Governor Ron DeSantis plans to eliminate the 2,000-family wait list for the Gardiner scholarship. It allows families of students with disabilities to personalize education opportunities, using resources like occupational and speech therapy.
DeSantis' proposed budget, which he rolled out last week in Tallahassee, has nearly $19 million earmarked for the Gardiner scholarship. The Governor says that is enough funding to scrap the wait list for a program he calls a “proven success.”
“I think parents who need to find that good environment for their kids – and every child’s need are different – have been able to find it using the Gardiner scholarship,” DeSantis said at Jacksonville’s North Florida School of Special Education Monday.
DeSantis says he’s a “big supporter” of both the Gardiner and McKay scholarships – the latter allows special needs students to attend private schools with state financial support.
