ESA Family Rescue Fund announced for school choice families
This article was originally published by WSPA.
(WSPA) – Palmetto Promise Institue announced that a donor has offered to fund students impacted by the decision of the SC Supreme Court to disallow the usage of Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) funds only for tuition and fees at private schools.
President & CEO Wendy Damron stated that families were devastated that their ESTF school choice scholarships wouldn’t be funded for the entire 2024-2025 school year after the Supreme Court decision.
“Over the last few weeks, our hearts have been broken by the stories of the low-income families who had settled into new schools that better fit their children only to have their scholarships ripped away in the middle of the school year,” Damron said.
“But we have good news. I am pleased to announce that Palmetto Promise Institute will be able to fund ESTF scholarships for school tuition though the end of the calendar year due to the generosity of Jeff Yass, a Pennsylvania businessman and philanthropist who is a strong believer in the power of school choice options to change lives.”
The funds will be available for students currently attending a private school under the ESTF program. Damron stated that more details will follow in the coming days.
SC Superintendent Ellen Weaver shared the following statement:
I am profoundly grateful for this enormous gift of hope for students left out in the cold by the Supreme Court majority’s flawed decision. This donation serves as a vital bridge of continuity for beleaguered ESTF families. I remain committed to working with the Governor and the General Assembly to urgently restore this worthy program to full impact, and I pray that even more generous donors will be inspired to stand in the gap for these children until then.
State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver
Damron said the organization is continuing to accept donations.
100 percent of the donation will go to pay ESTF families’ school tuition. There’s also an opportunity to sponsor a student for spring for $3,000.
To donate, visit palmettopromise.org/donate and designate the donation to the ESA Families Rescue Fund.
