Gardiner Scholarship Program

Secures Historic K-12 Per-Student Funding; Expands Gardiner Scholarship Program

Governor Rick Scott today signed HB 3A to secure the highest per-student K-12 funding in state history. This legislation increases funding by $100 per-student, for a total of $20.6 billion for K-12 public schools.
Governor Scott said, “I’m proud to continue our fight to increase funding for our K-12 schools and for legislation that truly benefits our students, teachers and families. Growing up, I was lucky to have the opportunity to achieve my goals thanks to a great public education. Our students are the future of our state and I’m incredibly proud to sign legislation today to ensure they have every opportunity for success. The additional $100 per-student, along with our expansion of the Gardiner Scholarship, allows even more Florida students to receive a world-class education and live their dreams in our state. I would like to thank Senate President Joe Negron and House Speaker Richard Corcoran for their hard work during the Special Session.”
More details from the Fighting for Florida’s Future Budget:
Following Governor Scott’s call for a Special Legislative Session on Education, the Legislature allocated more than $215 million for K-12 education than was previously authorized. With HB 3A, the Fighting for Florida’s Future Budget invests $20.6 billion in total funding, including $11.7 billion in state funding, for Florida’s K-12 public schools. This equates to $7,296 per-student, an increase of $100 per-student over the 2016-2017 budget. This is the highest total funding, state funding, and per-student funding for K-12 public schools in Florida’s history and will allow our schools and teachers to deliver results for our children.
Governor Scott continues to focus on ensuring that Florida’s children receive a quality education in K-12 public schools. Since the Governor took office, state funding for Florida’s K-12 public schools has increased by nearly $3 billion or 34 percent, from a total amount of $8.7 billion in Fiscal Year 2011-2012 to $11.7 billion in the 2017-2018 Fighting for Florida’s Future Budget.
Governor Scott also signed the following education bills into law today:
CS/CS/CS/HB 15 – Educational Options
This bill expands the Gardiner Scholarship Program for students with unique abilities. It also increases the scholarship amounts for the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program.
HB 781 – Designation of School Grades
This bill provides greater opportunities for K-3 schools to receive school recognition funding.
CS/CS/HB 989 – Instructional Materials
This bill allows greater public input and transparency in the K-12 instructional materials adoption process.
CS/HB 1109 – Private School Student Participation in Extracurricular Activities
This bill increases opportunities for private school students to participate in sports at public schools.
To view the transmittal letters, click HERE.