JACKSON — The Mississippi Department of Education is urging parents to submit applications quickly for new special education vouchers.
A law passed by the Legislature this year creates scholarships worth $6,500 apiece in the first year.
Families can use the public money to pay for private school tuition, tutoring or other educational services outside the public schools.
The department is urging parents to submit applications between July 1, when the law takes effect, and July 10. Spokeswoman Patrice Guilfoyle said that’s meant to make sure the department can verify eligibility before school starts.
Grant Callen, the head of Empower Mississippi, which supported the plan, criticized the short application window Tuesday, saying 10 days isn’t enough time for a parent to obtain an application and the supporting documents required and mail it in. He said it could take parents 45 days to get a copy of their student’s individualized education plan from a school district.
Students must have had such a plan within the last 18 months to be eligible to apply. Parents must agree to not enroll students in a public school or home-school them, and agree to otherwise provide an “organized, appropriate” educational program.
Of the vouchers, half will be given out first-come, first served. After half are awarded, the department will hold a lottery for any remaining applicants. The program is supposed to grow by 500 students per year, eventually reaching 2,500. However, the department says that the $3 million the Legislature appropriated this year is only enough for 434 scholarships, once 6 percent is subtracted for administrative costs.
Callen said the law doesn’t allow any deadline until half the applications are submitted. Guilfoyle, though, says July 10 isn’t a deadline, just a suggestion meant to allow the department enough time to verify applications so students can start class on time in August. She said the department will continue to accept applications after then.
“We will process applications as they come in so that we can notify parents as quickly as possible even though state law allows for 21 days for a response,” Kim Benton, the department’s chief academic officer, said in a statement.
“As we receive applications that are incomplete or missing information, we will attempt to contact parents to inform them of missing information so they can have an opportunity to resubmit their applications.”
Callen also urged the department to post the application forms before July 1, so parents could start work.
“This is not something that couldn’t be fixed quickly,” Callen said. “This is still on track to be a great program.”
Supporters said the vouchers would offer aid to children whose needs are not being met by public schools. Opponents said vouchers would help too few of Mississippi’s nearly 66,500 special-needs students.
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