A lottery-style drawing will be held Friday, July 14, to award 58 recipients the ESA scholarship, which allocates roughly $6,500 to students with special needs to be able to enrich their education through private school and supplemental resources and programs.
Empower Mississippi President Grant Callen said the “lottery” is held in order to ensure that everyone who applies for the scholarship has a fair shot at receiving it.
“It does mean, there’s a limited number of spots,” said Callen. “And a lot more people interested in the scholarships than there are spots to hand out, so people get left out.”
According to state law, there’s a “once in, always in,” aspect of the ESA scholarship. So while over 400 scholarships were allowed by the state legislature in the most recent legislative session, There were already over 350 receiving the scholarship, which left the remaining 58 spots.
“There are at least 257 on the waiting list, and probably more if there are more applications in this week,” said Callen.
Despite the numbers, Callen said all applicants have an equal shot of the remaining 58 scholarships.
“You can still apply. These scholarships not only apply toward private school that may better suit your child’s needs but also towards tutoring and other resources,” said Callen.
Click HERE for more information on the ESA scholarship.
