School Funding and Special Education.

For years we’ve been hearing that our public education system is in trouble. Budget cuts, mis-managed funding, over-paid staff, millions and millions of dollars wasted. Many people want to do away with public education. Their argument is that charter schools and private schools are the better choice. But what about special education? Where does special education fall in all of these budget problems and funding cutbacks?

Some parents and even some school advocates believe that special education is ‘protected’. That it is fully funded and will never be cut or eliminated. But is that true? Can special education or any kind of assistance for special needs children be cut or eliminated? Certainly the budgets for those teachers and assistants who work with special needs students have been cut. Could entire programs be eliminated? And if so, what kinds of special needs assistance or special education help are Charter Schools and Private Schools required to offer? You might be surprised and even shocked to learn what those schools are and are not required to provide.

Our guest for this episode has the answers to many of those questions and a lot more information on the nation-wide public education funding situation. Elizabeth Welch-Lykens is a labor law attorney in Grand Rapids, Michigan and is an elected board member of her local school district, as well as a member of the district’s legislative committee that meets with state representatives in Lansing. She has first-hand knowledge of dealing with school district budget problems, and has spent time on these very issues. While some of what she talks about involves issues in Michigan, the fact is many states and school districts nation-wide are facing the exact same problems. And as Elizabeth verifies, these nation-wide education funding problems are not a coincidence, they are part of a planned effort to privatize the entire national education system for the benefit of a few corporate profiteers. This is an interview that every parent with kids in school, not just parents of special needs children, should hear.

Links mentioned in this podcast: 

For national based information on the school funding crisis visit Dianne Ravitch‘s blog site. She is a former assistant secretary of education under President George H. W. Bush, and a highly respected advocate of public education. Her site contains a lot of facts and information that disproves many of the theories claimed by those who want to shut down public education.

For information about what’s going on in the State of Michigan as well as local Michigan school districts, visit Michigan Parents For Schools. 

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