Gradebook podcast: Jeb Bush on school choice, vouchers and Florida’s next steps

Twenty years ago, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush proposed the state’s first school voucher program. His efforts were stymied by the courts.

In the years since, state lawmakers have slowly pushed Florida in the direction Bush was headed with his Opportunity Scholarships.

This year, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature appear poised to push the envelope on vouchers and choice. Their Equal Opportunity Scholarship plan is among several proposals primed to win a reversal of the 2006 court case with Bush’s name attached, and change the public education model in Florida.

Bush, who remains active in with his Foundation for Excellence in Education, speaks with reporter Jeff Solochek about what he hoped to see, how he views Florida’s march to that goal, and where he expects the system to head next.

Related coverage: Gov. Ron DeSantis unveils plan to expand state money for private school tuition