Charter Schools have two major incentives to not serve students with disabilities, particularly students with significant disabilities. First, Type 2 and Type 5 Charter schools get the same amount of money regardless of whether a student needs specialized (and more expensive services) or not. So if they are not serving students with more high cost needs (as has been the trend) there are more funds to support the education for students without disabilities. Second, schools are judged (or graded) on how their students perform, regardless of how many students they are serving with disabilities. Students with disabilities tend to not perform as well academically (particularly on high-stakes, standardized tests) as students without disabilities. Not surprisingly, data shows that schools serving fewer students with disabilities almost always have higher school performance scores than schools serving more students with disabilities. School Performance Scores are high stakes. Schools that do not make the grade get taken over (or for Charter operators they lose their contract to continue). While the long range strategy is to advocate for changes to these policies, this will take too long for changes being made next year. BESE will vote (next week) on the selection of additional Charter School operators in Baton Rouge. Parents of students with disabilities should not have to go to court to be allowed access into the education reform options or watch resources get stripped from the traditional public school that is their only real ‘choice.’ LaTEACH members are encouraged to advocate for BESE to require that the selection criteria for these Charter School operators include a positive track record of serving students with disabilities.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 17:29:09 +0000
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