Are Democrats warming to vouchers? House Minority Leader Dan Gelber (left), D-Miami Beach, says yes, to a point: "You can say some Democrats are genuinely conflicted" about some voucher programs, he told the Gradebook today.

Last week, 13 House Democrats and five Senate Democrats (nearly a third of all Democrats in the Legislature, and more than ever before) voted yes on a $30 million expansion for corporate tax credit scholarships. A steady erosion of opposition? Maybe. But Gelber noted that many Democrats strongly opposed the Opportunity Scholarships program – the one that was struck down by the Florida Supreme Court in 2006 – and yet supported McKay vouchers for children with disabilities.

He attributed the shift on CTC scholarships to several things: intense lobbying by advocacy groups; the fact that the scholarships go to low-income and predominantly minority kids; and what the Republican agenda has done to public schools.

Gelber said parents of scholarship recipients told lawmakers time and again that they didn't want their kids to take the FCAT and liked the smaller classes that private schools offer.

"To a certain extent, I don't know if you're seeing people like the program or you're seeing Democrats throw their hands up with what Republicans have put in our public schools which to some extent have made these private schools more attractive," Gelber said.

For the record, Gelber said he is not conflicted. He voted no on the expansion.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter