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 Special Needs Education Bill Deserves Special Attention
by Tom Campbell
June 12, 2008
School children with identified special needs often don’t feel very special. North Carolina’s Constitution requires that every child receive a sound basic education, but parents of children who require special education and related services often find public schools are unable to provide their child an appropriate education.
House Bill 388, sponsored by a coalition of Republicans and Democrats may have found a solution that is good for parents, students, school systems, and taxpayers of our state. The legislation would enable parents of special needs students to choose which school is best for their child, providing them a tax credit of up to ,000 per semester to use toward tuition or other educational or therapeutic expenses. A parent can still choose to leave their child in public schools. Parents know better than anyone the most appropriate education for their child and this tax credit gives them total control over how and where their student is educated.
No matter how well-intentioned public school educators might be, special needs children present special challenges. Educators are sometimes overwhelmed in trying to meet every educational need of every special needs student, many of whom have behavioral issues, create classroom disruption with out-of-class services, and frequently require remedial education. We are told that costs to educate a special needs child are three times as great as the ,200 per student we currently spend.
North Carolina currently funds some 200,000 special needs students each year. If as many as 3,000 of them took advantage of the credits proposed in this bill, it is estimated that the tax credits would cost the state a couple million dollars each year, while local school systems would save an estimated million. Even though this legislation would result in a savings to taxpayers, that’s not the primary benefit.
The big reason for supporting this concept is that it will provide the best educational opportunities for a group of students who need and deserve the best we can give. It is good public policy. Additionally, it will take some pressure off our over-stressed public schools. Parents will be able to select the most appropriate education for their child.
There may be a few who are hesitant about supporting this legislation that advocates school choice, but the primary concern should be what is best for the special needs student. No wonder this idea is supported by folks from both political parties, from parents and citizens groups. This special needs education legislation was introduced last year and never brought to the floor for a vote. It deserves passage in this legislative session. |
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