Does school choice help children with disabilities, or might they be left behind? This study finds that during the 2002-3 school year, 11.6 percent of Texas public school children were enrolled in special education programs; statewide there was an average of just over $3,900 in additional spending per special education student last year. The author finds that the available evidence on school voucher programs establishes that private schools are willing to serve special needs students and are already doing so in existing voucher programs, including one of the nation’s largest voucher programs (the McKay Scholarships in Florida), which were designed exclusively for disabled students. Far from an impediment to the implementation of a more generally applicable choice program, choice represents a vital opportunity to aid the education of students with disabilities.
Overspending is what hinders Texas public education
Steve Allison, an outgoing Republican state lawmaker, ramped up the school funding debate earlier this month with a commentary in the Express-News, “Abbott duty bound to call special session on school funding” (June 9). Are Texas schools actually underfunded? Let’s look at the reality. Texas taxpayers give enormous amounts of money to public schools. According to...