Thursday, March 16, 2017

Confronting the Scheme to Gamble With Connecticut Special Education Funds by Robert Cotto Jr. - Wait What?

Confronting the Scheme to Gamble With Connecticut Special Education Funds by Robert Cotto Jr. - Wait What?:

Confronting the Scheme to Gamble With Connecticut Special Education Funds by Robert Cotto Jr.
In a MUST READ commentary piece published in the CTNewsjunkie, Robert Cotto Jr. reviews the flawed special education proposal submitted by The Connecticut School Finance Project, a corporate education reform group that has apparently violated state law by illegally engaging in lobbying activities with Governor Dannel Malloy and his administration. (See: In violation of state lobbying laws, corporate education reform group develops Malloy’s disastrous special education funding proposal.)
Cotto begins by explaining,
As the state considers the risk of adding a new casino, Connecticut must beware of another plan to gamble with funds for students with disabilities. Based on its flawed analysis of special education, the plan could be a jackpot for profiteers and charter school entrepreneurs. We must stop this scheme and consider better alternatives.
[…]
Initially proposed by the Connecticut School Finance Project to help districts face the “ups” and “downs” of special education costs, the governor’s administration, as well as other education reformers, have now endorsed the plan. Yet, as Deborah Richards from the Capitol Region Education Council stated, “the primary issue is cost” of special education, not volatility.
Cotto adds;
at