The Mississippi Department of Education announced Friday 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’s expansion of the ESA scholarship funded 435 scholarships. As of last week, 377 had been awarded to returning students.
58 scholarships are available for the upcoming year. There are currently 257 applicants on the waiting list.
Grant Callen with Empower Mississippi said the amount of people on the waiting list versus the amount of available scholarships is telling to the needs of students with special needs in Mississippi.
“This means that, once again, demand for the program has far outpaced available slots and many families will again be stuck on the outside,” said Callen.
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 July 14.
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.
