SB 2594 Summary

• Extends the Education Scholarship Account (ESA) program for students with special needs by changing the automatic repeal date from July 1, 2030 to July 1, 2024, and removes the requirement that the program operate as a five-year pilot.

• Requires that ESA funds be used only for qualifying expenses incurred within the awarded school year, and mandates that computer hardware and software purchased with ESA funds be donated to a public school or library once a student is no longer eligible.

• Changes the waitlist system from random selection to chronological order, awarding ESA applications in the order applications are received rather than through a random selection process.

• Removes the Department of Education's authority to contract with nonprofit organizations to administer the ESA program, making it a direct state administration program.

• Requires eligible schools to provide parents with school achievement records and capacity details, mandate student pre and post-assessments, notify parents that participation waives the right to free and appropriate public education from home school districts, and submit student performance data to the Department at the end of each school year.