Step Up for Students (SUFS) and AAA, the only scholarship funding organizations in the state of Florida, oversee school choice scholarships including the FES-UA. Due to their policies and procedures, they have whittled away at school choice for children who are on this particular scholarship.

• Educational tools available in public and private school settings have become non-reimbursable on FES-UA. Items used to educate learners in a public school setting should also be permitted for those who homeschool in Florida. Without this, true school choice cannot be achieved.
• Only a few homeschool cooperatives are eligible to be reimbursed for families, thus limiting parent choices.
• These organizations, along with the Florida Legislature, have expanded tutoring requirements in such a way that choices are limited. Less requirements are expected for those who teach in some Florida schools.
• Infrastructure difficulties limit the ability of parents to submit for reimbursements, ask questions or receive help in a timely manner. This is due to lack of employee training, an inadequate workforce and antiquated computer systems. Doug Tuthill, President of SUFS, promised the legislature that these issues would be taken care of prior to July 2022. He lied. AAA does not have online systems of any kind, and families are forced to use mail and email to make requests. Both funding organizations lack account visibility and basic ledgers for scholarship recipients to access. These issues affect parent choice as many do not understand how to use the scholarship and cannot get help to do so.
• FES-UA is a reimbursement program. Reimbursements are not done in a timely manner and place extreme financial hardships on families. This greatly limits school choice as parents are forced to only purchase what they can afford to financially carry for a period of time. This was not the intention of the scholarship. 
• Due to the way this system is currently set up, families apply for the FES-UA program in the first or second quarter of the year, then are forced to wait until after the school year begins in August to receive a decision on funding. This limited school choice as funding approval is integral in setting up relationships with schools and therapists. Communication is lacking. 

With school choice continuing to expand in Florida, we must address these issues before more responsibility is given to SUFS and AAA. These organizations will hinder school choice if they are permitted to move forward as is. 

Parents are begging for a solution. This could be accomplished in a number of ways. 

1. Legislative oversight of scholarship funding organizations
2. More active oversight by the Florida Department of Education
3. A course of action for parents who are affected by rules not being followed including a grievance and appeals process
4. New leadership at these organizations who would partner with the state to bring true school choice for many and not just politicize efforts for the bottom line
5. Legislative action to disallow scholarship funding organizations from contributing to political campaigns and initiatives

Please help us as we desire to effectively create the best learning environments for our children.