Re: Dean vs NCLB

[George Sheridan <learn@jps.net>]

Howard Dean is right that, as Ken quoted him, "the biggest single thing the 
Federal government can do to help local schools is to fully fund the 40% of 
special education that the Congress originally promised when they passed 
the mandate, but which has never even been approached."

Karen is correct about the rates from 1991 to 2000. You can read the 
year-by-year figures at http://www.nea.org/specialed/coalitionfunding2002.html

In the last several years the federal share has grown to about 17%. This is 
what Bush gave the liberals in Congress in exchange for everything they 
gave him in the ESEA reauthorization (NCLB).


At 11:43 AM 12/1/2003 -0800, Karen Canty wrote:
> Ken,
>
> I don't think that the percentage of sped costs the feds covered has
> ever even approached 22-23%.  During the 12 years I served on the school
> board, the percentage went from 7 to 12% and my suspicion is that it
> hasn't changed much in the past year.
>
> Karen
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: arn-l-owner@interversity.org [mailto:arn-l-owner@interversity.org]
> On Behalf Of Kenneth Bernstein
> Sent: Monday, December 01, 2003 7:07 AM
> To: arn-l@interversity.org
> Subject: Re: [arn-l] Dean vs NCLB
>
> I was actually at the first event in Merrimack NH yesterday.  I would
> add that Dean has said that the biggest single thing the Federal
> government can do to help local schools is to fully fund the 40% of
> special education that the Congress originally promised when they passed
> the mandate, but which has never even been approached  -   someone can
> correct me, but I think the max the Congress has ever funded is around
> 22-23%, and the current rate is about 19%.
>
>
> Dean is also insistent that the Federal government should not be
> overriding the local control of school systems, and has made remarks
> about his experience in Vermont.  He has said that he wants strong
> accountability, but that it does not necessarily ahve to be high stakes
> tests.  Here I note that when Richard MIlls was educational commissioner
> in VT he was a pioneer fo using portfolios as a means of assessment.
> Boy has he changd since going to NY
>
>
> Ken Bernstein

George Sheridan
4467 Meadowbrook Road
Garden Valley, California 95633

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort 
and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.