The Florida Board of Education (FLBOE) met Thursday in an emergency meeting via teleconference to establish a Financial Emergency Board for Glades and Union County School Districts, two rural districts facing massive funding shortfalls related to unchecked school vouchers.

The meeting underscores challenges school districts across the state are facing as school funding continues to be squandered through universal school vouchers that lack transparency and oversight and allow recipients to utilize public funds on non-academic entertainment, including on theme park tickets.

“This is not a matter of school districts misusing funds or spending outside their means. Florida education policies, including universal school vouchers and the deeply flawed Schools of Hope program allowing privately run charter operators to colocate in public schools, are creating a fiscal nightmare for school districts,” said Norín Dollard, senior policy analyst and KIDS COUNT director for the Florida Policy Institute.

“School districts statewide face enormous budgetary pressures from declining enrollment impacted by immigration, declining birthrates, but far and away the greatest impact is the diversion of funds for public education to school vouchers for private and home schooling.”

According to Dollard, smaller counties with low tax bases are among the most vulnerable to such policies, and are most dependent on the state’s share of education funding.

“As more and more funds are diverted from schools to private interests and vouchers, schools are facing teacher shortages, as well as school closures and consolidations because of the inadequate resources available to educate children and ensure a quality education. Rather than casting aspersions at public schools, education leaders should be working to restore funding, not further slash spending from a chronically underfunded system.”

Florida statute related to planning and budgeting within the state education code stipulates that any time a school district’s ending general fund balance drops below 2% of projected general revenue — excluding restricted, committed or nonspendable funds in the district’s operating budget —it becomes subject to Financial Emergency Board intervention.

The FLBOE’s agenda noted both counties had “reported a fund balance that has fallen below 2%,” with each projecting those balances to “remain below 2%.”

The meeting was called after Union County school leaders met to discuss potentially restructuring as it faced a $1.4 million budget shortfall.

Glades County in the previous fiscal year considered shifting to a four-day school week amid budget challenges, though it ultimately declined to move forward with the plan as opposition mounted.

Still, the latest establishment of an emergency board punctuates fiscal challenges faced by rural school districts now, and serves as a reminder that larger school districts could soon follow.

“The phrase ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’ has never been more apropos. While the state prioritizes private school vouchers, funding home schoolers and charter school takeovers, the more than 88% of Florida families who choose public school are losing. These rural counties don’t need more oversight, they need more funding. It’s as simple as that,” said Rachel Gunter Shapard, co-founder of Pastors for Florida Children, a member of the Florida Coalition for Thriving Public Schools.

Instead, the state’s universal voucher program continues to grow unabated, with few guardrails, now diverting $5 billion from public schools. Step Up For Students, the state’s primary facilitator of school vouchers, recently updated its purchasing guides for voucher recipients, noting among other things that funds can be used to pay for theme park passes, up to $299 plus tax, as long as they provide a form explaining the educational benefit.

More than 8,400 voucher recipients have used funds for theme park tickets.

Most recent data indicate Glades County schools have lost $1.3 million, while Union County schools have lost more than $1.9 million to school vouchers, 10% and 12% of their annual state education funding, respectively.

With their budgets now in trouble and the state stepping in, the Glades and Union school districts must now have their budgets approved by the Commissioner of Education and they are barred from issuing bonds, notes, certificates of indebtedness or any other form of debt. Additionally, the state’s intervention means the districts must submit to a review of all financial records, information, reports and assets and consult with the Florida Department of Education to establish steps to bring finances under compliance.

Now established, the emergency board will adopt rules governing the districts’ business and establish school board oversight. The board, along with district officials, is also now required to develop a financial recovery plan.

Florida Coalition for Thriving Public Schools (FloCo) is a statewide alliance of parents, educators, and community leaders committed to ensuring that every child in Florida has access to a high-quality, well-resourced public school in their neighborhood. Member organizations include Florida Freedom to Read Project, Florida Policy Institute, Florida Education Association, Florida Student Power Network, MomsRising, Pastors for Florida Children and P.S. 305.