SB 902, by Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, would expand eligibility for the program to include children who are deaf or visually impaired, as well as those with rare diseases or traumatic brain injuries. It defines rare diseases as those affecting populations of fewer than 200,000 in the United States.
In what became a theme for the meeting, Simmons said the program does not hurt public schools but assists them.
“The Gardiner scholarships have shown that there is no one size that fits all to helping these children and these families with these kinds of challenges,” he said. “These are extreme challenges, challenges which those who have faced them, most have stood up and met those challenges. This is one tool that we as a government can, in fact, help these children and these families.”
The scholarships are worth approximately 90 percent of the amount the state would spend to educate a child in public schools. Parents are able to use the money to pay for private-school tuition, homeschool curriculum, therapies, public-school courses, college savings and other approved education-related expenses.
Step Up For Students, which publishes this blog, helps administer the program. It serves more than 7,700 students this school year, which makes it the largest education savings account program in the nation.
Simmons originally proposed tripling funding for Gardiner Scholarships. In an amendment filed today, he struck the funding portion from the bill. He said the funding increase was designed to provide scholarships to children who would qualify under the expanded eligibility guidelines, and that he did not think that would cost the full $200 million contained in the first draft of the bill.
The Senate’s budget proposal would increase Gardiner scholarship funding by $34 million, or roughly 46 percent. The House’s rival plan would keep the program’s funding level, at just above $73 million. The two sides must come to a compromise in a budget conference for the legislative session to end May 5 as scheduled.
Jeanne Boggs, a parent of a child with autism in Leon County, said the Gardiner scholarship program helped her son.
“The Gardiner scholarship has meant the world to our family,” she said. “What works for one child’s disability may not work for another child, even if they share the same diagnosis.”
“This scholarship doesn’t just support the student,” she added. “It supports families, the teachers and the schools by allowing an inclusive, appropriate education for each unique child.”
Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Fort Lauderdale, the lone dissenter of the bill, said he has a child with multiple special needs diagnoses who utilized equine and other therapies. But he added that while he sympathized with the needs of special needs children, he could not support the bill because he believes public schools are not adequately funded.
Sen. Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, said while he understands Farmer’s position, he supported the bill.
“I see all of the drain of the monies from the public school system going toward vouchers and the scholarships,” he said. “I just happen to look at it differently when it comes to McKay scholarships and the Gardiner scholarship, simply because of the special needs.”
Rep. Jennifer Sullivan, R-Mount Dora, filed a similar bill in the House. It is combined with a measure increasing per-student funding for tax credit scholarships and is now ready to be taken up on the House floor Tuesday. The Senate bill still needs to be heard by a few more committees.
[…] PANEL BACKS EXPANDED GARDINER SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY via Livi Stanford of redefinED.org – SB 902, by Sen. David Simmons … would expand eligibility for the program to include children […]
My family is so great full and appreciative to be able to participate with the Gardiner PLSA scholarship. Had it not been for this special scholarship my son and daughter would not be where they are today in their achievements and progress. They both have special needs and though rhey may share some alike challenges what they need to help each if them through their individual & educational challenges are significantly different. We tried the public school track but it wasn’t benefitting our son especially in the ways he truly and personally needed. And it seemed like it was ALWAYS a fight with EVERYTHING in the public school system (options for proper or the right fitting placement, special services IEPs all of it.) This scholarship allowed us to find him the right kind of curriculum and placement that was TRULY best for him in his own way. And it gave us as his parents the ability to have more involvement and say in his special education. It gave us the ability to do the same with our daughter so she could learn in an environment that was best for her and what she needed with her special education. So though both our children have special needs their individual needs are VERY different and they learn differently. Our son who has classic Autism with other related conditions has certain needs and learns very differently from his sister whom has Autism Spectrum Disorder and the methods she truly needs to learn and work through her challenges to make her own progress can not be achieved by the same curriculum or educational environment as her brother. There are far to few options for in special education programs with the public school system and needs of certain children get lost or ignored completely that’s what’s so IMPORTANT about THIS scholarship program it ensures that parents are given the oppurtunity to make & have a significant say in the decisions involving the educational plan that will best suit their child and allows them to be able to do what is ABSOLUTELY, DEFINITELY & TRULY in the BEST INTEREST OF THEIR CHILD to make certain all and every best efforts are being made to meet those certain needs of their child or children; to offer the neccessary opportunities that will lead to progress and success for their childs’ own individual and unique educational goals and achievements.