Jolene Sanders thought a private school could give her son with autism the kind of specialized attention he needed. So she searched for a good school with a good program.
“Well, it doesn’t exist,” she said she ultimately concluded after looking.
Sanders, now advocacy director at the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, and education professionals are concerned the legislative momentum for passing education savings accounts, or vouchers, could leave behind students with disabilities.
The current version of the bill, which is being considered in the House of Representatives, would provide families $10,000 to pay for private school tuition. Students with disabilities may receive $11,500 per school year.
The bill also explicitly exempts private schools from abiding by federal and state laws regarding special education. Public schools must evaluate students’ disabilities and provide individualized education plans, as well as follow other provisions of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Texas Education Code.
Almost 800,000 students in Texas last year received special education services, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Education experts cautioned that parents who have children with disabilities will find some steep obstacles in gaining admission to private schools.
Even with necessary funds, the requirements of many private schools may prevent students with disabilities from enrolling. Many private schools require prospective students to take evaluation testing or an entry interview. Students who are hard of hearing, nonverbal or blind may have trouble passing these thresholds.
In addition, Sanders emphasized that private school is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Their limited access to special education resources can be exclusionary to certain disabilities.
“Even in those settings where they say, ‘Oh yeah, we only take kids with disabilities,’ that doesn’t guarantee that they’re getting the full array of individualized services, or that they’re having opportunities for an inclusive education and least restrictive environment,” Sanders said.
To ensure students in public schools have access to the resources they need, rural school districts around the Denton area participate in the Denton County Special Education Cooperative. Through the co-op based in Sanger, school districts can maximize their funds and share services, such as diagnosticians and licensed psychologists.
Ponder ISD has joined the cooperative, which is especially helpful to smaller districts, said district Superintendent James Hill. The cooperative for districts with smaller enrollment makes it so they “can afford to provide the support they need for our kids,” he said.
Hill said he’s concerned school vouchers may increase wealth disparities in the community. He said he worries the public school system would weaken, like he has seen in other states, such as Louisiana.
For example, the bill’s threshold for a “low-income family” is much higher than other state organizations and programs. In Texas, families of four with a household income of less than $156,000 would qualify as low-income.
Across the country in other states with voucher programs, the majority of families receiving funds already had children enrolled in private schools. Ultimately, Hill said families who had access to private education to begin with were the biggest beneficiaries.
“That’s what I don’t want to see here in Texas because we have such strong public schools right now,” Hill said. “I don’t want to see that disparity between haves and have-nots. That’s my main concern.”
The recently filed Senate Bill 568 could solidify public schools as a leader in special education in the state. If passed, the bill would reassess the state’s special education budget to increase funding, make initial evaluations more accessible, and offer additional training and incentives to teachers.
Last October, Tanya East and Delia Sandoval sued Denton ISD for violating their rights as parents of students with disabilities, alleging their children were without properly certified teachers and not receiving adequate care.
They enlisted the help of Karen Mayer Cunningham, a special education advocate, in their suit. Cunningham believes fortifying the resources in public schools is the best way to ensure success for students with disabilities.
“Is public school perfect? No, but for kids with disabilities, that is where the services are, and the only place the services are required to be,” Cunningham said.
Texas consistently has ranked in the bottom 10 states in spending per student.
Despite this, Cunningham said there is still an opportunity for change.
“I love Texas. I’ve been here my whole life. It’s unacceptable, and it’s fixable. But we have to care about what we fund,” she said. “We need to fund education in Texas.”