The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) epitomizes our cultural view that all children can learn, provided they have access to the right educational tools and resources. This landmark education legislation, enacted 30 years ago, has funneled billions of dollars from the federal government to states and local systems, providing education opportunities to roughly 6 million students with disabilities. Yet, as a federal mandate, IDEA has been difficult to implement, presenting administrative challenges for states and localities. The legislation also has confusing language, leading to disparate interpretations. School districts often feel compelled to provide more services than are reasonable, and parents frequently feel that their child’s needs go unmet. Disagreements regularly proceed to mediation hearings and courts, wasting valuable time and money.
Fortunately, a new concept is taking hold across the country: the idea of permitting parents of special needs students to use public funds for a public, private, or religious school of choice. While similar in some ways to other choice programs currently in practice, these programs are significantly narrower in scope, serving just children with disabilities. Yet the ideology is the same – parents are empowered to make decisions for their own children, and are freed from compulsory participation in assigned public schools.
When it comes to demonstrating the success of this kind of program, the Florida McKay Scholarships have led the way. Enacted as a pilot program in 1999 and expanded statewide in 2000-01, the McKay Scholarships provide funds to thousands of Florida students with disabilities. During 2003-04, the median voucher amount was $5,951. More than 13,500 students received the voucher and over 600 private schools participated in the program. In terms of user satisfaction, McKay schools beat traditional public schools by wide margins. A 2003 evaluation found that 92.7 percent of participants were satisfied or very satisfied with their schools, while only 32.7 percent were similarly satisfied with their public schools. Only 30.2 percent of participants said they received all services required under federal law from their public school, while a stunning 86 percent reported their McKay school provided all the services they promised to provide. Interestingly, the state department of education has found this program to be revenue-neutral – a win-win for everyone.
Utah is quick on the heels of Florida’s success. Last week, Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. signed the Carson Smith Scholarships for Students with Special Needs Act. This legislation creates a program that awards scholarships to students with disabilities who attend a private school. Cheryl Smith (the mother of the child for whom the bill is named) said, “I didn’t choose for my son to be disabled – I choose to help him. This program gives me the choice to get him the specialized education he needs.”
In our own state, little has been done to further the options of students, whether they have disabilities or not. Since January 26th, the North Carolina General Assembly has introduced over 1,200 bills, yet none would provide assistance to parents seeking alternatives to the government system. As a result, many students are left to founder in a school that fails to meet their needs.
Clearly, federal programs like IDEA play an important role in our nation’s educational system. Yet, their attendant administrative challenges are often onerous and time-consuming for states and localities. Making parents the “administrators” of their child’s educational dollars makes good sense, philosophically and practically. Parents of students with disabilities ought to be free to use their unmatched knowledge of their child’s needs to secure the best school. And who knows? Such programs may also serve as a bellwether for future trends, igniting the hope that choice for all children may be just around the corner.
To learn more about educational choice, as well as the latest education news, visit the Alliance online. Check out the “Headlines” section of our home page, updated daily with articles from every major newspaper in the state. At the Alliance, we are committed to keeping you informed and empowered as we join together to improve education for the children of North Carolina.