Re:Florida has vouchers too...

[Guest guest]

Excellent points Nagla and I could not agree with you more--- Here is an

alternative view to the Manhattan Institute....It is from the Disablities Rights

and Education Defense Fund...

For Immediate Release:

Thursday, March 6, 2003

Contact: Duckett/ Richter (PFAWF)

Epstein (DREDF) , ext. 241

Florida's Disability Voucher Program Fails to Protect Interests of Students,

Parents and Taxpayers Cited as Model for IDEA Reform, Florida's McKay Program

Rife With Stories of Financial Abuse, Compromised Services

WASHINGTON -As Congress prepares to reauthorize the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), supporters of private-school vouchers are

touting a little-known Florida program as a model for improving special

education. Pro-voucher forces are also backing bills in at least four states -

Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii and Oklahoma - that would create programs

patterned after Florida's 1999 McKay voucher law. One of the McKay law's most

enthusiastic promoters has dubbed the program the " Florida Miracle, " but a

report released today debunks this myth, raising serious concerns about

financial abuse and the law's impact on parents' rights and special education

services.

The new report, Jeopardizing a Legacy: A Closer Look at IDEA and Florida's

Disability Voucher Program, is co-authored by People For the American Way

Foundation (PFAWF) and the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF).

The report examines the three-year experience of the McKay vouchers and

concludes that the Florida program " is an Educational Edsel - a cynical 'model'

that would only lead the nation's parents, students and teachers down a

dangerous path. "

Jeopardizing a Legacy notes that the program sacrifices key legal rights that

parents would otherwise have under IDEA, lacks financial or academic

accountability to parents and taxpayers, and drains critical funds from public

schools. Jeopardizing a Legacy is available at: DREDF.ORG

IDEA guarantees a " free appropriate public education " to every student with a

disability. But the future of this commitment, covering 6.5 million children,

will be shaped directly by the course of reform. Last summer, the President's

Commission on Excellence in Special Education recommended that IDEA be

reauthorized with a private-school voucher provision. Last month, Education

Secretary Rod Paige embraced this recommendation. Many voucher supporters have

cited Florida's McKay program as a model for IDEA. As Jeopardizing a Legacy

explains, however, McKay vouchers have drained millions of tax dollars from

public schools, undermined the rights of parents and failed to hold private

schools accountable. Leaders of the two organizations that co-authored the

report echoed many of the concerns raised by Jeopardizing a Legacy.

" Florida officials have taken an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach to the

McKay vouchers, and we're seeing the serious consequences that this lack of

oversight is having on children with disabilities, " said PFAWF President Ralph

G. Neas.

" Voucher programs offer just one more way for public schools to exclude and

fail to serve students with disabilities, " said Arlene B. Mayerson, Directing

Attorney for DREDF. " Rather than being empowered with choices, parents will once

again find themselves with no place to turn to get an appropriate education for

their children. "

Among the key findings from Jeopardizing a Legacy are:

The McKay program contains flimsy standards for participating private schools.

While Florida grades its public schools based on a strict set of standards and

ties funding to these grades, private schools receiving tax dollars through

McKay are not graded, not obligated to hire certified staff, and not required to

test all special education students. For-profit schools that accept voucher

dollars may well be encouraged to hire the least costly staff.

Even though they receive public tax dollars, McKay private schools are not

being held accountable to parents and taxpayers. A number of McKay schools have

been accused of falsifying state applications, failing to provide needed therapy

and other student services, or other misdeeds. One McKay school, for example,

changed its address at least four times during the school year and was cited for

safety and health code violations.

Parents who accept McKay vouchers effectively sacrifice critical rights and

services that are guaranteed by IDEA. While parents can take legal action

against a public school to uphold these rights and services, participating McKay

private schools are not required to abide by IDEA rules ensuring parents' due

process rights, appropriate evaluations of students, and other rights.

Incredibly, even though a student must have an Individualized Education Plan

(IEP) to be eligible for McKay vouchers, the private school that accepts such a

student is not required to follow the terms of the student's IEP - even though

the U.S. Department of Education has called an IEP " the cornerstone of a quality

education for each child with a disability. "

The parental " choice " touted by McKay supporters is significantly limited by a

variety of factors. Under McKay, participating private schools are free to

discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, or type of disability. Private

school options also depend largely on where a family happens to reside. One out

of three Florida counties have no more than a single, approved participating

private school. Finally, tuition and other fees can limit choice. Last school

year, more than eight out of 10 McKay parents had to pay some out-of-pocket

amount to private schools that wasn't covered by their vouchers.

McKay vouchers drain critical funds from public schools. The program's costs

have escalated rapidly and have financially punished Florida public schools.

McKay's costs are expected to reach an estimated $56 million this year, more

than the program cost during its first three years combined. About 9,000

students with disabilities are participating in the McKay program this school

year.

Parents of Florida's 350,000 students with disabilities who currently attend

public schools are eligible to apply for a McKay voucher. The size of this

market has spawned a number of new private schools that have been created

virtually overnight to gain access to state tax dollars through McKay. The state

knows very little about the nearly 550 private schools that are eligible to

receive voucher payments.

According to Jeopardizing a Legacy, some groups advocating special education

vouchers for IDEA or other states may be driven by other goals. These

organizations have attacked the cost of special education or cited vouchers as a

way to cut or limit costs. One pro-voucher group has even urged states to refuse

IDEA funding as a way to get around the law's mandates. While backers of

disability vouchers have pointed to the need for more parental " choice, " a

nonpartisan Public Agenda survey found last year that nearly seven out of 10

parents reported that public school teachers and other staff offered " real

choices and options for my child. "

[Guest guest]

And again, round in circles... This is exactly what happened during the Senate

hearing on

school choice. Folks would bring their data and then someone else would come

back with

their data - " I don't believe your data, my data is better, your data is flawed,

I can't trust

your data, who funded your data... " so we end up moving neither forwards or

backwards... It is absolutely tiresome.

Liz

>

> Excellent points Nagla and I could not agree with you more--- Here is an

alternative

view to the Manhattan Institute....It is from the Disablities Rights and

Education Defense

Fund...

>

>

> For Immediate Release:

> Thursday, March 6, 2003

> Contact: Duckett/ Richter (PFAWF)

> Epstein (DREDF) , ext. 241

> Florida's Disability Voucher Program Fails to Protect Interests of

Students, Parents and

Taxpayers Cited as Model for IDEA Reform, Florida's McKay Program Rife With

Stories of

Financial Abuse, Compromised Services

> WASHINGTON -As Congress prepares to reauthorize the Individuals with

Disabilities

Education Act (IDEA), supporters of private-school vouchers are touting a

little-known

Florida program as a model for improving special education. Pro-voucher forces

are also

backing bills in at least four states - Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii and

Oklahoma - that

would create programs patterned after Florida's 1999 McKay voucher law. One of

the

McKay law's most enthusiastic promoters has dubbed the program the " Florida

Miracle, "

but a report released today debunks this myth, raising serious concerns about

financial

abuse and the law's impact on parents' rights and special education services.

> The new report, Jeopardizing a Legacy: A Closer Look at IDEA and Florida's

Disability

Voucher Program, is co-authored by People For the American Way Foundation

(PFAWF) and

the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF). The report examines the

three-

year experience of the McKay vouchers and concludes that the Florida program " is

an

Educational Edsel - a cynical 'model' that would only lead the nation's parents,

students

and teachers down a dangerous path. "

> Jeopardizing a Legacy notes that the program sacrifices key legal rights

that parents

would otherwise have under IDEA, lacks financial or academic accountability to

parents

and taxpayers, and drains critical funds from public schools. Jeopardizing a

Legacy is

available at: DREDF.ORG

> IDEA guarantees a " free appropriate public education " to every student with

a

disability. But the future of this commitment, covering 6.5 million children,

will be shaped

directly by the course of reform. Last summer, the President's Commission on

Excellence

in Special Education recommended that IDEA be reauthorized with a private-school

voucher provision. Last month, Education Secretary Rod Paige embraced this

recommendation. Many voucher supporters have cited Florida's McKay program as a

model

for IDEA. As Jeopardizing a Legacy explains, however, McKay vouchers have

drained

millions of tax dollars from public schools, undermined the rights of parents

and failed to

hold private schools accountable. Leaders of the two organizations that

co-authored the

report echoed many of the concerns raised by Jeopardizing a Legacy.

> " Florida officials have taken an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach to the

McKay

vouchers, and we're seeing the serious consequences that this lack of oversight

is having

on children with disabilities, " said PFAWF President Ralph G. Neas.

> " Voucher programs offer just one more way for public schools to exclude and

fail to

serve students with disabilities, " said Arlene B. Mayerson, Directing Attorney

for DREDF.

" Rather than being empowered with choices, parents will once again find

themselves with

no place to turn to get an appropriate education for their children. "

> Among the key findings from Jeopardizing a Legacy are:

> The McKay program contains flimsy standards for participating private

schools. While

Florida grades its public schools based on a strict set of standards and ties

funding to

these grades, private schools receiving tax dollars through McKay are not

graded, not

obligated to hire certified staff, and not required to test all special

education students.

For-profit schools that accept voucher dollars may well be encouraged to hire

the least

costly staff.

> Even though they receive public tax dollars, McKay private schools are not

being held

accountable to parents and taxpayers. A number of McKay schools have been

accused of

falsifying state applications, failing to provide needed therapy and other

student services,

or other misdeeds. One McKay school, for example, changed its address at least

four

times during the school year and was cited for safety and health code

violations.

> Parents who accept McKay vouchers effectively sacrifice critical rights and

services that

are guaranteed by IDEA. While parents can take legal action against a public

school to

uphold these rights and services, participating McKay private schools are not

required to

abide by IDEA rules ensuring parents' due process rights, appropriate

evaluations of

students, and other rights. Incredibly, even though a student must have an

Individualized

Education Plan (IEP) to be eligible for McKay vouchers, the private school that

accepts such

a student is not required to follow the terms of the student's IEP - even though

the U.S.

Department of Education has called an IEP " the cornerstone of a quality

education for each

child with a disability. "

> The parental " choice " touted by McKay supporters is significantly limited by

a variety of

factors. Under McKay, participating private schools are free to discriminate on

the basis of

religion, gender, or type of disability. Private school options also depend

largely on where

a family happens to reside. One out of three Florida counties have no more than

a single,

approved participating private school. Finally, tuition and other fees can limit

choice. Last

school year, more than eight out of 10 McKay parents had to pay some

out-of-pocket

amount to private schools that wasn't covered by their vouchers.

> McKay vouchers drain critical funds from public schools. The program's costs

have

escalated rapidly and have financially punished Florida public schools. McKay's

costs are

expected to reach an estimated $56 million this year, more than the program cost

during

its first three years combined. About 9,000 students with disabilities are

participating in

the McKay program this school year.

> Parents of Florida's 350,000 students with disabilities who currently attend

public

schools are eligible to apply for a McKay voucher. The size of this market has

spawned a

number of new private schools that have been created virtually overnight to gain

access to

state tax dollars through McKay. The state knows very little about the nearly

550 private

schools that are eligible to receive voucher payments.

> According to Jeopardizing a Legacy, some groups advocating special education

vouchers for IDEA or other states may be driven by other goals. These

organizations have

attacked the cost of special education or cited vouchers as a way to cut or

limit costs. One

pro-voucher group has even urged states to refuse IDEA funding as a way to get

around

the law's mandates. While backers of disability vouchers have pointed to the

need for more

parental " choice, " a nonpartisan Public Agenda survey found last year that

nearly seven out

of 10 parents reported that public school teachers and other staff offered " real

choices and

options for my child. "

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Why is it tiresome? I thought the purpose of this list was to bring all

sides of an issue to the surface. , please correct me if I'm

wrong.

Tonya

Re:Florida has vouchers too...

And again, round in circles... This is exactly what happened during the

Senate hearing on

school choice. Folks would bring their data and then someone else would

come back with

their data - " I don't believe your data, my data is better, your data is

flawed, I can't trust

your data, who funded your data... " so we end up moving neither forwards

or

backwards... It is absolutely tiresome.

Liz

>

> Excellent points Nagla and I could not agree with you more--- Here is

an alternative

view to the Manhattan Institute....It is from the Disablities Rights and

Education Defense

Fund...

>

>

> For Immediate Release:

> Thursday, March 6, 2003

> Contact: Duckett/ Richter (PFAWF)

> Epstein (DREDF) , ext. 241

> Florida's Disability Voucher Program Fails to Protect Interests of

Students, Parents and

Taxpayers Cited as Model for IDEA Reform, Florida's McKay Program Rife

With Stories of

Financial Abuse, Compromised Services

> WASHINGTON -As Congress prepares to reauthorize the Individuals with

Disabilities

Education Act (IDEA), supporters of private-school vouchers are touting

a little-known

Florida program as a model for improving special education. Pro-voucher

forces are also

backing bills in at least four states - Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii

and Oklahoma - that

would create programs patterned after Florida's 1999 McKay voucher law.

One of the

McKay law's most enthusiastic promoters has dubbed the program the

" Florida Miracle, "

but a report released today debunks this myth, raising serious concerns

about financial

abuse and the law's impact on parents' rights and special education

services.

> The new report, Jeopardizing a Legacy: A Closer Look at IDEA and

Florida's Disability

Voucher Program, is co-authored by People For the American Way

Foundation (PFAWF) and

the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF). The report

examines the three-

year experience of the McKay vouchers and concludes that the Florida

program " is an

Educational Edsel - a cynical 'model' that would only lead the nation's

parents, students

and teachers down a dangerous path. "

> Jeopardizing a Legacy notes that the program sacrifices key legal

rights that parents

would otherwise have under IDEA, lacks financial or academic

accountability to parents

and taxpayers, and drains critical funds from public schools.

Jeopardizing a Legacy is

available at: DREDF.ORG

> IDEA guarantees a " free appropriate public education " to every student

with a

disability. But the future of this commitment, covering 6.5 million

children, will be shaped

directly by the course of reform. Last summer, the President's

Commission on Excellence

in Special Education recommended that IDEA be reauthorized with a

private-school

voucher provision. Last month, Education Secretary Rod Paige embraced

this

recommendation. Many voucher supporters have cited Florida's McKay

program as a model

for IDEA. As Jeopardizing a Legacy explains, however, McKay vouchers

have drained

millions of tax dollars from public schools, undermined the rights of

parents and failed to

hold private schools accountable. Leaders of the two organizations that

co-authored the

report echoed many of the concerns raised by Jeopardizing a Legacy.

> " Florida officials have taken an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach to

the McKay

vouchers, and we're seeing the serious consequences that this lack of

oversight is having

on children with disabilities, " said PFAWF President Ralph G. Neas.

> " Voucher programs offer just one more way for public schools to

exclude and fail to

serve students with disabilities, " said Arlene B. Mayerson, Directing

Attorney for DREDF.

" Rather than being empowered with choices, parents will once again find

themselves with

no place to turn to get an appropriate education for their children. "

> Among the key findings from Jeopardizing a Legacy are:

> The McKay program contains flimsy standards for participating private

schools. While

Florida grades its public schools based on a strict set of standards and

ties funding to

these grades, private schools receiving tax dollars through McKay are

not graded, not

obligated to hire certified staff, and not required to test all special

education students.

For-profit schools that accept voucher dollars may well be encouraged to

hire the least

costly staff.

> Even though they receive public tax dollars, McKay private schools are

not being held

accountable to parents and taxpayers. A number of McKay schools have

been accused of

falsifying state applications, failing to provide needed therapy and

other student services,

or other misdeeds. One McKay school, for example, changed its address at

least four

times during the school year and was cited for safety and health code

violations.

> Parents who accept McKay vouchers effectively sacrifice critical

rights and services that

are guaranteed by IDEA. While parents can take legal action against a

public school to

uphold these rights and services, participating McKay private schools

are not required to

abide by IDEA rules ensuring parents' due process rights, appropriate

evaluations of

students, and other rights. Incredibly, even though a student must have

an Individualized

Education Plan (IEP) to be eligible for McKay vouchers, the private

school that accepts such

a student is not required to follow the terms of the student's IEP -

even though the U.S.

Department of Education has called an IEP " the cornerstone of a quality

education for each

child with a disability. "

> The parental " choice " touted by McKay supporters is significantly

limited by a variety of

factors. Under McKay, participating private schools are free to

discriminate on the basis of

religion, gender, or type of disability. Private school options also

depend largely on where

a family happens to reside. One out of three Florida counties have no

more than a single,

approved participating private school. Finally, tuition and other fees

can limit choice. Last

school year, more than eight out of 10 McKay parents had to pay some

out-of-pocket

amount to private schools that wasn't covered by their vouchers.

> McKay vouchers drain critical funds from public schools. The program's

costs have

escalated rapidly and have financially punished Florida public schools.

McKay's costs are

expected to reach an estimated $56 million this year, more than the

program cost during

its first three years combined. About 9,000 students with disabilities

are participating in

the McKay program this school year.

> Parents of Florida's 350,000 students with disabilities who currently

attend public

schools are eligible to apply for a McKay voucher. The size of this

market has spawned a

number of new private schools that have been created virtually overnight

to gain access to

state tax dollars through McKay. The state knows very little about the

nearly 550 private

schools that are eligible to receive voucher payments.

> According to Jeopardizing a Legacy, some groups advocating special

education

vouchers for IDEA or other states may be driven by other goals. These

organizations have

attacked the cost of special education or cited vouchers as a way to cut

or limit costs. One

pro-voucher group has even urged states to refuse IDEA funding as a way

to get around

the law's mandates. While backers of disability vouchers have pointed to

the need for more

parental " choice, " a nonpartisan Public Agenda survey found last year

that nearly seven out

of 10 parents reported that public school teachers and other staff

offered " real choices and

options for my child. "

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Liz - you keep saying that you agree that dialogue and debate are essential -

but many times when someone posts an alternative view you knock them down with

quick little quibs...lets have a real honest debate without putting each other

down... What I find " tiresome " is the constant put downs in an attempt to

deflect a real dialogue...Many valid points have been raised and if you are

going to help initiate voucher legislation - you should at least be open to

valid concerns being raised by people that are just trying to think this thing

through and figure out what is best for all our children....There are some real

problems with other states' institution of this device to fund private school -

you should, at the very least, be open to a discussion of that with out

responses like the one below . Many people, including yourself, have said that

they are so saddened by the fracture in our own community over this issue, and

others. Respectful dialogue does not promote this

fracture, not listening and putting other views down does...if you find this

tiresome, you should just stop responding, particularly in this manner.

Is your truth the only truth?? Is it just your Data that people should

consider or should all sides be looked at before an initiative is undertaken

that affects all our children....

lizscillian wrote:

And again, round in circles... This is exactly what happened during

the Senate hearing on

school choice. Folks would bring their data and then someone else would come

back with

their data - " I don't believe your data, my data is better, your data is flawed,

I can't trust

your data, who funded your data... " so we end up moving neither forwards or

backwards... It is absolutely tiresome.

Liz

>

> Excellent points Nagla and I could not agree with you more--- Here is an

alternative

view to the Manhattan Institute....It is from the Disablities Rights and

Education Defense

Fund...

>

>

> For Immediate Release:

> Thursday, March 6, 2003

> Contact: Duckett/ Richter (PFAWF)

> Epstein (DREDF) , ext. 241

> Florida's Disability Voucher Program Fails to Protect Interests of Students,

Parents and

Taxpayers Cited as Model for IDEA Reform, Florida's McKay Program Rife With

Stories of

Financial Abuse, Compromised Services

> WASHINGTON -As Congress prepares to reauthorize the Individuals with

Disabilities

Education Act (IDEA), supporters of private-school vouchers are touting a

little-known

Florida program as a model for improving special education. Pro-voucher forces

are also

backing bills in at least four states - Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii and

Oklahoma - that

would create programs patterned after Florida's 1999 McKay voucher law. One of

the

McKay law's most enthusiastic promoters has dubbed the program the " Florida

Miracle, "

but a report released today debunks this myth, raising serious concerns about

financial

abuse and the law's impact on parents' rights and special education services.

> The new report, Jeopardizing a Legacy: A Closer Look at IDEA and Florida's

Disability

Voucher Program, is co-authored by People For the American Way Foundation

(PFAWF) and

the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF). The report examines the

three-

year experience of the McKay vouchers and concludes that the Florida program " is

an

Educational Edsel - a cynical 'model' that would only lead the nation's parents,

students

and teachers down a dangerous path. "

> Jeopardizing a Legacy notes that the program sacrifices key legal rights that

parents

would otherwise have under IDEA, lacks financial or academic accountability to

parents

and taxpayers, and drains critical funds from public schools. Jeopardizing a

Legacy is

available at: DREDF.ORG

> IDEA guarantees a " free appropriate public education " to every student with a

disability. But the future of this commitment, covering 6.5 million children,

will be shaped

directly by the course of reform. Last summer, the President's Commission on

Excellence

in Special Education recommended that IDEA be reauthorized with a private-school

voucher provision. Last month, Education Secretary Rod Paige embraced this

recommendation. Many voucher supporters have cited Florida's McKay program as a

model

for IDEA. As Jeopardizing a Legacy explains, however, McKay vouchers have

drained

millions of tax dollars from public schools, undermined the rights of parents

and failed to

hold private schools accountable. Leaders of the two organizations that

co-authored the

report echoed many of the concerns raised by Jeopardizing a Legacy.

> " Florida officials have taken an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach to the

McKay

vouchers, and we're seeing the serious consequences that this lack of oversight

is having

on children with disabilities, " said PFAWF President Ralph G. Neas.

> " Voucher programs offer just one more way for public schools to exclude and

fail to

serve students with disabilities, " said Arlene B. Mayerson, Directing Attorney

for DREDF.

" Rather than being empowered with choices, parents will once again find

themselves with

no place to turn to get an appropriate education for their children. "

> Among the key findings from Jeopardizing a Legacy are:

> The McKay program contains flimsy standards for participating private schools.

While

Florida grades its public schools based on a strict set of standards and ties

funding to

these grades, private schools receiving tax dollars through McKay are not

graded, not

obligated to hire certified staff, and not required to test all special

education students.

For-profit schools that accept voucher dollars may well be encouraged to hire

the least

costly staff.

> Even though they receive public tax dollars, McKay private schools are not

being held

accountable to parents and taxpayers. A number of McKay schools have been

accused of

falsifying state applications, failing to provide needed therapy and other

student services,

or other misdeeds. One McKay school, for example, changed its address at least

four

times during the school year and was cited for safety and health code

violations.

> Parents who accept McKay vouchers effectively sacrifice critical rights and

services that

are guaranteed by IDEA. While parents can take legal action against a public

school to

uphold these rights and services, participating McKay private schools are not

required to

abide by IDEA rules ensuring parents' due process rights, appropriate

evaluations of

students, and other rights. Incredibly, even though a student must have an

Individualized

Education Plan (IEP) to be eligible for McKay vouchers, the private school that

accepts such

a student is not required to follow the terms of the student's IEP - even though

the U.S.

Department of Education has called an IEP " the cornerstone of a quality

education for each

child with a disability. "

> The parental " choice " touted by McKay supporters is significantly limited by a

variety of

factors. Under McKay, participating private schools are free to discriminate on

the basis of

religion, gender, or type of disability. Private school options also depend

largely on where

a family happens to reside. One out of three Florida counties have no more than

a single,

approved participating private school. Finally, tuition and other fees can limit

choice. Last

school year, more than eight out of 10 McKay parents had to pay some

out-of-pocket

amount to private schools that wasn't covered by their vouchers.

> McKay vouchers drain critical funds from public schools. The program's costs

have

escalated rapidly and have financially punished Florida public schools. McKay's

costs are

expected to reach an estimated $56 million this year, more than the program cost

during

its first three years combined. About 9,000 students with disabilities are

participating in

the McKay program this school year.

> Parents of Florida's 350,000 students with disabilities who currently attend

public

schools are eligible to apply for a McKay voucher. The size of this market has

spawned a

number of new private schools that have been created virtually overnight to gain

access to

state tax dollars through McKay. The state knows very little about the nearly

550 private

schools that are eligible to receive voucher payments.

> According to Jeopardizing a Legacy, some groups advocating special education

vouchers for IDEA or other states may be driven by other goals. These

organizations have

attacked the cost of special education or cited vouchers as a way to cut or

limit costs. One

pro-voucher group has even urged states to refuse IDEA funding as a way to get

around

the law's mandates. While backers of disability vouchers have pointed to the

need for more

parental " choice, " a nonpartisan Public Agenda survey found last year that

nearly seven out

of 10 parents reported that public school teachers and other staff offered " real

choices and

options for my child. "

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Is it an option to fund vouchers from a private source rather than

public education funds? That would be the optimal solution.

Nagla

> >

> > Excellent points Nagla and I could not agree with you more---

Here is an alternative

> view to the Manhattan Institute....It is from the Disablities

Rights and Education Defense

> Fund...

> >

> >

> > For Immediate Release:

> > Thursday, March 6, 2003

> > Contact: Duckett/ Richter (PFAWF)

> > Epstein (DREDF) , ext. 241

> > Florida's Disability Voucher Program Fails to Protect

Interests of Students, Parents and

> Taxpayers Cited as Model for IDEA Reform, Florida's McKay Program

Rife With Stories of

> Financial Abuse, Compromised Services

> > WASHINGTON -As Congress prepares to reauthorize the Individuals

with Disabilities

> Education Act (IDEA), supporters of private-school vouchers are

touting a little-known

> Florida program as a model for improving special education. Pro-

voucher forces are also

> backing bills in at least four states - Arkansas, Connecticut,

Hawaii and Oklahoma - that

> would create programs patterned after Florida's 1999 McKay voucher

law. One of the

> McKay law's most enthusiastic promoters has dubbed the program

the " Florida Miracle, "

> but a report released today debunks this myth, raising serious

concerns about financial

> abuse and the law's impact on parents' rights and special education

services.

> > The new report, Jeopardizing a Legacy: A Closer Look at IDEA

and Florida's Disability

> Voucher Program, is co-authored by People For the American Way

Foundation (PFAWF) and

> the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF). The report

examines the three-

> year experience of the McKay vouchers and concludes that the

Florida program " is an

> Educational Edsel - a cynical 'model' that would only lead the

nation's parents, students

> and teachers down a dangerous path. "

> > Jeopardizing a Legacy notes that the program sacrifices key

legal rights that parents

> would otherwise have under IDEA, lacks financial or academic

accountability to parents

> and taxpayers, and drains critical funds from public schools.

Jeopardizing a Legacy is

> available at: DREDF.ORG

> > IDEA guarantees a " free appropriate public education " to every

student with a

> disability. But the future of this commitment, covering 6.5 million

children, will be shaped

> directly by the course of reform. Last summer, the President's

Commission on Excellence

> in Special Education recommended that IDEA be reauthorized with a

private-school

> voucher provision. Last month, Education Secretary Rod Paige

embraced this

> recommendation. Many voucher supporters have cited Florida's McKay

program as a model

> for IDEA. As Jeopardizing a Legacy explains, however, McKay

vouchers have drained

> millions of tax dollars from public schools, undermined the rights

of parents and failed to

> hold private schools accountable. Leaders of the two organizations

that co-authored the

> report echoed many of the concerns raised by Jeopardizing a Legacy.

> > " Florida officials have taken an out-of-sight, out-of-mind

approach to the McKay

> vouchers, and we're seeing the serious consequences that this lack

of oversight is having

> on children with disabilities, " said PFAWF President Ralph G. Neas.

> > " Voucher programs offer just one more way for public schools to

exclude and fail to

> serve students with disabilities, " said Arlene B. Mayerson,

Directing Attorney for DREDF.

> " Rather than being empowered with choices, parents will once again

find themselves with

> no place to turn to get an appropriate education for their

children. "

> > Among the key findings from Jeopardizing a Legacy are:

> > The McKay program contains flimsy standards for participating

private schools. While

> Florida grades its public schools based on a strict set of

standards and ties funding to

> these grades, private schools receiving tax dollars through McKay

are not graded, not

> obligated to hire certified staff, and not required to test all

special education students.

> For-profit schools that accept voucher dollars may well be

encouraged to hire the least

> costly staff.

> > Even though they receive public tax dollars, McKay private

schools are not being held

> accountable to parents and taxpayers. A number of McKay schools

have been accused of

> falsifying state applications, failing to provide needed therapy

and other student services,

> or other misdeeds. One McKay school, for example, changed its

address at least four

> times during the school year and was cited for safety and health

code violations.

> > Parents who accept McKay vouchers effectively sacrifice

critical rights and services that

> are guaranteed by IDEA. While parents can take legal action against

a public school to

> uphold these rights and services, participating McKay private

schools are not required to

> abide by IDEA rules ensuring parents' due process rights,

appropriate evaluations of

> students, and other rights. Incredibly, even though a student must

have an Individualized

> Education Plan (IEP) to be eligible for McKay vouchers, the private

school that accepts such

> a student is not required to follow the terms of the student's IEP -

even though the U.S.

> Department of Education has called an IEP " the cornerstone of a

quality education for each

> child with a disability. "

> > The parental " choice " touted by McKay supporters is

significantly limited by a variety of

> factors. Under McKay, participating private schools are free to

discriminate on the basis of

> religion, gender, or type of disability. Private school options

also depend largely on where

> a family happens to reside. One out of three Florida counties have

no more than a single,

> approved participating private school. Finally, tuition and other

fees can limit choice. Last

> school year, more than eight out of 10 McKay parents had to pay

some out-of-pocket

> amount to private schools that wasn't covered by their vouchers.

> > McKay vouchers drain critical funds from public schools. The

program's costs have

> escalated rapidly and have financially punished Florida public

schools. McKay's costs are

> expected to reach an estimated $56 million this year, more than the

program cost during

> its first three years combined. About 9,000 students with

disabilities are participating in

> the McKay program this school year.

> > Parents of Florida's 350,000 students with disabilities who

currently attend public

> schools are eligible to apply for a McKay voucher. The size of this

market has spawned a

> number of new private schools that have been created virtually

overnight to gain access to

> state tax dollars through McKay. The state knows very little about

the nearly 550 private

> schools that are eligible to receive voucher payments.

> > According to Jeopardizing a Legacy, some groups advocating

special education

> vouchers for IDEA or other states may be driven by other goals.

These organizations have

> attacked the cost of special education or cited vouchers as a way

to cut or limit costs. One

> pro-voucher group has even urged states to refuse IDEA funding as a

way to get around

> the law's mandates. While backers of disability vouchers have

pointed to the need for more

> parental " choice, " a nonpartisan Public Agenda survey found last

year that nearly seven out

> of 10 parents reported that public school teachers and other staff

offered " real choices and

> options for my child. "

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

People for the American Way is by no means impartial. Their position is

surely as bigoted as that of the Manhattan Institute. You can not hold this

study up as objective either.

From Wikipedia:

People For the American Way (PFAW) is a liberal

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal> /progressive

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressivism> advocacy

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advocacy> organization in the United States

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States> . Under U.S. tax code, PFAW is

organized as a tax-exempt 501©(4)

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/501%28c%29%284%29> non-profit organization.

The current president of PFAW is Ralph

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Neas> Neas.

PFAW was founded by television <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television>

producer <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_producer> Norman Lear

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Lear> (All

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_in_the_Family> in the Family, Maude

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maude_%28TV_series%29> , The Jeffersons

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jeffersons> , etc.) in 1981

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981> specifically to counter the efforts of

the religious <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_right> right.

According to the PFAW website, Lear was particularly concerned with the

growing clout of televangelists

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Televangelists> such as Pat

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_on> on and Jerry Falwell

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Falwell> . Co-founders included Barbara

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Jordan> Jordan,

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=_Heiskell & action=edit>

Heiskell, and other leaders from the political, religious, business,

and entertainment communities.

PFAW continues to maintain its ties to each of those communities today, with

such figures as actress Kathleen

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_> and the

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rabbi__Sapperstein & action=ed

it> Rabbi Sapperstein sitting on its boards. Each year, PFAW holds

" Spirit of Liberty " awards dinners, which usually honor such prominent

figures from the various communities as well. Recent recipients have

included Sharon Stone <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Stone>

(entertainer), <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/_>

(businessman), and

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Reg_Weaver & action=edit> Reg

Weaver (president of the National Education Association

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Education_Association> ).

_____

From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy

[mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ] On Behalf Of Mara LaViola

Sent: Monday, January 01, 2007 8:49 PM

To: Texas-Autism-Advocacy

Subject: Re:Florida has vouchers too...

Excellent points Nagla and I could not agree with you more--- Here is an

alternative view to the Manhattan Institute....It is from the Disablities

Rights and Education Defense Fund...

For Immediate Release:

Thursday, March 6, 2003

Contact: Duckett/ Richter (PFAWF)

Epstein (DREDF) , ext. 241

Florida's Disability Voucher Program Fails to Protect Interests of Students,

Parents and Taxpayers Cited as Model for IDEA Reform, Florida's McKay

Program Rife With Stories of Financial Abuse, Compromised Services

WASHINGTON -As Congress prepares to reauthorize the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), supporters of private-school vouchers are

touting a little-known Florida program as a model for improving special

education. Pro-voucher forces are also backing bills in at least four states

- Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii and Oklahoma - that would create programs

patterned after Florida's 1999 McKay voucher law. One of the McKay law's

most enthusiastic promoters has dubbed the program the " Florida Miracle, "

but a report released today debunks this myth, raising serious concerns

about financial abuse and the law's impact on parents' rights and special

education services.

The new report, Jeopardizing a Legacy: A Closer Look at IDEA and Florida's

Disability Voucher Program, is co-authored by People For the American Way

Foundation (PFAWF) and the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund

(DREDF). The report examines the three-year experience of the McKay vouchers

and concludes that the Florida program " is an Educational Edsel - a cynical

'model' that would only lead the nation's parents, students and teachers

down a dangerous path. "

Jeopardizing a Legacy notes that the program sacrifices key legal rights

that parents would otherwise have under IDEA, lacks financial or academic

accountability to parents and taxpayers, and drains critical funds from

public schools. Jeopardizing a Legacy is available at: DREDF.ORG

IDEA guarantees a " free appropriate public education " to every student with

a disability. But the future of this commitment, covering 6.5 million

children, will be shaped directly by the course of reform. Last summer, the

President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education recommended that

IDEA be reauthorized with a private-school voucher provision. Last month,

Education Secretary Rod Paige embraced this recommendation. Many voucher

supporters have cited Florida's McKay program as a model for IDEA. As

Jeopardizing a Legacy explains, however, McKay vouchers have drained

millions of tax dollars from public schools, undermined the rights of

parents and failed to hold private schools accountable. Leaders of the two

organizations that co-authored the report echoed many of the concerns raised

by Jeopardizing a Legacy.

" Florida officials have taken an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach to the

McKay vouchers, and we're seeing the serious consequences that this lack of

oversight is having on children with disabilities, " said PFAWF President

Ralph G. Neas.

" Voucher programs offer just one more way for public schools to exclude and

fail to serve students with disabilities, " said Arlene B. Mayerson,

Directing Attorney for DREDF. " Rather than being empowered with choices,

parents will once again find themselves with no place to turn to get an

appropriate education for their children. "

Among the key findings from Jeopardizing a Legacy are:

The McKay program contains flimsy standards for participating private

schools. While Florida grades its public schools based on a strict set of

standards and ties funding to these grades, private schools receiving tax

dollars through McKay are not graded, not obligated to hire certified staff,

and not required to test all special education students. For-profit schools

that accept voucher dollars may well be encouraged to hire the least costly

staff.

Even though they receive public tax dollars, McKay private schools are not

being held accountable to parents and taxpayers. A number of McKay schools

have been accused of falsifying state applications, failing to provide

needed therapy and other student services, or other misdeeds. One McKay

school, for example, changed its address at least four times during the

school year and was cited for safety and health code violations.

Parents who accept McKay vouchers effectively sacrifice critical rights and

services that are guaranteed by IDEA. While parents can take legal action

against a public school to uphold these rights and services, participating

McKay private schools are not required to abide by IDEA rules ensuring

parents' due process rights, appropriate evaluations of students, and other

rights. Incredibly, even though a student must have an Individualized

Education Plan (IEP) to be eligible for McKay vouchers, the private school

that accepts such a student is not required to follow the terms of the

student's IEP - even though the U.S. Department of Education has called an

IEP " the cornerstone of a quality education for each child with a

disability. "

The parental " choice " touted by McKay supporters is significantly limited by

a variety of factors. Under McKay, participating private schools are free to

discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, or type of disability.

Private school options also depend largely on where a family happens to

reside. One out of three Florida counties have no more than a single,

approved participating private school. Finally, tuition and other fees can

limit choice. Last school year, more than eight out of 10 McKay parents had

to pay some out-of-pocket amount to private schools that wasn't covered by

their vouchers.

McKay vouchers drain critical funds from public schools. The program's costs

have escalated rapidly and have financially punished Florida public schools.

McKay's costs are expected to reach an estimated $56 million this year, more

than the program cost during its first three years combined. About 9,000

students with disabilities are participating in the McKay program this

school year.

Parents of Florida's 350,000 students with disabilities who currently attend

public schools are eligible to apply for a McKay voucher. The size of this

market has spawned a number of new private schools that have been created

virtually overnight to gain access to state tax dollars through McKay. The

state knows very little about the nearly 550 private schools that are

eligible to receive voucher payments.

According to Jeopardizing a Legacy, some groups advocating special education

vouchers for IDEA or other states may be driven by other goals. These

organizations have attacked the cost of special education or cited vouchers

as a way to cut or limit costs. One pro-voucher group has even urged states

to refuse IDEA funding as a way to get around the law's mandates. While

backers of disability vouchers have pointed to the need for more parental

" choice, " a nonpartisan Public Agenda survey found last year that nearly

seven out of 10 parents reported that public school teachers and other staff

offered " real choices and options for my child. "

[Guest guest]

Liz,

I support your decision, there is no way to please everyone what you

are doing is givig children in Texas and their families a choice.

Since I got involved in the autism comunity due to our sons

disgnosis PDD-NOS I noticed that there are several points of view in

the community and that the groups are totally divide, which makes it

more dificult to persue changes that will benefit children with

dissabilities in Texas.

Thank you for your efforts, you have our support.

Enrique and Jackie

>

> Mara, I am not sure what you want me to say? If folks feel like I

am

> giving out " constant put downs " I apologize. But, is there

really

> anything that I can say that will make someone who feels strongly

in

> one direction take a turn in the other direction? Probably

not.

> The same holds true for myself. There is nothing that will change

my

> mind in pursuing autism scholarships except for Ohio reporting a

> complete failure with the program and they have not. So, yes, I

am

> tired and I need to remain positive, focused and moving forward

on

> the issue. Folks can continue all they want with the debate, but

I

> am tired and that is all I am saying... I am tired. I have no

idea

> what an autism program holds for our children in Texas unless we

try

> and I want to try...

>

> Again, folks can continue to debate...

> Liz

> tscillian@...

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

It is tiresome...but necessary. In spite of the strong feelings that

are presented on this list for and against vouchers by some members,

many of us have not formed such definitive opinions. This is a place

for us to learn the pros and cons of this type of issue.

> >

> > Excellent points Nagla and I could not agree with you more---

Here is an alternative

> view to the Manhattan Institute....It is from the Disablities

Rights and Education Defense

> Fund...

> >

> >

> > For Immediate Release:

> > Thursday, March 6, 2003

> > Contact: Duckett/ Richter (PFAWF)

> > Epstein (DREDF) , ext. 241

> > Florida's Disability Voucher Program Fails to Protect

Interests of Students, Parents and

> Taxpayers Cited as Model for IDEA Reform, Florida's McKay Program

Rife With Stories of

> Financial Abuse, Compromised Services

> > WASHINGTON -As Congress prepares to reauthorize the Individuals

with Disabilities

> Education Act (IDEA), supporters of private-school vouchers are

touting a little-known

> Florida program as a model for improving special education. Pro-

voucher forces are also

> backing bills in at least four states - Arkansas, Connecticut,

Hawaii and Oklahoma - that

> would create programs patterned after Florida's 1999 McKay voucher

law. One of the

> McKay law's most enthusiastic promoters has dubbed the program

the " Florida Miracle, "

> but a report released today debunks this myth, raising serious

concerns about financial

> abuse and the law's impact on parents' rights and special education

services.

> > The new report, Jeopardizing a Legacy: A Closer Look at IDEA

and Florida's Disability

> Voucher Program, is co-authored by People For the American Way

Foundation (PFAWF) and

> the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF). The report

examines the three-

> year experience of the McKay vouchers and concludes that the

Florida program " is an

> Educational Edsel - a cynical 'model' that would only lead the

nation's parents, students

> and teachers down a dangerous path. "

> > Jeopardizing a Legacy notes that the program sacrifices key

legal rights that parents

> would otherwise have under IDEA, lacks financial or academic

accountability to parents

> and taxpayers, and drains critical funds from public schools.

Jeopardizing a Legacy is

> available at: DREDF.ORG

> > IDEA guarantees a " free appropriate public education " to every

student with a

> disability. But the future of this commitment, covering 6.5 million

children, will be shaped

> directly by the course of reform. Last summer, the President's

Commission on Excellence

> in Special Education recommended that IDEA be reauthorized with a

private-school

> voucher provision. Last month, Education Secretary Rod Paige

embraced this

> recommendation. Many voucher supporters have cited Florida's McKay

program as a model

> for IDEA. As Jeopardizing a Legacy explains, however, McKay

vouchers have drained

> millions of tax dollars from public schools, undermined the rights

of parents and failed to

> hold private schools accountable. Leaders of the two organizations

that co-authored the

> report echoed many of the concerns raised by Jeopardizing a Legacy.

> > " Florida officials have taken an out-of-sight, out-of-mind

approach to the McKay

> vouchers, and we're seeing the serious consequences that this lack

of oversight is having

> on children with disabilities, " said PFAWF President Ralph G. Neas.

> > " Voucher programs offer just one more way for public schools to

exclude and fail to

> serve students with disabilities, " said Arlene B. Mayerson,

Directing Attorney for DREDF.

> " Rather than being empowered with choices, parents will once again

find themselves with

> no place to turn to get an appropriate education for their

children. "

> > Among the key findings from Jeopardizing a Legacy are:

> > The McKay program contains flimsy standards for participating

private schools. While

> Florida grades its public schools based on a strict set of

standards and ties funding to

> these grades, private schools receiving tax dollars through McKay

are not graded, not

> obligated to hire certified staff, and not required to test all

special education students.

> For-profit schools that accept voucher dollars may well be

encouraged to hire the least

> costly staff.

> > Even though they receive public tax dollars, McKay private

schools are not being held

> accountable to parents and taxpayers. A number of McKay schools

have been accused of

> falsifying state applications, failing to provide needed therapy

and other student services,

> or other misdeeds. One McKay school, for example, changed its

address at least four

> times during the school year and was cited for safety and health

code violations.

> > Parents who accept McKay vouchers effectively sacrifice

critical rights and services that

> are guaranteed by IDEA. While parents can take legal action against

a public school to

> uphold these rights and services, participating McKay private

schools are not required to

> abide by IDEA rules ensuring parents' due process rights,

appropriate evaluations of

> students, and other rights. Incredibly, even though a student must

have an Individualized

> Education Plan (IEP) to be eligible for McKay vouchers, the private

school that accepts such

> a student is not required to follow the terms of the student's IEP -

even though the U.S.

> Department of Education has called an IEP " the cornerstone of a

quality education for each

> child with a disability. "

> > The parental " choice " touted by McKay supporters is

significantly limited by a variety of

> factors. Under McKay, participating private schools are free to

discriminate on the basis of

> religion, gender, or type of disability. Private school options

also depend largely on where

> a family happens to reside. One out of three Florida counties have

no more than a single,

> approved participating private school. Finally, tuition and other

fees can limit choice. Last

> school year, more than eight out of 10 McKay parents had to pay

some out-of-pocket

> amount to private schools that wasn't covered by their vouchers.

> > McKay vouchers drain critical funds from public schools. The

program's costs have

> escalated rapidly and have financially punished Florida public

schools. McKay's costs are

> expected to reach an estimated $56 million this year, more than the

program cost during

> its first three years combined. About 9,000 students with

disabilities are participating in

> the McKay program this school year.

> > Parents of Florida's 350,000 students with disabilities who

currently attend public

> schools are eligible to apply for a McKay voucher. The size of this

market has spawned a

> number of new private schools that have been created virtually

overnight to gain access to

> state tax dollars through McKay. The state knows very little about

the nearly 550 private

> schools that are eligible to receive voucher payments.

> > According to Jeopardizing a Legacy, some groups advocating

special education

> vouchers for IDEA or other states may be driven by other goals.

These organizations have

> attacked the cost of special education or cited vouchers as a way

to cut or limit costs. One

> pro-voucher group has even urged states to refuse IDEA funding as a

way to get around

> the law's mandates. While backers of disability vouchers have

pointed to the need for more

> parental " choice, " a nonpartisan Public Agenda survey found last

year that nearly seven out

> of 10 parents reported that public school teachers and other staff

offered " real choices and

> options for my child. "

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Well said ,

I beleive that you said the right thing. Why prevent other children

from having the opportunity to get the help they need or at least

the option of getting the help they need.

I much rather have the to be the one who decides what is best for my

son that a bunch of burocrats that are only looking for ways to keep

our children from getting the education and the help they need.

Our schools care more about the football and chearleding programs

than special eductaion so with our with out vouhers the schools will

always cut the special ed programs before any other program.

So with out vouchers we do not have an otion but to spend endless

hours fighting the school districts for our children rights. Their

mentality is to fight services no matter what.

At the moment vouchers are the only real option and possible

solution to ensure a good eduction for our children.

Check this website regarding problems with special ED in the USA.

The fight of parents against the education system is nothing new and

it will not change any time soon unless parents have an option.

http://www.marilynsuearons.com/

> >>

> >> Excellent points Nagla and I could not agree with you more---

Here is

> > an alternative

> > view to the Manhattan Institute....It is from the Disablities

Rights and

> > Education Defense

> > Fund...

> >>

> >>

> >> For Immediate Release:

> >> Thursday, March 6, 2003

> >> Contact: Duckett/ Richter (PFAWF)

> >> Epstein (DREDF) , ext. 241

> >> Florida's Disability Voucher Program Fails to Protect Interests

of

> > Students, Parents and

> > Taxpayers Cited as Model for IDEA Reform, Florida's McKay

Program Rife

> > With Stories of

> > Financial Abuse, Compromised Services

> >> WASHINGTON -As Congress prepares to reauthorize the Individuals

with

> > Disabilities

> > Education Act (IDEA), supporters of private-school vouchers are

touting

> > a little-known

> > Florida program as a model for improving special education. Pro-

voucher

> > forces are also

> > backing bills in at least four states - Arkansas, Connecticut,

Hawaii

> > and Oklahoma - that

> > would create programs patterned after Florida's 1999 McKay

voucher law.

> > One of the

> > McKay law's most enthusiastic promoters has dubbed the program

the

> > " Florida Miracle, "

> > but a report released today debunks this myth, raising serious

concerns

> > about financial

> > abuse and the law's impact on parents' rights and special

education

> > services.

> >> The new report, Jeopardizing a Legacy: A Closer Look at IDEA and

> > Florida's Disability

> > Voucher Program, is co-authored by People For the American Way

> > Foundation (PFAWF) and

> > the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF). The

report

> > examines the three-

> > year experience of the McKay vouchers and concludes that the

Florida

> > program " is an

> > Educational Edsel - a cynical 'model' that would only lead the

nation's

> > parents, students

> > and teachers down a dangerous path. "

> >> Jeopardizing a Legacy notes that the program sacrifices key

legal

> > rights that parents

> > would otherwise have under IDEA, lacks financial or academic

> > accountability to parents

> > and taxpayers, and drains critical funds from public schools.

> > Jeopardizing a Legacy is

> > available at: DREDF.ORG

> >> IDEA guarantees a " free appropriate public education " to every

student

> > with a

> > disability. But the future of this commitment, covering 6.5

million

> > children, will be shaped

> > directly by the course of reform. Last summer, the President's

> > Commission on Excellence

> > in Special Education recommended that IDEA be reauthorized with a

> > private-school

> > voucher provision. Last month, Education Secretary Rod Paige

embraced

> > this

> > recommendation. Many voucher supporters have cited Florida's

McKay

> > program as a model

> > for IDEA. As Jeopardizing a Legacy explains, however, McKay

vouchers

> > have drained

> > millions of tax dollars from public schools, undermined the

rights of

> > parents and failed to

> > hold private schools accountable. Leaders of the two

organizations that

> > co-authored the

> > report echoed many of the concerns raised by Jeopardizing a

Legacy.

> >> " Florida officials have taken an out-of-sight, out-of-mind

approach to

> > the McKay

> > vouchers, and we're seeing the serious consequences that this

lack of

> > oversight is having

> > on children with disabilities, " said PFAWF President Ralph G.

Neas.

> >> " Voucher programs offer just one more way for public schools to

> > exclude and fail to

> > serve students with disabilities, " said Arlene B. Mayerson,

Directing

> > Attorney for DREDF.

> > " Rather than being empowered with choices, parents will once

again find

> > themselves with

> > no place to turn to get an appropriate education for their

children. "

> >> Among the key findings from Jeopardizing a Legacy are:

> >> The McKay program contains flimsy standards for participating

private

> > schools. While

> > Florida grades its public schools based on a strict set of

standards and

> > ties funding to

> > these grades, private schools receiving tax dollars through

McKay are

> > not graded, not

> > obligated to hire certified staff, and not required to test all

special

> > education students.

> > For-profit schools that accept voucher dollars may well be

encouraged to

> > hire the least

> > costly staff.

> >> Even though they receive public tax dollars, McKay private

schools are

> > not being held

> > accountable to parents and taxpayers. A number of McKay schools

have

> > been accused of

> > falsifying state applications, failing to provide needed therapy

and

> > other student services,

> > or other misdeeds. One McKay school, for example, changed its

address at

> > least four

> > times during the school year and was cited for safety and health

code

> > violations.

> >> Parents who accept McKay vouchers effectively sacrifice critical

> > rights and services that

> > are guaranteed by IDEA. While parents can take legal action

against a

> > public school to

> > uphold these rights and services, participating McKay private

schools

> > are not required to

> > abide by IDEA rules ensuring parents' due process rights,

appropriate

> > evaluations of

> > students, and other rights. Incredibly, even though a student

must have

> > an Individualized

> > Education Plan (IEP) to be eligible for McKay vouchers, the

private

> > school that accepts such

> > a student is not required to follow the terms of the student's

IEP -

> > even though the U.S.

> > Department of Education has called an IEP " the cornerstone of a

quality

> > education for each

> > child with a disability. "

> >> The parental " choice " touted by McKay supporters is

significantly

> > limited by a variety of

> > factors. Under McKay, participating private schools are free to

> > discriminate on the basis of

> > religion, gender, or type of disability. Private school options

also

> > depend largely on where

> > a family happens to reside. One out of three Florida counties

have no

> > more than a single,

> > approved participating private school. Finally, tuition and

other fees

> > can limit choice. Last

> > school year, more than eight out of 10 McKay parents had to pay

some

> > out-of-pocket

> > amount to private schools that wasn't covered by their vouchers.

> >> McKay vouchers drain critical funds from public schools. The

program's

> > costs have

> > escalated rapidly and have financially punished Florida public

schools.

> > McKay's costs are

> > expected to reach an estimated $56 million this year, more than

the

> > program cost during

> > its first three years combined. About 9,000 students with

disabilities

> > are participating in

> > the McKay program this school year.

> >> Parents of Florida's 350,000 students with disabilities who

currently

> > attend public

> > schools are eligible to apply for a McKay voucher. The size of

this

> > market has spawned a

> > number of new private schools that have been created virtually

overnight

> > to gain access to

> > state tax dollars through McKay. The state knows very little

about the

> > nearly 550 private

> > schools that are eligible to receive voucher payments.

> >> According to Jeopardizing a Legacy, some groups advocating

special

> > education

> > vouchers for IDEA or other states may be driven by other goals.

These

> > organizations have

> > attacked the cost of special education or cited vouchers as a

way to cut

> > or limit costs. One

> > pro-voucher group has even urged states to refuse IDEA funding

as a way

> > to get around

> > the law's mandates. While backers of disability vouchers have

pointed to

> > the need for more

> > parental " choice, " a nonpartisan Public Agenda survey found last

year

> > that nearly seven out

> > of 10 parents reported that public school teachers and other

staff

> > offered " real choices and

> > options for my child. "

> >>

> >>

> >>