The following statement in a newspaper Web site column by a state representative -- thankfully not in the state I live in -- really irked me. In the column, Rep. Chris Nevins is explaining New Hampshire's state's budget mess and writing that cuts to balance the budget could come in a range of areas:
"Other suggestions are to cut $ 2.5 million spent on children placed in special programs by the court; $1 million spent on severely disabled students; and $2.5 million in aid to the University System of NH. But hey, we have to cut somewhere!"
How did educating severly disabled students become a legitimate place to trim a governmental budget? Well, I think I know how, but it's outrageous nonetheless.
It's kind of distrubing how often you hear the basic sentiment that severely disabled -- especially cognitively disabled -- students don't need school.
Sometimes, I honestly think it's innocent enough. During the school year, knowing our son is 16 -- firmly still of school age - people will ask "Does he go to school?" You want to answer something like "Well yeah expect on organized 'ditch days.' Doesn't your 16 year old go to school?'
Other times it's more malicious. Remarks like "why do we waste the money educating kids like that?" Of course these have not usually been made to our faces, but my wife and I have heard them anyway. Apparently some New Hampshire legislators or bueraucrats fall into this category.
I should point out that Nevins doesn't necessarily advocate that particular cut to the state budget in his column. In fact, my sense is that he includes it as an example of the difficulty in solving a state government budget crisis. Sort of like saying "See there's nowhere good to cut here."
But if you're reading this and you hadn't really thought about the issue before, remember this: Education means different things to different people. Your kids have their education needs. Maybe he needs to learn algebra so he can be an engineer or accounting so she can be a middle manager. My teen needs to learn to use the toilet and feed himself better. Both are educational processes and the state is supposed to be providing education.
Public education can't pick and choose who it can educate -- even in a budget crisis.
Photo by PPdigital via morguefile.com
