With new Hope scholarship, Scott continues to expand school choice

Gov. Rick Scott continued his push to expand school choice for parents in his eighth and final year.

Scott on March 11 signed HB 7055 into law. Part of the education package creates the Hope Scholarship Program for students who were bullied, subsidizing the cost of a private school.  Students can also be transferred to another public school in the district with the program. Students transferred to public schools outside their district can get up to $750 for transportation.

The Hope program is first-come, first-serve, and applies to any K-12 students who were bullied, hazed, physically attacked, sexually assaulted or harassed or threatened. In the 2015-2016 school year, there were over 47,000 reported incidents that would qualify for a Hope Scholarship from public school students.

When a bullying incident is reported to the school principal, that principal investigates to determine whether or not to report it to the Department of Education. After the initial report or after the investigation, the district must notify parents about the scholarship and give them the opportunity to transfer their student.

The scholarship lasts until a student returns to public school or graduates from private school. Depending on a student's age and grade, they can either get an scholarship amount of between 88 to 96 percent of the unweighted, full time equivalent of state funding for that year.

Scott made a promise in 2010 on his campaign website to expand school options. PolitiFact rated it Promise Kept in 2011 and 2016.

By creating a program that lets students leave a school where they have been harrassed, Scott has kept his promise of expanding school choice. We continue to rate this Promise Kept.