Comments on: AZ Supreme Court Strikes Down Vouchers for Disabled Kids. I'm Torn.

By: RicciBx

RicciBx — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:38:14 +0000

Many like minded liberals have struggled with this issue. I have come to embrace charter schools/vouchers as a progressive position. Forcing students into failing school where they will be forever behind the priviledged students is not a liberal position. Here in NYC their was a report today that hundreds of A+ students are going to be assigned to failing schools because of the seat shortage. That is not progress

By: Ecki

Ecki — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:13:24 +0000

I’ll be honest, I’m trying to get Kayla into a private special education school. We’re in a rural district and I talked to the mom who has the FIRST kid with Down syndrome EVER to attend the school. She’s in Kindy and VERY high-functioning. And the local school has NO clue what to do with her. So if they can’t figure that kid out, there is NO WAY they are going to know what to do with my super low functioning kid with Down syndrome AND autism.

Our district doesn’t have a voucher program, but since they know they are ill equipped to appropriately meet the needs of special needs kids, they often ship kids out to either the county special ed school or a private school for extreme cases. And personally I think my kid is extreme.

That’s probably why the special ed budget makes up more than 1/3 of our district’s instructional budget. You’d think it would be cheap to make the effort to keep them in-district. But that would require work and a change in thinking, neither of which I expect any time soon, even though the superintendent is a speech therapist and former special ed teacher.

By: latishaspring

latishaspring — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:10:32 +0000

i struggle so hard with this decision though it is still 4 years away and im in the kyrene district. i want to support public school so badly but i’m still drawn to the cool art driven montessori style charter and private schools.

do you decide based on your principles or your children’s well being and are they really separated?

By: maya

maya — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:55:10 +0000

Very interesting post. You’ve humanized a complicated issue nicely.

I am so jealous that you have frozen yogurt with Sophie’s teacher! I drink in the notes from Leo’s teacher in his little communication book with such hunger for (any) information

I hope Sophie wasn’t sick for the rodeo and that Annabelle is feeling better.

By: starrlife

starrlife — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:51:32 +0000

Come on to Brattleboro,V T! Our elementary schools are great! We do have a Montessori School but they seem to only want non-disabled kids born to Doctors. We have an excellent Catholic School but I have “issues” with that. Our daughter is mainstreamed, has been since pre-school and she is definitely one of the better behaved and personable kids. We have a choice of 3 elementary schools in our district, all small and each with a certain specialty for special needs kids (one with lots of technology for the higher needs, one with general mainstream, one with a specific class setting for higher kids with language delays). Every day I feel lucky to be here. Thanks for reminding me how hard it is elsewhere again.
(Not meant to rub it in, just to invite you!)