I'm going to have to give some serious thought to Sen. Florence Shapiro's proposal to give parents of autistic children vouchers to pay for specialized early-intervention education for them. On the merits, this makes a lot of sense. This is a relatively small group of students, with very specific and labor-intensive needs. Encouraging them to seek out a smaller number of schools that can really handle them is a better use of resources than finding specialists for potentially every school in Texas.
On the other hand, it's vouchers. I wish I could separate the politics from the proposal, but that would be naive. I'm certainly willing to hear more, but I want some reassurances about the camel's nose poking into the tent before I sign on the dotted line. I hate having to be so cynical, but voucher proponents have a long history of operating in bad faith. I do not trust them.
On to the article:
Kendra Imbus embraces Shapiro's proposal.Her 4-year-old, Catherine, has severe autism and attends an early childhood autism program in the Katy Independent School District. Many others are on a waiting list.
Catherine also attends Shape of Behavior Inc., a private school that specializes in teaching autistic children.
If given a choice, Imbus said, parents could get help to cover the cost for intensive and specialized education.
"Maybe you could get them to a point where they could be mainstreamed, and then, maybe, you wouldn't have to spend that money later," Imbus said. "That's what I think the general public doesn't realize. If we could help them now, maybe they wouldn't have to be institutionalized when they are older."
But she is not optimistic that lawmakers will support Shapiro's plan.
"It will be a hard sell. I don't think the public cares," Imbus said. "I don't think they understand the issue. I don't think they realize how many of these children are out there. This is going to become an economic disaster in our country."
There is no known cure for autism. Early intervention is imperative.
Holli De Clemente also has enrolled her 3-year-old son, Justice, in Shape of Behavior. The school, with six locations, enrolls 40 children and has 45 staff members.
De Clemente said her Magnolia Independent School District has beautiful public schools but, from her perspective, was unable to provide adequate support for Justice.
She said her son made "a mind-boggling transformation" nearly immediately after being placed in the private school: He began speaking.
Shape of Behavior charges $2,000 a month for part-time students and $4,000 a month for full-time students.
"What typical family in America can do that? My parents are helping us with part of it, because it's impossible," De Clemente said.
Education groups vigorously oppose voucher programs in Texas. Such proposals typically involve vouchers for low-income parents to move children from low performing, inner-city schools to private schools or better public schools.
Voucher supporters and opponents agree any move to allow vouchers for one disability or disease could open the door to other subsets of students.
"Public tax dollars should go to fund public schools, not private schools," said Richard Kouri, a spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association. "Our belief is that once you start moving public tax dollars to private schools, whatever the initial reason, future arguments become arguments around expanding that existing program."
State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, said she opposes school vouchers but agonizes with parents of autistic children.
Van de Putte, a member of the Senate Education Committee, said parents don't want to open the floodgates for a full-blown voucher system but that they are lobbying for a limited-purpose voucher program in special cases in which the school district agrees that it can't provide needed services.
Van de Putte, emphasizing that she opposes "diverting money and passion away from our public school system," said she is open-minded.
UPDATE: Vince expands on the case against.
UPDATE: McBlogger is blunt about this:
The reality is that parents can send their kids to another school in a district if they can't get the services the child needs at the school they currently attend. Should those services not exist in the district, then the district HAS TO CREATE THEM.The real issue is that the schools don't have enough money to comply with all the laws and the blame for that lies solidly at the feet of Florence Shapiro and the other Republicans in the Lege who would rather exploit innocent kids THAN DO THEIR JOBS and fully fund the public schools.
There is no known cure for autism. Early intervention is imperative.
It's amazing how folks "in the know" can contradict themselves faster than the speed of light - destroying credibility of the whole argument.
Is this a discussion about integrating autistic citizens into society or integrating vouchers into society?
Posted by: Charles Hixon on December 18, 2006 9:14 PMWhat is the Medicare eligibility for autistic children? The states determine eligibility. Are they trying to use a voucher system to avoid spending the state's medicare money?
I suspect the real answer is that this private school would be great for autistic children from wealthy Texas families. Instead of footing the whole bill, the voucher rebates part of the expense.
How would children from poor families get in with just voucher money? Is their other public funding, or do these schools charge on sliding scales?
Posted by: jboyd on December 19, 2006 1:57 AMThis is a tough one, and the devil's in the details. Could this help our mutual friend whose daughter is autistic? That would be great.
On the other hand, is public school funding the appropriate place to hit for the money to do this? Maybe. They certainly aren't well-served in the normal school curriculum. Could this fit into the existing Charter School framework?
Posted by: Michael on December 19, 2006 11:47 AM"Medicare eligibility?" Don't make me laugh. You might as well ask how much therapy/treatment is covered by insurance.
I suspect the real answer is that this private school would be great for autistic children from wealthy Texas families. Instead of footing the whole bill, the voucher rebates part of the expense.
Define "wealthy." ABA programs cost an average of $3500 a month. Shape of Behavior is $4K a month, full time. Anyone who can pay that much out of pocket likely won't need vouchers. The rest of us could use the assist.
How would children from poor families get in with just voucher money? Is their other public funding, or do these schools charge on sliding scales?
A valid question. The schools don't charge sliding scales that I know of, so prioritizing the system for the poor would have to be enlarged upon.
On the other hand, is public school funding the appropriate place to hit for the money to do this?
I can think of a couple dozen other places more deserving of coughing up money for this, honestly. As much as I'd like to grasp at this straw, it really sounds like a smokescreen designed to obscure the real problem with education in Texas.
But don't think for a minute I wouldn't take advantage of the program if I could.
Apologies to Chuck for not providing my real name or e-mail. He knows who this is.
Posted by: Mutual Friend on December 20, 2006 12:11 AMwe have a 3 year old son who was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at 18 months since then we have been trying to find grants or some kind of finacial aid to send hime to a special autism school. His behavior it seems to be ok in school, but at home he is terriable. dangerous, and very impulsive.
If anyone can hel please let us know.