NEWS UPDATE!

HB 7045 has been voted on and has passed the Senate.

Next, HB 7045 will be sent to Governor DeSantis.

Here is how you can help:

• Call the office of Governor DeSantis and ask that he veto House Bill 7045 because it will be detrimental to the Gardiner Scholarship (a phone call only takes a minute and is very easy!). You can do this by calling 850-717-9337 and press 1 to speak to a staff member.

• You will find an example phone script here.

• Email Governor DeSantis and ask that he veto this piece of legislation. GovernorRon.Desantis@eog.myflorida.com

• Download and customize this letter with your information:

You will find an example letter here.



Tell them who your child is, add a photo, explain how the scholarship is benefiting your child's educational experience and why you opted to apply for it. They need to know why this matters to YOU.

This bill is laced with problems and they were willing to sacrifice the disability community to meet bigger personal goals. We must call for a VETO!

Click here for more information

Here is why:

• The proposed changes strip away the ability of families and the small businesses that serve them to adequately provide needed services.

• This bill reduces funding for a 253 Matrix score.

• This bill creates a system where students with more significant needs, as determined by a state-assigned matrix score of 253, will be competing with students who have fewer needs (matrix score of 251, 252, or 504 plan), for a limited number of scholarships. 

• Quarterly payments do not work for Gardiner students. Many families of children with unique abilities live off of one income. 

• State Scholarship Funding Organizations (AAA and SUFS) are currently working with antiquated systems, and will not be able to handle the influx of scholarships. 

VETO HB 7045!

We encourage YOU, family members, friends, colleagues, and anyone who would like to advocate for the Governor to VETO HB 7045 to contact Governor DeSantis TODAY.

Click here to view a video of the hearing explaining the challenges in the bill. Watch at 27:00 minutes.

If you are interested in learning more about our advocacy efforts please join the Gardiner-McKay Legislation discussion on Facebook.

Spread the word!

Share our Social Media images

You can also help raise awareness!

Click here

to download the image below to share on social media.

Be sure to include this link

https://flow.page/hb7045

in your posts!

#HB7045ProtectGardinerScholarship 

#HB7045WeReadTheBill

#HB7045RemoveGardinerScholarship 

#HB7045DoesNOTempowerALL 

#HB7045GardinerScholarshipWORKS 

#HB7045RemoveGardiner

#HB7045VETOGardiner

#HB7045HurtsMyChild 

#HB7045MamaBearsUNITE

Thank you to all who have already contacted their Representatives and Senators on this legislation. Our voices ARE being heard and we need to continue our efforts.

Please take a moment to learn about

HB 7045. 

The Gardiner Scholarship should be removed from this bill because of the following reasons:

• The Gardiner Scholarship is serving students with the most significant needs and offers an INDIVIDUALIZED educational opportunity AND the option for home education.  

• The Gardiner Scholarship serves students with unique abilities as designed, and there is no need to change it.

• Future Gardiner students who do not have an IEP will receive LESS money. (Grandfathering current students indicates future loss or problems.)

• Quarterly payments do not work for Gardiner families or the small businesses that support the students.

• The increase in the new Family Empowerment Scholarship students and the McKay ESA students will overwhelm the scholarship funding organizations (AAA and Step Up for Students).

Click here for more information.

Can someone help me understand what this means?

We encourage you to read the bill, but we also know they can be complicated to understand. In summary, the reason this could impact your family is the scholarships will be combined with other similar scholarships which will alter how they are currently awarded. Some of the potential drawbacks include:



• Less funds for your student (analysts have predicted a reduction of $700-$2000 per student)
• Quarterly payments (instead of an award that can be used from the beginning of the school year)
• Potential waitlist because it will be combined with other scholarships that serve students that don't have the same needs and will allow siblings to also qualify. Both students deserve to be successful but our students with more significant needs will be competing against students who need less support for limited dollars.

Even if you are not a current recipient of either of these scholarships, it may have an impact on what choices could be available to your child in the future. 

PLEASE TAKE ACTION

TODAY!

PARENTS MUST SPEAK OUT

if you want to keep these scholarships safe.

Advocate for your child TODAY!

Have questions? Contact Camille Gardiner for more information.

About the Gardiner scholarship.

The Gardiner Scholarship program helps parents individualize the educational plans for their children with certain unique abilities (including DS) by allowing them to direct money toward a combination of programs and approved providers. These include schools, therapists, specialists, curriculum and technology.   

Click here for more information.

About the McKay scholarship.

The McKay Scholarship Program offers parents public and private school choice. A parent of an eligible student with unique abilities may choose to transfer the student to another public school or a private school. 

Click here for more information.

What do these programs provide?

Both of these programs allocate a portion of the funds dedicated to that student by the Department of Education to be used as a scholarship. The amount is determined by their matrix score and school district.

Board of Directors

Lorin Anderson Christine Bancalari

John Chiorando Carrie Eisnaugle

Camille Gardiner   Viki Kelchner

  Tina Mundelein  

www.DSFFlorida.org