While the state invited suburban public schools to accept the voucher students, none agreed to do so.

Money from the 188 voucher students (out of 356) was a help.

Urban Day, with 259 voucher students out of 596, expanded its early childhood program.

Adrian Lyon, 58, was the only voucher student in a class of a dozen or so.

It is absurd to pretend that Florida's voucher students will have any choice beyond sectarian schools.

When those were added to the denominator, he said, the proportion of voucher students attending religious schools dropped to 16.5 percent.

The unions also argue that data showing improvement among the voucher students has been cooked and can't possibly be real.

Indeed, private schools with voucher students did not have to offer any special-education services at all.

An early study found that voucher students did no better academically than those who remained behind.

"That's remarkable, considering how much less money is being spent on the voucher students."