H97 - 2015 Appropriations Act, Sec. 11.11: Special Education Scholarship Changes and Reevaluation Funds (SL 2015-241)

Overview: Sec. 11.11 of S.L. 2015-241 amends the laws governing the special education scholarship grants for children with disabilities as follows:

• Increases the scholarship awards to eligible students from $3,000 to $4,000 per semester per student.
• Provides that funding will be disbursed for tuition twice per year by the State Education Assistance Authority (Authority) up to the maximum of the scholarship.
• Provides that scholarship funds are not to be provided for tuition of home schooled students.
• Directs the parent or guardian to endorse scholarship funds for tuition for deposit into the school account at the school site.
• Provides that failure to comply with applicable scholarship requirements will result in the loss of the scholarship with all scholarship funds being returned to the Authority.
• Directs the Authority to adopt rules for pro rata return of scholarship funds should a student be withdrawn from school prior to the end of the semester.

On an annual basis, the Authority and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) must analyze past trends in scholarship data to determine if funds transferred to DPI are sufficient to cover actual cost requirements of reevaluations of eligible students.

This section became effective July 1, 2015, and applies beginning with the 2015-2016 school year.