From The Dallas Morning News:
“Texas’ school voucher-like program promised students with disabilities up to $30,000 to pay for private schooling. Out of 28,700 students with special needs, fewer than 25 received the full amount, records show.
…The average amount awarded to students with special needs was $16,000, according to TEFA. Yet tuition at private schools in the D-FW area can reach far above that — sometimes over $40,000.
… ‘It just seemed impossible that the math would work,’ said Steven Aleman, senior policy specialist at Disability Rights Texas. ‘The $30,000 figure was very arbitrary. …It may have been very misleading to families who think, Well, I’ll be getting what seems to be a generous amount.’
…On top of tuition increases, private schools can turn away students with disabilities. Given these problems, Aleman said he would rather see funding go toward the public school system, which is legally obligated to serve its 911,000 students with special needs.
‘[TEFA] is the luxury that we cannot afford,’ he said.”
Read the full story from The Dallas Morning News.