Republican NaysayersThe lower house in Mississippi voted down an education savings account bill this week that would have eventually created education savings accounts for up to 700 of the state’s 65,000 special needs students. Among the no votes: 11 Republicans, more than enough to cause the bill to fail 63-57.
According to the Clarion Ledger, Rep. Tom Weathersby, one of the Republicans voting no, stated, "I want to do everything I can to help students with special needs, but I feel like in our school districts we are capable of handling most of those needs.”
Most of those needs? Most, but not all?
An education savings accounts program – which empowers new educational possibilities – would have better allowed the state to serve ALL needs. Isn’t that the goal?
Rep. George Miller
Rep. George Miller (D – California) and Rep. John Kline (R - Minnesota) came together this week to announce a federal bill that will provide startup funds for charter schools.
The bipartisan bill consolidates two federal programs for charter schools, and bumps funding from $250 million to $300 million a year. The new program will provide incentives for states to help develop charter schools and allow charter schools with proven track records of success to access grants in order to expand operations.
Rep. John Kline
The National Education Association opposes the bill on the grounds that the federal law won’t require charters to hold open meetings or disclose private donors – two things the teacher union, coincidentally, doesn’t do either.
The bill’s bipartisan support right out of the gate is a good indication of future success.
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic AssociationThere are covert ways to limit school choice and then there are overt ways.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) has proposed one of the more obvious ways to limit choice short of banning it all together. It would outlaw charter schools from offering competitive sports if the local public school already offers that sport.
The only reason to propose such a bill is to keep athletes from transferring to charter schools.
The irony, of course, is that while the PIAA promotes healthy, safe and friendly rivalry between public school students, it wants to protect itself (and allies) from a little friendly competition.
