Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Using Title I, IDEA Funds for School Choice

making federal funding for special education and disadvantaged students transferable to any school their parents choose.

...portable—meaning the money would follow students to any school their parents choose, including a private school, Presumptive GOP nominee Gov. Mitt Romney called today for

Under his proposal, parents could also choose to use the funds under Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act at charter school, for online courses, or for tutoring. Title I is funded at $14.5 billion this year, and IDEA is funded at $11.6 billion, and any proposal to radically shift the use of that money would be almost certain to face a host of administrative, budgetary, and political hurdles from the Congress and statehouses on down.
And Romney, who unveiled his education agenda at the Latino Coalition's Annual Economic Summit in Washington today, is also calling for an expansion of the DC Opportunity Scholarship program, which President Barack Obama sought to eliminate. He would also make it easier for high-quality charter schools to expand, a position that the Obama administration has also embraced.

Romney Calls for Using Title I, IDEA Funds for School Choice - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Romney Considering Big School Choice Expansion

By Alyson Klein on May 22, 2012 10:10 PM

Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney has been mulling some big changes to federal K-12 policy if elected, including allowing federal funding to follow students—even if they want to attend private schools—according to a campaign document obtained by Politics K-12. UPDATED: The Romney plan as sketched-out in a speech this morning tracks closely with the document.
Disadvantaged families and parents of students in special education could choose to spend federal funds at any district or charter public school, tutoring provider, or online course, according to the document circulated over the weekend. It outlines a series of ideas that have been considered by Romney and his advisers, which could be announced as early as this week. Under the proposal, students could also federal money at a private school, as long as that was consistent with state guidelines.

By Alyson Klein on May 23, 2012 12:27 PM

UPDATED
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2012/05/romney.html

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