The party of compassion (aka Democrats) shows one of its true weaknesses – more compassion for the established interest groups that run our education system than for kids with special needs and their families:
Waving off pleas to give parents more educational options for children with special needs, majority Democrats on a Senate committee today thwarted a Republican bill offering tuition assistance so those kids can attend private schools.
Senate Bill 142–authored by assistant Senate GOP leader Nancy Spence, and sponsored in the House by Republican Rep. Spencer Swalm–would have started a pilot program in Denver Public Schools granting $3,000 in public funding toward the private-schooling of any child who isn’t being well served by a neighborhood school….
Among those testifying in favor of the bill was 12-year-old Caleb Close, who suffers from Asperger’s Disorder, a form of autism. Close said his parents finally have found a school that can help him with his disabilities, but he pointed out that many others aren’t so fortunate and could use Spence’s proposal.
“All kids should have this choice,” he said.
Kudos to Caleb for speaking up and speaking out. Too bad the majority Democrats running our State Capitol weren’t paying attention. A party of compassion, indeed.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.