Bills expanding school choice program to special education students raises questions in Tuesday hearing

Christie Taylor:

Bills currently winding through the state Legislature would allow special education students to join Racine and Milwaukee students in receiving vouchers worth up to $13,593 to attend private schools.

Republicans on the Assembly's education committee already passed one version, AB 110, on a 7-4 party line vote, and the bill could hit the floor as soon as next week.

Meanwhile, the most recent version of the bill, SB 486, was the subject of a public hearing Tuesday where advocacy groups, special education teachers, and the Department of Public Instruction itself raised concerns that the bill would starve already-lean school budgets, and provide no guarantees to special education students in return. The bill does not cap how many students may receive vouchers through the program in an individual district, but the Assembly version limits the number to five percent of special education students in the state.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at March 2, 2012 1:21 AM
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