Olympic-sized Presidential Gaffe and More Talk on Funding

• The Obama Administration is pledging an additional $5 billion for early-preschool education as part of a a five year educaiton reform plan.
  
• During his appearance on "The Tonight Show" President Barack Obama attemped a joke, saying that his bowling (score: 129) was "like the Special Olympic or something." But, before the joke aired, the president was apologizing to the chairman of the Special Needs Olympics. Needless to day, the phrase and even the apology are taking a lot of heat in the blogosophere.
• Meanwhile, in Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is joining some other Republican governors in rejecting a portion of the federal stimulus money bound for her state. According to to the Anchorage Daily News, Palin has rejected 30 percent of the money designated for Alaska. The biggest chunk of that, some $170 million, is intended for education, including money that would go for programs to help economically disadvantaged and special needs students. That's upsetting some Alaksa school leaders.
  

Special Needs Stimulus Perspectives and a Few Harsh Words

• Education Week writes about caution around the all the new funding that will go to schools for special needs. The sudden flood of funding may help a landscape that has been in a fiscal drought for years but provides no promise of sustained funding. One school's experience suggests how complex these decisions may be:

... Judith Johnson ... will be able to use stimulus money to preserve about five teaching positions in next year’s proposed budget. However, the stimulus measure didn’t prevent the district from sending layoff notifications last week to some 50 staff members, including teachers, clerical employees, and custodians. The employees who may end up being laid off at the end of this school year represent about 10 percent of the district’s staff.

• Similarly, Administrators Ponder Best Use for Special Education Stimulus Funds
• From New York an editorial on federal stimulus should be tapped to restore special needs education. The resident of Pearl River wants money to make up for cost-of-living-increases, day rehabilitation services for adults with special needs and out-of-home residential care.
• Harsh words from the parent of a special needs student on IEPs and transportation. To better understand how parents can feel about this, it's well worth checking out the whole stream of discussions.

Hot Topics and Slow Dollars

• Like Molases: Stimulus money is coming, but many districts will have to wait. One Texas district expects to wait months to see the first trickles of a $100 million stream over the next two years.
• Too Hot to Touch: About.com's Special Needs blog spins off an idea from NPR with its list of Ten Toxic Special Needs Topics. On the top of the list of hot-button issues in special needs discussions: peanut bans.
• On that note... NPR also looks at an experiment that takes a bite out of peanut allergies.
  
• The Examined Life: A special needs parent asks if sometimes 'we' coddle special needs children too much. While another parent looks at how best to discipline her special needs teen.
  

Stimulus, Solidarity and Site Update

Last week, we reported that the stimulus package provides $13.6 billion for special needs education. In the week ahead, we'll look at the package more closely and discuss how schools and pupil transporters may be able to get their piece of the pie.

Later this week, special needs experts gather in Indianapolis, Ind., for the National Conference on Transporting Students With Disabilities & Preschoolers. The group might take note, in Northern California, a group of parents of children with autism and other special needs have formed their own PTA. The group was founded to help parents work together to draw attention to special needs and the often under-funded mandated special education costs. The group's president and co-founder Susie Christensen stated the group's mission:

"Our mission is to disseminate information and support parents in their quest for educating their children, and let them know they're not alone."

For those looking for education online, we've recently updated the special needs section of our Web site. Inside disabilities definitions, resources, commentaries and more.

Special Needs and the Economy

Recently, we highlighted how pupil transportation could provide "recession-proof" jobs in 2009. A number of contractors say nationwide job loss is helping them with driver recruitment and retention. But before the yet-to-be-passed stimulus package can bolster school and special needs funding, some districts are making cuts, including one Indiana district that recently decided to cut school bus aides. As expected, the news has prompted considerable comment and discussion. In California, it seems some non-classroom employees are expecting budget cuts as well.