Comments on: Spec Ed & The P Word… http://www.eduwonk.com/2009/04/spec-ed-the-p-word.html Education News, Analysis, and Commentary Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:00:28 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Matthew Ladner http://www.eduwonk.com/2009/04/spec-ed-the-p-word.html/comment-page-1#comment-70156 Matthew Ladner Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:57:48 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/?p=3901#comment-70156 Andy- You continue to ignore the fact that districts run the IEP process, which makes your concern over perverse incentives greatly exaggerated. On the private placements in the District, let's face it, DCPS doesn't do much of anything terribly well, so they probably don't provide FAPE well either. It's not like they keep losing these lawsuits for no reason. The best way to put a stop to lawsuits and $200,000 placements is a voucher program that gives whomever wants out the average amount spent on them in the public system. Districts have been claiming for decades that they don't get enough money for special education. They claim that they shift massive resources out of general ed into special ed. How then can they complain when someone offers a kid a scholarship absent these subsidies and the opportunity to transfer? Fewer lawsuits, fewer Cadillac placements, happier kids and parents, less shifting of funds out of general ed. Andy-

You continue to ignore the fact that districts run the IEP process, which makes your concern over perverse incentives greatly exaggerated.

On the private placements in the District, let’s face it, DCPS doesn’t do much of anything terribly well, so they probably don’t provide FAPE well either. It’s not like they keep losing these lawsuits for no reason.

The best way to put a stop to lawsuits and $200,000 placements is a voucher program that gives whomever wants out the average amount spent on them in the public system.

Districts have been claiming for decades that they don’t get enough money for special education. They claim that they shift massive resources out of general ed into special ed.

How then can they complain when someone offers a kid a scholarship absent these subsidies and the opportunity to transfer? Fewer lawsuits, fewer Cadillac placements, happier kids and parents, less shifting of funds out of general ed.

]]> By: Ron Reynolds http://www.eduwonk.com/2009/04/spec-ed-the-p-word.html/comment-page-1#comment-70153 Ron Reynolds Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:43:32 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/?p=3901#comment-70153 Special education placements notwithstanding, it’s somewhat misleading to suggest that “…a lot of public money…flows to private schools.” Private school students, teachers, and other education personnel receive services underwritten by public funds (which their families help to generate), but private schools do not receive money. As for the “entanglement” of public funds and private schools, it is the governmental entity that makes the final call on the manner in which public funds are used to provide the above-referenced services. Local and state educational agencies are required to engage private school officials in timely and meaningful consultation regarding the provision of services, but stewardship of funds is (with very rare exceptions) retained by the governmental entities. Special education placements notwithstanding, it’s somewhat misleading to suggest that “…a lot of public money…flows to private schools.” Private school students, teachers, and other education personnel receive services underwritten by public funds (which their families help to generate), but private schools do not receive money.

As for the “entanglement” of public funds and private schools, it is the governmental entity that makes the final call on the manner in which public funds are used to provide the above-referenced services. Local and state educational agencies are required to engage private school officials in timely and meaningful consultation regarding the provision of services, but stewardship of funds is (with very rare exceptions) retained by the governmental entities.

]]> By: Sherman Dorn http://www.eduwonk.com/2009/04/spec-ed-the-p-word.html/comment-page-1#comment-70130 Sherman Dorn Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:07:09 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/?p=3901#comment-70130 The idea of bright lines is not quite a rhetorical fiction. I've argued in print that the history of special education is one of blurry lines (and that includes the pre-P.L. 94-142 era), and both construction and textbook relations are definitely of the district-vendor type (not entirely different from contracting out services for individual children). But the conventional wisdom of a strict divide between public and private has quite a bit of grounding in reality for most students and in most school activities. The idea of bright lines is not quite a rhetorical fiction. I’ve argued in print that the history of special education is one of blurry lines (and that includes the pre-P.L. 94-142 era), and both construction and textbook relations are definitely of the district-vendor type (not entirely different from contracting out services for individual children). But the conventional wisdom of a strict divide between public and private has quite a bit of grounding in reality for most students and in most school activities.

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