My husband is up for military orders soon. Another move, our 5th in 13 years of marriage, brings with it a new kind of anxiety this go round. That’s because my twin sons will be starting kindergarten. Choosing the right school in a new state where you have no family support would cause any military mom to be anxious, but I have the added worry of getting appropriate service for one of my sons who has an intellectual disability.
Then this happened just last week: H.B. 5199 was introduced by Indiana Representative Jim Banks to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, to allow parents of eligible military dependent children to establish Military Education Savings Accounts.
The bill sounds really great, right? Vouchers for military families to spend on private school tuition or homeschool costs. But the devil is in the details, and the costs outweigh the potential small benefit. First, where are they getting the money to give to military families? The bill, backed by Secretary of Education, Betsy Devos, would take money from public schools around military bases. It’s important to note that 80% of military children attend public schools.
Public schools are funded primarily through local property tax, but schools around military bases lose out on crucial tax revenue because federal land cannot be taxed. That’s why Congress created a Federal Impact Aid in the 1950s, to offset this lack of property tax revenue, and supplement public schools around bases with additional federal dollars. H.B. 5199 would take $1.9 billion taxpayer dollars from Impact Aid to give to military families to use on private school tuition or homeschooling.
Read Related Post: How Military Service Creates a Secure Future for Our Son with Down Syndrome
There’s so many reasons why this proposal is wrong. Below are some links to understand why, but today I’m going to talk about the negative impact on military children with disabilities.
- National Military Family Association blog post, School Vouchers are Not the Answer
- Military Officers Association of America blog post, Will Proposed ESAs Help or Hurt Military Kids?
- Military Times op-ed, Military School Choice Plan a ‘Bad Deal’ for Families
If your military child is on an IEP, you should be very wary of any voucher proposal. Especially a proposal that plans to take taxpayer money away from public schools were most of these children with disabilities receive needed supports and services. Leaving the public school system, means your child forfeits his or her many rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Private schools do not have to provide meaningful education, specifically designed instruction, accommodations, modifications, or any other supports found in the Individual Education Program (IEP).
Most private schools I’ve called will not accept my son, who has Down syndrome. They say he would be better served in the public school setting. But even if a private school will accept your child with a disability, you will likely not be able to fund private tuition with the $2,500 and $4,500 the bill is proposing. Private schools often require the parent to pay out of pocket for special services for their child with special needs, like a 1:1 aide, therapists, and assistive technology. With the average private elementary school costing $7,770, plus the cost of paying for disability-related services, my husband’s military officer pay wouldn’t cut it. We could homeschool, but again we’d need supplementary tutoring for reading and math which costs more than the allotted amount in this bill. Not to mention all those families who cannot homeschool.
So, what can you do about this bill? Stop it in its tracks now before it gains any more momentum! Tell your representative that the military families this bill espouses to help, don’t support the idea.
Call the sponsor of this bill, Indiana Rep. Jim Banks at (202) 225-4436 (who ironically lives in a state with no major military installations). Tell him you’re a military spouse who sends your child to public school, and you do no support H.B. 5199 for the reasons stated above. Keep it personal. Tell him or his staff about your child, and how this would be detriment to their education and the education of all the children left in these underfunded public schools near military bases.
You can also call NE Senator Ben Sasse and SC Senator Tim Scott and tell them to kill the Senate version of the bill S. 2517.
The House bill already has 29 co-sponsors, so it’s up to us to #killthebill. See if your U.S. representative is cosponsoring the bill below, and click on their name for an email or phone number.
I seriously doubt these Congressmen consulted military families to see if they support this bill. The National Military Family Association (NMFA), the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (NAFIS) and the Military Officers Association of America have all voiced opposition to the proposal.
I have already called my representatives, because I realize what’s at stake. My son’s future, and the futures of all the kids left behind in underfunded schools. Tell your Congressmen to support the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, and #killthebill!
