See earlier blog on the fact that special education received some $12 billion in the stimulus packaged (compared to the $4+ billions in Race to the Top funds). Is that good or bad? Well, Education Week writes that this special ed money was used by many school districts to plug in holes. The article’s title says it all: “Short term choices could haunt district….”
(Short term choices)
When the funds end, the holes will still be there–maybe larger than before–and the system will still be broken. You decide if that’s good or bad.
Throwing lots of money at a system that needs a fix first is NOT good public policy.
About Miriam
Miriam Kurtzig Freedman, JD, MA—an expert in public education, focused on special education law— is a lawyer, author, speaker, consultant, and reformer.
For more than 35 years, Miriam worked with educators, parents, policy makers, and citizens to translate complex legalese into plain English and focus on good practices for children.
Now, she focuses her passion on reforming special education, with her new book, Special Education 2.0—Breaking Taboos to Build a NEW Education Law. Presentations include those at the AASA Conference, Orange County (CA), Boston College (MA), CADRE (OR), and the Fordham Institute (DC). Her writings have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Education Week, Education Next, Hoover Digest, The University of Chicago Law Review on line, DianeRavitch.net, and The Atlantic Monthly on line.
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