had a taxpayer voucher for students attending private institutions, some of which have religious affiliations. This "taxpayer voucher" is called the Florida Resident Access Grant or Private Tuition Assistance Program. The Florida Legislature created this program in 1979 as a non-need based program to provide tuition assistance to Florida's undergraduates who attend independent, non-profit, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accredited institutions in the state. This funding "follows the student" but is sent directly to the institution. The program received $48.2 million in General Revenue for 1999-2000.

In 1997-98, the institutions participating in the "tuition voucher" program were: Barry University, Bethune Cookman College, Clearwater Christian, Eckerd College, Edward Waters College, Embry-Riddle University, Flagler College, Florida College, Florida Institute of Technology, Florida Memorial College, Florida Southern College, Jacksonville University, Lynn University, Nova Southeastern University, Palm Beach Atlantic University, Ringling School, Rollins College, Southeastern College, Saint Leo College, Saint Thomas University, Stetson University, University of Miami, University of Tampa, Warner Southern College and Webber College.

Florida TaxWatch is a non-profit, nonpartisan statewide government research institute based in Tallahassee. To see this Tax Bytes report, go to State Appropriations to Private Postsecondary Institutions.