Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO)

Maclay School has reviewed the evolving legislation over the last few years and has remained resolved to maintain its status as an Independent School and as long as it is practical will not participate in any State funding that will remove the administration and Board of Trustee’s ability to make the best choices for our students and faculty. The below information is not a complete listing of all reasons, implications, or restrictions placed on the school by the state by participating in the program but are some of the important aspects of the program considered by the Board of Trustees in their decision. 

Since the beginning of any form of Florida State funding, Maclay School has chosen not to participate. For over a decade, state funding has increased and evolved through different iterations and programs, but the latest legislation passed in 2023 broadened access to state funds and initiated a very thorough study by Maclay School leadership to determine the school's relationship, if any, with the program. 

The administration and Board of Trustees began monitoring the legislation as it moved through the Florida legislature. During this time and over the last 10 months the school has engaged with parents, legislators, legal counsel specializing in Florida public and non-public education, education specialists in the Department of Education, the Florida Council of Independent Schools, and multiple Independent School Heads of School across the State of Florida. Maclay’s Head of School has been an executive committee member of the Florida Council of Independent Schools’ Board of Trustees and has been in the inner circle of every conversation that has been convened on this topic among private and independent school leaders in the State of Florida over the past few years. Furthermore, research and conversations with representatives in other states who have similar state funding and who are years ahead of where Florida’s programs are now were contacted to add information and context to the conversation. 

The Board of Trustees prioritized the decision around the Universal Voucher program as one of their top goals for 2023 and dedicated a significant amount of their time during the Fall Semester studying the statutes, engaging with the legislation, interviewing legal counsel as well as other schools, and engaged in several extended meetings to educate, explore, and discuss all it learned from this research and how it related to the goals and realities of our school, our students, and our faculty. The Board also deeply acknowledged and considered the potential positive financial impact of this program on our tuition paying families. 

The school has chosen to continue its independence and will continue to monitor legislation. If its concern for the oversight and adverse control of the government over our educational practices is assuaged, the school may reconsider its stance toward any and all voucher programs at that time.