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Education

DeSantis Announces Plan To Eliminate Scholarship Waitlist For Special Needs Students

First Lady Casey DeSantis and Gov. Ron DeSantis speak with a student at the North Florida School of Special Education in Jacksonville.
Abukar Adan
/
WJCT News
First Lady Casey DeSantis and Gov. Ron DeSantis speak with a student at the North Florida School of Special Education in Jacksonville.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday in Jacksonville he wants to get rid of the waitlist that nearly 2,000 students that have applied for a state special needs scholarship are on.

DeSantis鈥 was joined first Lady Casey DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran at the North Florida School of Special Education where he shared his intentions to eliminate the Gardiner program waitlist, as part of his .

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e to figure out what to budget for, I look for proven success. And I think what we鈥檝e seen with the Gardiner program is proven success,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 think parents who need to find that good environment for their kids, and every child鈥檚 needs is different, have been able to find it using Gardiner Scholarship鈥

The scholarship program, which is administered through the nonprofit Step Up For Students, gives parents with special needs children financial aid they can use for private schools or a host of state-approved programs and services.

According to the , the Gardiner scholarship can be used for a variety of things, including speech or occupational therapy; instructional materials; and a college prepaid account. The average scholarship amount is $10,418 per student.

Desantis touted the program for the flexibility it gives parents and said if the Legislature passes his budget it would be fully funded for the next academic year.

鈥淎s we鈥檝e met with people and talked with people about these very valuable scholarships, the fact of the matter is we have close to 2,000 who are on the waiting list for the Gardiner Scholarship,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 have allocated enough funds to get rid of the waitlist for Gardiner Scholarships entirely.鈥

Currently, there are nearly who participate in the program, which has a budget of more than $124 million. DeSantis wants to allocate another to get rid of the waitlist.     

Brittney Wilson is the parent of two special needs kids currently on the waiting list.   

鈥淛ust having this scholarship just opens our world,鈥 said the mother of three. 鈥淚t just allows me to have the confidence and the hope that I can do what鈥檚 best for them, whether it鈥檚 at home or whether it鈥檚 at a private school.鈥  

Wilson said she鈥檚 chosen to homeschool her children and that comes with a lot of costs.

Unlike the McKay Scholarship, which is another state funded scholarship for students with disabilities, Gardiner offers parents individualized education options, including homeschooling.

Tom Crass has a son that attends the North Florida School of Special Education. He said his son, who had previously attended private school, wasn鈥檛 eligible for the McKay Scholarship, but the Gardiner Scholarship pays for about two-thirds of his tuition.  

鈥淭he Gardiner Scholarship is a win-win for both the families for who want to send their children to North Florida and other schools like it and for the schools themselves, as these schools have been able to grow and accommodate even more,鈥 he said.

The North Florida School of Special Education, which opened its doors in 1992, currently has 222 special needs students and young adults in its post-graduate program. To meet the growing demands, the school has a 32,000 square foot building expansion underway that would double enrollment.  

Corcoran thanked Step Up Students for designing the Gardiner program.    

鈥淗uman dignity comes from a great education and everybody deserves that and should be afforded that,鈥 he said.   

DeSantis鈥 $93.1 billion dollar budget proposal, which includes $26 billion for education, now awaits debate in the Legislature. The annual legislative session will start March 5.

Copyright 2020 WJCT News 89.9. To see more, visit .

Abukar has joined the WJCT News from Maine Public, which is based in Portland, Maine.
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