SW News: The Governor of the US State of Florida, Ron DeSantis, signed into law the Universal School Choice bill that would make all students eligible for taxpayer-funded vouchers. With this, the Sunshine State has become the fourth to do so. DeSantis hailed this as a significant and historic victory for the school choice.

The law will "further cement Florida's status as the nation's leader in school choice," according to DeSantis' office.

The bill HB 1, which the House passed earlier this month, received final Senate approval last week. The new law expands an existing school choice program to all students. In addition, it permits families to use state funding to pay for private school tuition, in-home tutoring, and other educational costs.

Under the law, students who are "residents of this state" and "eligible to enroll in kindergarten through grade 12" in a public school will be qualified to receive vouchers. Also, the law would permit homeschooled students to use the fund.

Parents who qualify for the program will receive $8,000 to help with their child's educational costs like private school tuition, homeschooling, tutoring, materials, and standardized test fees. Low- and middle-income households will be prioritized when the voucher program is implemented over time.

The teachers union opposed the Universal School Choice bill stating that the taxpayer fund would go to the private-run schools. Various opponents also expressed concerns over private-run schools as they don't have regulations similar to public schools.

After DeSantis signed the law on Monday, Florida is now the fourth state to implement the legislation this year, after Arkansas, Utah, and Iowa.