TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Senate Education Committee approved a sweeping education package Wednesday that would deliver on Gov. Ron DeSantis' call to create a new school voucher program amid a sea change in the makeup of the state Supreme Court.

In 2006, the court ruled that state-funded vouchers run afoul of the Florida Constitution by creating a "parallel" system of public education.

Since taking office, however, DeSantis has replaced the court's liberal wing with three conservative justices who appear far less likely to invalidate the current proposal, should it become law.

The 'Family Empowerment Scholarship' program envisioned in the education package is designed to provide vouchers to students from low-income families who are currently on a waitlist for corporate tax credit scholarships, voucher-like awards, that aren't directly funded by state dollars.

Before Wednesday's vote, critics urged the committee to consider the impact the proposal could have on public schools.

"We are not against vouchers, but we are against a system that destabilizes public schools by funneling already low base student allocations into private schools," said Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent Donald Fennoy.

Enactment of the voucher program would represent the culmination of a mission begun by former Gov. Jeb Bush 20 years ago. Bush founded the state's first voucher scheme, only to see it fall victim to legal challenges.

The corporate tax credit program has endured as the only vehicle for pro-voucher Republican lawmakers to deliver what they call life-changing school choice options to struggling families in areas served by failing public schools.

"You have so many families who are trying to get in, and regardless of who was on the court and who wasn't, we have tried to bring down that wait list by providing additional funding so that more families can have opportunities," said Rep. Chris Sprowls (R-Palm Harbor).