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Support special education at AISD meeting
Here comes football season as the budget gets smaller for special education.
The recent meetings for Abilene ISD faculty announced reducing the number of special education teachers and special education students. Football's funding is acquired differently than educational funding, but the Big Country's support for football over academics is clear.
Abilene High School's 2007 graduation ceremony speaker covered mainly football. AHS grads were going out into the world. Hopefully, they've been given more preparation than pep rallies.
Cooper High School's football staff has 16 members; CHS special education faculty has only 18 and a half. CHS' football motto: "Where we go one we go all" should really include all.
We must correct the focus of athletic values. Is it necessary to sacrifice future business executives, government administrators and research developers for the game? There are other athletic programs, each with faculty. There are numerous learning conditions, yet the number of educational faculty decreases when compared with the athletic staff.
AISD boasts of ranking 17th nationally. Are we celebrating by minimizing education and maximizing athletics? I haven't heard of changing the football budget. The disproportion of support here is already visible.
Our nation already depends on others for producing our consumer goods. Reports from our national center for education statistics look grim. What effort will we spend on young peoples' academics? Get football tickets before they're sold out.
Express your academic support at AISD's board meeting Sept. 8 at 5:30 p.m., One AISD Center, 241 Pine St.
Emily Boyett
Abilene
Editor's note: The AISD has reduced the percentage of students diagnosed as special education from about 22 percent five years ago to about 16 percent today. The state has set a goal of 8.5 percent for school districts. Larry Davis, AISD's executive director for special education, says the district is doing a better job of identifying students in need of special education help and is not leaving out any students in need of such assistance.
Posted by donny on September 4, 2008 at 8:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How could the State mandate how many special ed students we have?
After dealing with the system for 9 years i can honestly say it is broken.
Posted by Godwatching on September 4, 2008 at 10:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It has been broken but by the State mandating that schools bring the number down has helped. Districts no longer place students in special education in order for them to compete in sports or to not have them take the TAKS test.
Posted by roberttlaird on September 4, 2008 at 12:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We have a unique problem because of the State School. The district has to provide the appropriate education for all of the students and this includes the State School. What this does is raise the number of special needs students over what an "average" district without a State School would have.
Posted by rampbrat on September 4, 2008 at 8:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Having large numbers of special ed. students actually costs districts more, because of state mandated student/teacher ratios in their classes. Students also have to be tested and monitored. More money. What's broken is the state randomly telling schools how many special ed. student they can have.
Posted by wagamama on September 4, 2008 at 9:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You don't know until you've seen it w/ your own eyes. What about the special ed student who reads on 2nd grade level and sits in a regular science class, and is expected to take the TAKS science test? What about the deaf ed student who reads on the 3rd grade level and is expected to take the 8th grade reading TAKS?
There is one "floating" special ed resource teacher trying to help 10 students in an inclusion class of 25, while TAKS facts are fed to the students every day.
The speech/language pathologists were decreased by half. How do you tell a parent of a deaf child, we can't provide a full time speech therapist on this campus anymore-- so we're cutting everyone's speech time in half, and then the football team gets a whole new wardrobe?
It is no wonder families are moving out of Abilene.
Posted by kelly_41_2000 on September 5, 2008 at 6:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The education in the state is crap and a kid cant make it on what they learn in the school system. The last thing we need are more arm chair quarterbacks and wanna be athletes to support while the welfare checks are going out each month.
Posted by GRAMMY on September 5, 2008 at 12:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thank you...This info has helped me, the last couple of years the AISD has been phasing our son out of the special ed program stating that what we have learned from specialists in Dallas and Lubbock are wrong, while mocking and treating us like idoits.
Posted by jeffcaseltine on September 5, 2008 at 8:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I worked as an aide for students w/ disabilities in Oklahoma for the previous 5 years before moving last year to Abilene. I must say that I was shocked by the inadequacy of the special ed. programs here. I never dreamed that that Texas would be inferior to OK in any aspect of education, but they are. Parents need to realize that they have rights to have their child tested and evaluated. Parents please advocate strongly for your children with special learning needs. I love football, but let's get our priorities straight. I doubt that God really cares who wins the big game ('cept maybe UT-OU) but I imagine he cares how we meet the needs of our children.
Posted by donny on September 6, 2008 at 8:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Talking to Larry Davis about special needs is like talking to a brick wall.
He is just a puppet of the current administration.
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