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Key Senators Say “NO” to Special Needs Voucher Bill
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 24, 2014
On January 21st, Senators Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa) and Alberta Darling (R–River Hills), and Representatives Dean Knudson (R–Hudson) and John Jagler (R–Watertown) unveiled a revamped special needs voucher bill that would offer special needs students who have been denied open enrollment a taxpayer-funded voucher (reportedly worth up to about $14,000) to attend another school district, a charter school or a private school.
Key GOP state senators immediately signaled that the bill would not move forward in the Senate. Senate President Mike Ellis (R–Neenah) said the bill was not a priority for him and staff for Senator Luther Olsen, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee (R–Ripon) announced that Olsen was not interested in making the bill law in Wisconsin. Of particular concern to these senators was the recent case of LifeSkills Academy, a poor-performing Milwaukee voucher school recently closed by its operators. The operators then turned around and opened a voucher school in Florida supported by that state’s special needs voucher program.
The School Administrators Alliance (SAA) has long opposed special needs voucher legislation, and we join advocates for disabled children in their opposition to this legislation. It is important to note that no statewide disability group in Wisconsin has endorsed special needs vouchers. In response to the new bill draft, Disability Rights Wisconsin, and Stop Special Needs Vouchers both expressed their strong opposition.
Consider the following:
- Special needs vouchers take tax dollars out of public schools, hurting students who remain in those schools. Under this bill draft, the voucher would be funded as a first draw on the general school aids that would otherwise be payable to all school districts receiving general aid in the state. And because local school districts are allowed to levy property taxes to cover the reduction in state aid, this bill could result in higher local property taxes.
- Voucher schools are not required to employ special education teachers or therapists, and have no obligation to meet a student’s specific needs.
- Families who use a special needs voucher to send their child to a private school would give up their child’s rights and protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including the right to an enforceable Individualized Education Program (IEP. As Lisa Pugh of Disability Rights Wisconsin said in response to this bill draft, “We haven’t seen support for real accountability in the private school sector that would ensure that students with disabilities would be protected.”
Even though key state senators have signaled the bill will not move forward in their house, it does appear that the bill will receive a public hearing in February. The SAA will keep members informed of these developments so we can emphatically express our opposition to this proposal. Stay tuned.
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