I went to a public forum at Castleton State College Wednesday night. The panel was Rob Roper, Senator Bill Carris, and Anthony Pollina. On the subject of education, Senator Carris stated: "We're doing a great job with K-12 education," and: "You get what you pay for." Really? Is that also true with our special needs kids? Are we doing a great job? Are we getting what we pay for?
In a previous post, I noted that from 2001-2006, NSRE scores showed that achievement of the standard among special needs tenth graders in Vermont stayed at 5 percent for math concepts and went from 7 percent to 6 percent for writing effectiveness. I used those two subtests, but the results in the other subtests were just as discouraging. This occurred while special education spending increased 33 percent in Vermont! The per-pupil spending went up more than that, because as the general student population was declining, so was the special needs student population.
Vermonters deserve a better return on their money. And we deserve better representation in Montpelier than we're currently getting. In my next post, I'll share what Anthony Pollina said. It was even more out of touch.
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