SARASOTA, Fla. — A Sarasota protest over public school funding is highlighting a broader debate over what is driving budget pressure in one of Florida’s top-rated school districts.
Parents, students, activists, and community members lined the Tamiami Trail outside Rep. Fiona McFarland’s Sarasota office on Tuesday, while calling for more money for public schools and changes to Florida’s voucher programs.
The protest comes as lawmakers prepare to return to Tallahassee in May for a special session to finalize the state budget.
Julie Forestier, president of the Democratic Women’s Club of Sarasota County and one of the protest organizers, said public education is at a critical point.
“For the first time in our history, public education access for every child is in doubt,” Forestier said. “Public education is the cornerstone of our democracy.”
Organizers said they want lawmakers to increase per-student funding, restore income caps on vouchers, and create more accountability for how voucher dollars are spent.
Florida’s voucher program allows public education dollars to be used for private school tuition and other education options. Protesters argue those programs are putting additional pressure on traditional public schools.
But Step Up For Students, a school-choice organization, pushed back against that argument.
“Since income caps were removed from state scholarships in 2023, only 874 students have left the Sarasota district to use a scholarship,” the organization said in a statement to Tampa Bay 28. “That represents less than 2 percent of the district’s total enrollment. Providing choices to Sarasota’s families should not be viewed as a major factor in district budget issues.”
Sarasota County Schools, meanwhile, says vouchers are a factor, but just one part of a larger financial picture.
On its website, the district says it is planning for the 2026-27 school year by realigning staffing with enrollment, redesigning benefits, and retiring temporary spending supported by one-time funding.
The district says enrollment has remained relatively flat over the past decade while staffing has grown. It also points to rising health care, retirement, and operational costs, as well as the end of pandemic-era federal funding. According to a presentation the superintendent gave the school board in March, state funding to districts like Sarasota County has also been outpaced by inflation.
That has led to plans to cut positions and restructure staffing across the district. More than 100 district employees are now in limbo and waiting to see where they will land.
Forestier said the uncertainty is already taking a toll.
“It’s just really heartbreaking seeing the district lose really qualified, great teachers,” she said. “Sarasota is at a crossroads.”
Sarasota County School Board member Tom Edwards also joined the protest, saying state lawmakers should change the voucher program.
“That’s the part that just makes me cringe when I think about this voucher program,” Edwards said. “There are so many easy fixes that could happen in Tallahassee.”
Lawmakers are expected to return to Tallahassee in May for a special session to finalize the state budget.
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