What do you do if you have a special needs child and the public school system just isn't working out for you? Maybe your child is being bullied or even physically assaulted (unfortunately, it does happen). Or maybe the problem is as simple as a lack of resources to give your child the attention that he needs.
Some parents decide to give private school a try. Classes tend to be smaller, and depending upon where you decide to enroll, the bullying and teasing can be eliminated from your kid's life.
But private school is pricey. Private school education in Florida can easily run to thousands of dollars a year per child – not always within the budget of the average family.
Thanks to the McKay Scholarship for Students with Disabilities, though, your special needs student can receive funding to pursue that private school education. Over $130 million was paid out in McKay scholarships during the 2008-2009 school year. The scholarships ranged in amount from from about $5,000 to more than $20,000. The average scholarship is about $7,000.
In awarding a McKay Scholarship, the DOE is essentially taking the money it costs to educate your child in the public school system, handing it to you (or the private school) for private school tuition. However, if the tuition for the private school is less than this amount, you don't pocket the difference. The DOE pays the lesser amount, so if the private school is more expensive than the cost of educating your child in the public school system, you'll have to pay the difference.
Who is eligible for McKay Scholarships?
To be eligible for a McKay Scholarship, a child must be a K-12 student with a disability who attended a Florida public school the previous year. Home-schooled kids don't qualify, nor do those who take two or more classes a year through a virtual school, distance learning program or correspondence school, if the program receives state funding. (There's an exception, however, for the child of a military family who was transferred into a Florida school.)
Next: How to apply for a McKay Scholarship, part 2
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