Special Needs ESA Lottery To Be Held July 14
The Mississippi Department of Education announced today that a lottery for the Special Needs Education Scholarship Account (ESA) will be held on Friday, July 14 to award the final 58 scholarships for the 2017-2018 school year.
This year the law funded 435 scholarships and as of last week 377 had been awarded to returning students. Therefore, 58 scholarships are available for the upcoming year. There are currently 257 applicants on the waiting list. This means that, once again, demand for the program has far outpaced available slots and many families will again be stuck on the outside.
The value of the scholarship will be $6,494. Families who wish to apply for the upcoming school year but have yet to do so must apply by next Friday.
Students who have received an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in the past five years are eligible. More information on eligibility, how to apply, and allowable expenses can be found here.
Grant Callen
Grant Callen is the CEO of Empower Mississippi. He founded the organization in 2014 to ensure that every Mississippian has access to a high quality education and meaningful work.