Sen. Stargel
SB 1062 by Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, cleared the Education Pre-K-12 Committee on a 9-1 vote on Tuesday. It would make it easier for students to receive John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities, a popular voucher program.
Right now, with few exceptions, students with special needs are required to have enrolled in public schools or received specialized services under the state's Voluntary Prekindergarten program before they can apply for the scholarships, which serve more than 30,000 students this school year.
The lone committee member voting against the plan was Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, who noted parents can apply for Gardiner Scholarships, the state's newer education savings account program for special needs students, without first attending public schools. (Step Up For Students, which publishes this blog, helps administer the Gardiner program.)
Bullard said the requirement that students attend public schools before qualifying for McKay Scholarships was intended, in part, to ensure parents "understood the width and breadth of the programs at the public-school level that were available."
Stargel said Gardiner scholarships (formerly known as Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts) give parents a wider range of options, since they can be used for things like home school curriculum or educational therapy, in addition to private-school tuition. But they also have tighter eligibility rules. Some students, like those with learning disabilities, might only qualify for McKay scholarships.
"It allows parents to choose the environment that best suits their child," Stargel said of her bill, adding: "I think they should have the option from the get-go."
An analysis of the bill by legislative staff noted it "will likely result in increased participation in the McKay scholarship program." It makes a similar forecast for virtual education, which would also have enrollment restrictions lifted under the bill.
There's no bill in the House that directly mirror's Stargel's proposal, but other bills advancing this legislative session would eliminate prior-year public-school attendance requirements for specific groups of students who apply for McKay scholarships, such as children in foster care, and have drawn praise from school choice advocates.
