Justin Schecker is an investigative reporter for WESH-2. He looked into how many families in Florida use vouchers to buy theme park tickets.
With billions of Florida taxpayer dollars flowing into the state’s pricy private schools and the pockets of families opting to homeschool their children, WESH 2 Investigates is taking a closer look at the guidelines for how that scholarship money can be spent.
Families of students receiving school choice scholarships – regardless of their income – can purchase TVs up to 55 inches, the Nintendo Wii and in-home internet.
Tickets to Central Florida’s theme parks – Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World – can also be reimbursed, according to purchasing guides from Step Up For Students, the nonprofit that administers nearly all the scholarships.
For families who already sent their children to private school or they’re making the switch from public school, the roughly $8,000 scholarship will only cover a fraction of the tuition for the more expensive private schools in Central Florida.
Homeschooling families have more flexibility in how to spend the state voucher.
Step Up is sharing new data with WESH 2 Investigates on how many students had theme park tickets reimbursed this school year.
Step Up administered half a million scholarships this school year.
According to Step Up’s purchasing guides, “funds must be used to meet the educational needs of an eligible student. Using a student’s scholarship funds for other purposes may violate Florida Statutes and may be a crime.”
One theme park ticket or pass per student can be reimbursed up to $299, plus tax. However, families must fill out a form with a simple question: What is the Educational Benefit of this item?
“Only the actual cost of the basic admission for the student will be covered,” the Step Up purchasing guides for the 24-25 school year said. “Additional services (such as parking, food and beverage packages, photographs or souvenirs, or premium access) are not eligible expenses.”
WESH 2 Investigates has learned from Step Up more than 8,400 students had theme park ticket reimbursements paid or approved for this school year.