The school-choice movement is gaining support around the country. Daily, more individuals understand the importance of allowing families options in educating their children. Of the many children that would benefit from school choice, those with special needs are gaining the most attention at the state level.
Arizona, Florida, Ohio, and Utah have already passed laws that allow money to follow these students to a school of choice. Georgia just passed a law, and it seems parents are jumping to take advantage.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, more than 3,200 families have applied to take advantage of the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship. This program allows parents of students with disabilities who were enrolled in the Georgia public Schools (2006-07) and have an active IEP (Individualized Educational Plan) to choose the educational setting – public or private – for their child. Since this is the first year of the program, many believe there will be more requests for the option than seats available to meet the need. The program only had a few months to prepare and is in its infant stage.
North Carolina’s General Assembly is also looking into legislation to allow families of special-need students to receive a tax credit if they choose a private school to educate their child. House Bill 388, Tax Credits for Children with Special Needs, is currently in the House Committee on Finance. It will be interesting if the bill gets out of committee for a floor vote this year. That decision rests with the leadership of the committee. Again, politics surrounds this issue.
Is there a need for choice? The answer is a resounding YES!: over 18,000 families from around the country participate in these programs. The longer we wait to open up choice in education to families, the more time and money we’ll be spending on problems that choice would help to alleviate.
As many counties wrestle with over-crowding conditions, it’s apparent that choice could help to solve this problem. But some refuse to accept this reality, like those who have a stake in ensuring the government’s monopoly over K-12 education. Remember, the BLOB (Big Learning Organization Bureaucracies) does not want to lose any cash or control, and definitely does not want to deal with any competition. According to a new report released today, The Solution Is School Choice: We already know what to do about North Carolina’s school facilities crisis, charter, private, and home-school students have saved taxpayers nearly $900 million since 2000.
During the summer, keep talking to everyone you meet about the possibilities in our state for advancing educational options for families. Be sure to tell those you meet about Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina. Take the time to send an electronic note to those in your computer address book. Encourage them to join the movement in North Carolina.
There is a car license plate in our state embracing the Appalachian Trail, stating, “Share the Journey.” I encourage you to “Share the Journey” of bringing school choice to our state and country.