Vouchers to Special Needs Students
in the Atlanta Schools rejoiced this past week when Georiga Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship bill. Formerly known as Senate Bill 10, the proposed voucher plan has been watched closely by parents and educators in Atlanta Schools.
The law will use state funds to offer vouchers to parents of children with special needs in order to provide them with more appropriate school options. Atlanta Schools’ teacher, and parent of a child with autism, Linda Bryant Butler expressed her pleasure in a recent article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “…parents like me are ecstatic that we will now have a choice. If one school doesn’t work for Xavier during his 12-year academic career, I know he won’t be trapped. He will have the choice to seek a better education elsewhere,” she said.
Parents in Atlanta Schools and throughout the state will have the option of using vouchers to attend a different public school or a private school. In order for a child to be eligible, he or she must have a documented developmental disability (such as Autism or Tourette’s Syndrome) and have attended public school for at least one year. Estimates are that the program will provide $4,000 worth of vouchers in the first year, and that amount will increase to about $15,000 a year. Atlanta Schools’ educators are expressing some mixed feelings over the vouchers.
Proponents say that this is the only way Atlanta Schools can truly meet the needs of these exceptional learners. It simply isn’t possible to have a specialist for every disability at every school. They also point out that Atlanta Schools’ teachers already struggle to meet the needs of students without developmental delays.
Opponents express concern over both the standards of private schools, and the removal of funds from the public school sectors. Atlanta Schools receives government funding on a per pupil basis, and the loss of an additional $9,000 (the estimated average voucher payout) per student could weaken the abilities of the public schools.
Atlanta Schools have debated voucher programs, along with the rest of the nation, for years. But if the program is successful, Atlanta Schools may find itself copied around the country.
Not all Atlanta Schools’ parents with special needs children will opt for the program. If a child is successful at his current Atlanta School, no changes will be made. But if parents are interested in applying for the scholarship program they should visit the Georgia Department of Education website at http://www.doe.k12.ga.us and click on the link for the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship.
Susie
http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/vouchers-to-special-needs-students-748964.html
Federal Funds should not go to Private school vouchers, disagree or agree?
I personally don’t think a dime of our money should go to private schools. They are as they are, private.
People like to compare the results of private to public and since private schools generally achieve higher results here in America, they often forget a few facts.
Private and Public schools have TOTALLY different environments. Private schools have less disciplinary issues, and less students than Public schools. And because of less students, and different school schedules compared to public schools, private schools can generally teach at a desirable rate to the students — where as in public schools that luxury isn’t there. They have many students, many classes and have to get the lessons curriculum completed on a certain date, and can’t take the time to slow down.
Another thing compare other countries public schools to ours. What’s the difference? American public schools lag behind other industrialized nations public schools. The reason why is simple. We go to school less, we don’t challenge our students, bad legislation like No Child Left Behind act which basically threw special needs kids in a regular class room — and it cost billions and proven ineffective. Lets not forget because our tax dollars aren’t going where they’re suppose to and schools often pass students even when they failed because its cheaper.
20% of India’s students are Honors students, and that 20% is more than ALL the kids in the United States. South Korean and Japan have the BRIGHTEST kids in the entire world. Learning Geometry, trig, and many advanced courses before our kids learn here in America. France, UK, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and many others all excel past our public schools with their own.
I disagree with MY tax dollars going to vouchers to help parents put their kids in private schools. It would cause our public school systems to get less money, and the kids left in these schools will have less opportunities. Some schools may have to close down if to many decided to send their kids into private schools, and where will the lower income families put their children? Private schools are expensive these families couldn’t pay for it. If our tax dollars go to pay off thousands and thousands of vouchers, we’d ultimately be spending more on private schools.
I honestly see this as an attempt to get our kids in a religious teaching environment. More and more people are becoming secular and the best way to repopulate the next generations of church goers is to target our children.
Our constitution doesn’t protect our children in private schools as they do in public schools.
The folks supporting the vouching system are the same people against Public health care because it will "Limit" our options. These same exact people will ultimately limit our education options, its ironic.
John we may have different stances, but ultimately its the same.
I just don’t want my money going to help parents put their kids in private schools.
Andy — The constitution protects our kids from religious teachings in public schools. It does not apply to private schools. Which is exactly why our tax dollars shouldn’t go to fund something that would be unconstitutional in a public school.
I don’t want a dime of my money going to fund something that is against the constitution.
I agree
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disagree
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Disagree, if I have to pay taxes (my money) I want a choice of where to send my kids!
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Count yourself lucky. In Australia we dont have vouchers and private religious schools still get subsidies from the government! I dont want my taxes funding religion
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the problem I have with private school is… they pick and choose the best kids… and then "brag" about how great their scores are?
if private schools want to provide the same standards as public school… mandatory space for all kids that want to attend… and they look after the needs of special education children up to gov. standards…
then they can have gov. money…
they won’t do that though, because they couldn’t make any money that way… just like public schools don’t make money…
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I think that it should be allowed. There is no Constitutional mandate for funding the federal auspice of federal public schools. Anyone with a brain will put their kids in private school. But not retarded charter schools who make their own rules.
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I agree. If they accept money from the government then they usually must comply with certain government educational requirements or teach a certain curriculum. Private school is outside the BS they teach in public school and I’d hope to keep it that way.
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Agree – don’t become like Australia where its been abused and Kings Grammar walks away with $10million from public funding for a another football oval – its sick.
I am for public and private education but if you go down this road it will be abused by some political parties (tories) when they get in power.
NB: The only way I would agree to it is if the private schools took a large % of non-paying students including the ‘problem’ students out of the public schools rather than remove those children from there schools into the public system.
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I agree. What would be good is to have more charter schools that rely on both public and private money but are open to all students. They tend to have smaller classes and, more importantly, have parent and student "buy in". Although parents don’t have to pay, they often have to sign an agreement to participate in school events, helping their child with homework, getting them to school on time, etc.
Also, many private schools are secular. I teach at a small private hs that is focused on the arts but also rigorous college prep. and is acutally quite a liberal alternative school. We offer a fair amount of scholarship money to students that can’t afford the tuition.
There are a lot of options other than vouchers which, I agree, would just bleed money away from the public schools and probably would not even cover most of the tuition. In my area the private high school tuitions range from about 13,000 to 28,000 per year.
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Am tired so I couldn’t read all of your posting. I won’t be checking my spelling; could prove to be a bit of an oxy moron.
But: I was in a teacher training program a few years ago. Clearly the teacher students were interested in a guaranteed salary and taking advantage of all of the potential time off. They had the analytical skills of 9th graders from 20 years ago. They were being pushed along with testing that was questionable, just to get more teachers in the system.
There needs to be an open market-place in education. America is 27th if not worse in math and science; where all the jobs are projected.
The system is and has been in continual decline, since women’s "liberation" bega and since teaching became a "profession" that paid a "living" wage. Before husbands had the primary incomes and women took teaching jobs because they loved to teach. When ed was great it was maintained by people who loved to teach.
Now we have a population of uneducated trying to teach the next generation. We need to have competition and accountability.
We need a way to weed out the paracites and the incompetent (spell?).
Statistics show that foreign countries out
perform while they have larger classes, teach two languages, spend far less, have kids in school longer, and much more, or worse.
If we have to improve education with vouchers from the federal government in order to insure that kids receive an education, then I think, so be it.
By the way, I decided to get the hell out of that that teaching program. I decided to stay away from the government controlled and failed education system. If they introduced vouchers and competitive education practices, I might decide to teach kids – how to think.
P.S.: I would not worry about teaching them how to memorize, or how to spell!
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http://home.att.net/~mwhodges/education.htm
Grandfather’s economic report
I agree.
I think government is doing a miserable job educating our children.
I don’t want anymore of my money going to that failed system.
You admit that private schools have fewer problems than public schools.
That’s because people are paying for results. No results, no money.
Instead you think we should continue to throw money down a hole rather than pick what works better for our children.
In a private system, bad teachers and administrators are canned instead of living on in perpetuity in the public sector.
It would be more affordable if we weren’t forced to waste thousands more per child in a system that isn’t working.
We are always told that education is underfunded while private schools do a better job with less cost per student.
I pay for public schools in taxes and I have to pay for a private school because our public schools are ranked near the bottom.
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I think it is ok. The person they are giving the money to pays taxes also. If they are in a bad area, and the school system sucks. Id rather my money go into a good school system than one that is subpar.
It’s possible the Good school lead the student to a better paying job,
that will in return be taxed.
YOur right, constitution protects your kids from religous teachings in public schools, the same constitution protects your children to the freedom of religion.
If this school however is leaving out history in class to avoid Saying the Word Christian, then that is a bad education anyway. Untruthful.
How can you leave out History of Christianity, and Muslims, and even older more ancient religons that were soul reasons for a lot of wars.
Private schools dont have to be Christian.
AS well Christians Schools Pray, they do not have Bible Study. It’s a school, not a Church. Children can pray if they want to. Which is there constitutional Right, that current school system strips away.
Christians school dont require you to be a Christian, they just let know
that a certain code of behavior is a lot more enforced.
There is nothing in the constition thats a Child cannot pray in school.
Or where a religous symbol.
I dont know what country your talking about, Our kids go to school all day because it is a Baby sitting service. They think they can teach kids better in the same format they do in college. Every other day, would give the students less students per teacher, A few states tried to do this but it got shot down, because like I Said our school system is a Baby sitting systems more importantly than a good education, so the parents can work.
Were not lagging behind in education, we pay more for education than anyone else does, our kids lack the discipline, and there is no parent involvement, Some parents are lazy and expect the School to do all the work. A baby sitting System is all we have, not a school system.
You dont want a dime of you money not going into things not in the constitution then you should be a Republican, because Obamas first day in office signed a Bill to pay for Abortions in other countries.
Nothing in our constitution about Cash for Clunkers, bailing the banks and walstreet, or Government right to compete.
You must really hate our government if you belive in the COnstitution.
and only support what is in it.
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THe same people for vouchers are against Health Care, no one is against Health Care reform just against tha trillion dollar reform.
And Do you think the kids that used to go to the Same School as Obama’s kids now go to, were agaisnt Free health care.
Obama, not the Mayor got rid of vouchers in DC, those parents were parents of poor kids. Probably also wanted free health care.
There are many reasons why I do not believe in vouchers. You want a short answer?
1) Vouchers do not pay for the whole tuition, just part. Additionally, they do not pay for all the other things at a private school requires; transportation and materials being the main costs.
2)Vouchers do not ensure that every child will go to a good school. Voucher schools can pick and choose the children they want. Children with physical, learning and behavior problems, to name just a few, are routinely not accepted into private schools.
3) Vouchers can go to schools without certified teachers. They can also go to schools that teach children to dislike, hate, or fear people that are not of their religion.
4) There is no evidence, besides anecdotal ones, that children who attend voucher schools actually test better or go on to college at a greater rate. For scientifically based evidence on this statement see http://www.montessorianswers.com/voucher-articles.html
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Now to Instigator: Obviously you posted what you said to upset people, for what you stated is completely untrue and unrealistic. Are you actually trying to tell me that the only people who should be teachers are dependent women? Every male head of the household teacher should be fired, and every female teacher who is either single and supporting herself, or is in a relationship with someone who can’t support the family on their income, should leave the profession? We already have a teacher shortage, where are we going to get all of these dependent, yet highly competent, housewives who want to practically volunteer their time? And, where are they at this moment? Why aren’t they working in our schools now? If they don’t want the :"gobs" of money they will make as a teacher, they could always donate it. Are they waiting for the pay to become non-existent? If teachers’ pay actually decreases even more than it has already, do you really think that highly qualified and dedicated housewives will start flooding the personnel office of their local public school? Better yet, do you think they will start flooding the personnel office of the school on the other side of town that serves second language, low income, minority children? Or the school that serves the children of gang bangers and meth addicts?
More so, just because a woman is married to a man who can support her, (and how many are in this day and age?), what’s to say that they are really capable of understanding or imparting knowledge? I worked in the private sector for years. Many times I was the only non-mother teacher, and therefore the only person who had a teaching diploma or even a college degree! At one school,where people like you assumed that since all the teachers were mothers who were "teaching" at the school to make money for their families to go to Hawaii on vacation, they lined up to pay through the nose to put their children in the school. Yet I was the only teacher who had a HS diploma! My job was to give spelling tests. I remember walking into a second grade classroom and the teacher, the mother of a 5th grader in the school, being flustered because she couldn’t find the list of sentences for the spelling words. When I told her that I would just make up my own sentences, she was leery, "You sure? Thems got lots of hard words in them, like them words that sounds the sames." (hear/here, for/four, …)
Additionally, are you trying to tell me that a woman, after her husband dies, divorces her, or looses his job, should quit teaching because she now needs to bring in money? Don’t think it could happen?
Read this article, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124571307025838989.html
If we really want better teachers, we need to create teacher training programs that require a strong foundation in all academic subjects, then pay our best and brightest a comparative wadge.
To name a few sources for my post….
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/studies/2006461.pdf
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2008/0804.anrig.html
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/education/20090409_Study__District-run_Phila__schools_top_manager-run_ones.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226093423.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/28/AR2008062801637.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/16/AR2008061602537.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE50D7CY20090114
There is one thing that improves anything, whether its cars, planes, corn flakes, yogurt, ice cream, smoked sausage or education: COMPETITION.
Since most states fund education with property taxes, I believe that parents should receive vouchers to use to send their child to the school of their choice. Property owners who don’t have children still fund the public schools.
The union/state controlled schools prefer having a monopoly so they naturally oppose the idea of vouchers. Its no different than having one state-owned automobile manufacturer. Having no competition all but guarantees a substandard product.
A little web research finds that New York spends the most money per pupil ($15,981.00) while Utah spends the least ($5,683.00). A ranking of public schools by state finds Vermont ($12,805.00) at # 1 and Arizona # 50 with New York # 16.
Obviously there are other factors which must be taken into account when ranking schools by performance but there is no apparent correlation between spending levels and school performance. Washington, D.C. ranks near the top in per pupil spending and near the bottom in school performance.
Have you noticed that approximately 80% of urban African-Americans support school vouchers? They know that the union/state monopoly schools are failures and they want their children in successful schools.
You don’t see Obama’s daughters enrolled in the D.C. public schools do you? Yet he opposes vouchers which would allow poor African-Americans to have the same opportunity as his daughters.
Provide parents with vouchers and watch the public schools either come up to the standards of private schools or fail. Competition is a good thing.
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