On May 11, 2021, Governor DeSantis signed House Bill 7045 into law, resulting in several changes to the state's K-12 scholarship programs, including an extensive expansion of the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program. 

FES UA Educational Savings Account (ESA) Option 

Effective July 1, 2022, the McKay Scholarship Program will join the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program under the Unique Abilities category. For information on the transition process, see McKay transition to FES: FAQs. 

This branch of the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program is designed to offer families of students with disabilities, as young as 3 years of age, access to additional education options. Families may choose to enroll their student in another public school, or they may take the opportunity to receive a personal education savings account (ESA) for their student. With an ESA, parents receive a deposit of public funds into government-authorized savings accounts with restricted, but multiple, uses. An ESA can be used to fund not only items such as private school tuition and fees, but also online learning programs, private tutoring, community college costs, higher education expenses and other approved customized learning services and materials. Families apply and annually renew for participation in FES UA through one of the approved SFOs, which are responsible for determining eligibility, awarding, and distributing funding to eligible student accounts, and approving eligible expenditures.  

*Please note that for funding to be disbursed under this option, the student must first be withdrawn from the Florida public school system. *  

Click this link for more information or to apply for the FES UA ESA Option: https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/k-12-scholarship-programs/fes/ 

FES UA Public School Choice Option   

Each year beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, parents will receive information about the FES UA Program, including our district’s public school choice option, at the time of their child’s annual IEP.   

For Public School Choice options for the upcoming school year (not related to FES-UA public option), you may apply during an open School Choice application window. To learn more about Reassignment, Magnet, or Nova options through School Choice, visit https://www.browardschools.com/Page/52733.

For questions or more information regarding the FES UA Public School Choice Option, please email fes-ua@browardschools.com. Be sure to include your child’s Broward student ID# beginning with 06, or their first and last name and date of birth.