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.
K-12 Education
Meeting Texas Workforce Needs with ESAs
Texas is unique because of its unparalleled dedication to CTE training. Our state, alone, gives schools $3.2 billion as a CTE allotment (three times more than the Federal Government gives to all 50 states), but schools are only required to spend 55% or $1,76 billion of hte allotment on CTE, incentivizing schools to offer cheap...
June 16, 2025