Florida is projected to allocate more state education funding to private-school vouchers in Miami-Dade County this school year than to traditional public and charter schools combined, even though voucher recipients account for only about one in five students covered by the funding formula.

An estimated $766 million would go toward vouchers, compared with $737 million for traditional public and charter schools, the Miami Herald reported. The comparison concerns the state portion of formula funding, not the schools’ total revenue from state, local and federal sources.

Approximately 82,500 students are expected to use vouchers, while traditional public and charter schools are projected to serve about 303,506 students, according to reporting citing the Herald.

Those figures put voucher recipients at about 21% of the combined enrollment, with approximately 51% of the combined state allocation going toward their scholarships.

Expansion reshapes school funding

Florida expanded voucher eligibility through House Bill 1, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed March 27, 2023. The law opened the Florida Tax Credit and Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options programs to eligible Florida students regardless of family income, while retaining priority for lower-income applicants.

The expansion increased demand for scholarships funded through a system that also determines public-school allocations.

Miami-Dade’s public schools also receive substantial local property tax revenue. The district’s approved 2026-27 budget totals $7.4 billion across its funding sources, underscoring the distinction between the state funding comparison and its overall finances.

Miami-Dade is not the first county where voucher costs have exceeded allocated state aid. Reporting citing the Herald identified similar circumstances in Monroe, Collier, Martin, Sarasota and Walton counties.

In Monroe County during the 2025-26 school year, that occurred with 851 voucher students compared with 8,249 students in traditional public and charter schools.

Oversight proposals stalled in the House

A November 2025 state audit identified accountability problems involving school funding and the Family Empowerment Scholarship program, including duplicate student counts and scholarship accounts funded above statutory limits.

The audit also documented a $398 million funding shortfall during the 2024-25 school year and $2.3 million in excess funding for some scholarship accounts serving students with disabilities.

Lawmakers considered changes during the 2026 legislative session. Senate Bill 318 proposed a separate funding category for Family Empowerment Scholarships, enrollment stabilization aid and additional oversight measures.

The Senate approved the bill unanimously, but the House did not take it up. It died in House messages March 13, rather than being defeated in a House floor vote.

The next regular legislative session begins March 2, 2027.

School tax renewal goes before voters

Miami-Dade voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to renew a 1-mill property tax levy supporting instructional compensation and school safety. One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value.

District budget reporting puts the levy’s 2026-27 financial impact at approximately $569.5 million. The district’s budget announcement identifies an allocation of 88% for instructional compensation and 12% for school safety.

Teacher pay remains a statewide concern. Florida ranked 50th in average public school teacher salary for 2024-25, at $56,663, according to the National Education Association. That ranking concerns average salary, rather than starting pay or total compensation.