New legislation (HB 1) passed that will affect Florida’s school choice programs. Signed by Governor DeSantis on March 27, 2023, these changes will go into effect on July 1, 2023. 

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On May 11, 2021, Governor DeSantis signed House Bill 7045 into law, resulting in several changes to the state's K-12 scholarship programs, including an extensive expansion of the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program.

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House Bill 7045 expanded the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program to include two branches of eligibility, the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES EO) and the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES UA). The FES EO is for income-based applicants and the FES UA is for students with unique abilities (special needs). This scholarship for students with unique abilities is known as an Educational Savings Account (ESA) and functions like a bank account where you can withdraw funds to pay for your child’s education, including Tuition/Fees for tutoring services. 

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As you may know, on July 1, 2021, new legislation went into effect that consolidated the number of scholarship programs by rolling the Gardiner Scholarship and McKay Scholarship into the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA). This happened in two phases:

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• In the 2021-22 school year, students who benefited from the Gardiner Scholarship for the 2020-21 school year transitioned to the FES-UA program.

• In the 2022-23 school year, students who have received the McKay Scholarship to attend a private school will need to transition to the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, or FES-UA.

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Dyslexic Einstein Tutoring, LLC is a proud provider with Step Up For Students and families receiving the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities or the New Worlds Scholarship are reimbursed for 100% of their costs paid towards tuition. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to submit reimbursement requests to SUFS for their monthly tutoring expenses.

 

Award amounts for the 2023-2024 school year were approximately $10,000 per student in Palm Beach County, FL.

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Click here to view the current Parent Handbook for the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA). *Private and homeschool students only. 

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Click here to view the current Parent Handbook for the New Worlds reading scholarship. *Public school students only. 

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The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) provides access to an education savings account (ESA) that functions like a bank account from which you direct funds to pay for tuition and fees for a private school, homeschooling options, therapies, tutoring, and more.

 

In 2014, Florida became the second state in the nation, after Arizona, to create an education savings account (ESA) program for children with special needs. Formerly called the Gardiner Scholarship, in 2021 this program was rolled into the Family Empowerment Scholarship to help grow the program and to streamline the state’s scholarships. The Family Empowerment Scholarship has continued to expand, with the integration of the McKay Scholarship program into the Family Empowerment Scholarship in 2022.

 

On July 1, 2023, the state of Florida expanded educational choice programs to all K-12 Florida students with the conversion of the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational
Options and the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship into educational savings accounts (ESAs). 

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