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AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2007 > February > 20 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USCritics contend vouchers could be abused
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A proposal to give disabled children state-funded scholarships to attend private or public schools of their choice is vulnerable to abuse, according to testimony today at a packed subcommittee hearing.
Senate Bill 10, which passed the Senate and is now in the House Education Committee, doesn’t require regular evaluations of students to determine if they still have the learning disability that made them eligible for the voucher.
The bill says a special needs scholarship will remain in force until the youngster graduates, returns to the resident school, or turns 21. Conceivably, a student who no longer has a disability could continue to use tax dollars to attend a private school.
“Kids with disabilities need to have their progress regularly monitored,” Ann Abramowitz, a psychology professor at Emory University, told the School Choice Subcommittee. “With this bill there’s no meaningful monitoring.”
Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah), the bill’s sponsor, said public schools, with their larger staffs, could do the evaluations for the private schools.
But critics of the bill said private schools should shoulder that responsibility.
“If public funding is to follow the student, then public accountability also should follow,” said Angela Palm, director of policy for the Georgia School Boards Association.
Not everyone who signed up to speak got a chance before the two-hour hearing concluded. It will continue Wednesday afternoon and could go into a third day.
Johnson estimates 9,300 students would use the vouchers, based on numbers from a similar voucher law in Florida. The size of the voucher would vary depending on the severity of the student’s disability, but the average amount would be about $9,000, Johnson said. Vouchers would be funded with money deducted from a school system’s state allotment.
Rep. David Casas (R-Lilburn) is sponsoring similar legislation, House Bill 199, and said he’s working with Johnson. “This is good legislation,” Casas told the subcommittee.
Abramowitz said neither bill seems to understand the nature of disabilities. “It assumes disability is permanent. That’s far from the truth,” she said.
Rep. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody) asked, where is the data that shows disabled students, separated from the general population, do better in school?
“I’m concerned at the end of the day why we’re doing this,” Millar said.
Jeff Hubbard, president of the Georgia Association of Educators, said instead of deducting state money from public schools, the Legislature should add money.
“We need the tools and resources from the Georgia General Assembly for schools to succeed,” Hubbard said.
But Jamie Self, vice president of public policy for the Georgia Family Council, a conservative advocacy group that favors the voucher legislation, said public schools can’t meet every child’s needs.
“There are cases where these children are not being very well served in the current system,” she said.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Education
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By waz
February 21, 2007 2:46 PM | Link to this
Jeff Hubbard’s comment. instead of deducting state money from public schools, the legislature should add money, is one of things that is wrong with our school system. They care more about the money than the children.
By Gail
February 21, 2007 3:02 PM | Link to this
I agree with waz. Some of these children (dare I say many) are not being served well in the public schools. Parents of special needs children need more options for their children.
By Dave
February 22, 2007 12:05 PM | Link to this
Georgia Association of Educators……. Hmmmmm……have you ever heard of a union that did not want more money?
Let’s think about the children for once.
By Amused
February 22, 2007 12:30 PM | Link to this
Ahh, Gail, Waz & Dave- members of the “Do more with less” brain trust. Obviously teachers think about the children instead of money-otherwise they’d be out in private employment making lots more money.
By Gil
March 2, 2007 10:52 AM | Link to this
I still can’t believe the reasoning that removing funding for public education somehow doesn’t hurt public education. An obscure early american patriot named Benjamin Franklin said that the singular achievement of american democracy was public education. Some folks it seems just want to do anything that gets the government to fund their effort to keep their kind of people from having to rub elbows with regular folks.