Ohio districts diverting special-ed funds for other uses
January 26th, 2010From the Columbus Dispatch:
For many Ohio school districts, the recent influx of federal stimulus money has doubled the federal dollars they receive for special education. New state regulations are making it easier for them to use the extra cash to shore up their shaky budgets, and disability rights advocates are crying foul.
Advocates say Ohio is cheating vulnerable students, and claim the state has taken the most extreme approach of any state in allowing local districts to divert the money for other purposes.
“It just seems completely mind-blowing to me,” said Jennifer Cohen, a policy analyst at the Washington, D.C.-based New America Foundation. “I think it’s sneaky, and I know there are a lot of special-education advocates out there who are upset about the implications.”
Earlier post here.


January 26th, 2010 at 3:33 pm
I heard about this a couple months ago from someone in a position to know what was going on. I did not have time to research it, but it is so discouraging to hear it confirmed.
Dublin, OH