Opponents say Gold Coast Vouchers drain money from public schools, even though it costs less to give a student a voucher than to educate him in public school. By some estimates, the total cost of educating a student in public school in Florida is more than $11,000, once federal money and construction costs are factored in. About 25 of the 70 students at Gulf Coast Christian School in St. Petersburg have a big chunk of their tuition paid for by taxpayers, courtesy of a private-school voucher that’s worth $3,950..