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Pennsylvania State Senate
04/18/2024 09:25 PM
Pennsylvania State Senate
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20150&cosponId=19041
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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2015 - 2016 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: September 29, 2015 11:59 AM
From: Senator Ryan P. Aument
To: All Senate members
Subject: Education Savings Accounts
 
In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that will allow parents of special education students to direct funding to the schools, courses, programs, and services that best meet the needs of their children.

There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to education for students, especially for those with special needs. Public policy can better reflect this by allowing parents of children with disabilities to customize their learning experience to meet their specific needs.

To that end, my proposal seeks to establish an Education Savings Account Program for special education students in Pennsylvania.

Specifically, my bill would allow students with an individual education plan or 504 accommodation plan to utilize 90% of the state aid, which would otherwise have been provided to the resident school district, for qualifying expenses to educate the eligible students. This portion of the state aid would be deposited into an Education Savings Account (ESA) for an eligible student who is mentally handicapped, speech and language impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, visually impaired, dual sensory impaired, physically impaired, emotionally handicapped, specific learning disabled or hospitalized or homebound because of illness or disability into an education savings account.

The funds deposited into the ESA may only be used for qualifying educational expenses that include, but are not limited to:
  • Tuition and fees at a participating private school
  • Textbooks required by a participating school
  • Payment to a licensed or accredited tutor
  • Payment for the purchase of curriculum
  • Tuition or fees for a nonpublic online learning program
  • Contribution to the eligible student’s qualified tuition program
  • Education Services from a licensed or accredited practitioner or provider
  • Tuition and Fees at an eligible postsecondary institution
  • Costs associated with industry certification
  • Contract services with a public school
My proposal would also allow parents to use unspent funds for higher education expenses. By allowing parents to utilize this unspent money, my legislation would create an incentive for parents to judge all K-12 service expenses not only on quality but also on cost. ESA’s create a personal approach to education by allowing parents to plan for their child’s unique needs where the ultimate goal is maximizing each child’s natural learning abilities.

My proposal also contains important financial and academic accountability and transparency provisions for the Department of Education, participating education providers, and parents.

Our children, particularly those with learning disabilities, have unique needs. Parents, regardless of socio-economic status, should be able to choose the best academic options for their children whether those options are traditional public schools, private, public charter, public cyber charter or home schools. Education is first and foremost the responsibility of the family. Our public policy should reflect that.

Arizona and Florida currently have ESA programs in place while half a dozen states are expected to consider legislation to create similar programs in the coming months.

Please join me in co-sponsoring this proposal to ensure students with special needs receive the education and services that best meet their unique needs.