UPDATE: Sarah Palin and Alaska Special Needs Kids Funding (The Budget Explained)

Here you go...straight from Eric Fry, Information Officer, Alaska Dept of Education & Early Development, who has kindly provided all the necessary information to set straight what the situation is with the Alaska funding for special needs kids:

The "special needs" document shows that money for special education in general went up as money for the schools in general went up. The author of the document refers to "block grants" because he was looking for an easy-to-understand phrase. In fact, we don't literally give a grant. We add 20 percent to school districts' funding to account for the extra costs of spec ed, voc ed, bilingual ed, and gifted ed. They can spend any part of their budget on spec ed, as needed.

The "intensive needs" funding refers to extra money for kids with severe disabilities. It went up considerably this year and will go up a lot in the next two years.

The "special schools" document should clear up any lingering questions or confusion.

And here are the documents:

Download hb_273_signed_32808.doc

Download special_needs_funding.doc

Download special_schools_budget_component.doc

Keep reading to see an easy to follow yet complete explanation of what the budget actually said and how it was misunderstood.

This is what the "special schools budget" document says:

Alaska Department of Education & Early Development

Special Schools Budget Component

There were four programs within the special schools budget component in the FY2007 Governor’s budget.

Alaska School for the Deaf - $956,400

Special Education Service Agency (SESA) - $2,072,300

Alaska Psychiatric Hospital - $146,000

Alaska Challenge Youth Academy - $5,091,600

The FY07 Governor’s budget for the special schools component was $8,265,300.

In FY08 the Alaska Legislature restructured this budget component and moved Alaska Challenge Youth Academy to its own budget component.

Alaska School for the Deaf - $956,400

Special Education Service Agency (SESA) - $2,054,600

Alaska Psychiatric Hospital - $146,000

The FY08 Governor’s budget for the special schools component was $3,156,000. The SESA budget decreased because there were fewer K-12 students between FY07 and FY08.

Alaska Challenge Youth Academy - $5,709,000

The combined total of the two components in FY08 is $8,865,000, exceeding the FY07 budget by $599,700.

Prepared by Eddy Jeans, Director of School Finance

Comments

[LizP]

I hope Eric doesn't get fired for telling the truth.

[johngex]

I find it interesting that the Alaska Youth Challenge is run by the National Guard in Alaska. Can you vet the site and get this info out? I find it interesting that she just elevated a crony to General.... As noted in VetVoice.co: Monday 8 September: After the weekend--and after his complimentary remarks--Major General Campbell is promoted within the Alaska National Guard to the rank of Lieutenant General. The promotion is not recognized outside the state of Alaska, but he is promoted with his third star, nonetheless." Very concidental that a lot of funding and promise of a pay-grade increse difuses a couple of Palins problams.

[Envy333]

Err, actually isn't it true that instead of cutting funding by 62% Palin has in fact set a reform of the system where by funding is actually set to triple from $26,900 currently to $73,840 by 2011.

Source:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/04/30/35recaps.h27.html

The stats that you quote above are from the budget which was prepared in December of 2006 by the administration she actually replaced.

[Mark]

So the budget practically stayed the same under Palin's watch, and two-thirds of what her supporters are calling "special needs funding" actually went to a boot camp for high school dropouts. Nothing against high school dropouts, but she was a better friend and advocate to them than she was to people with disabilities.

Learn more at www.specialneeds08.blogspot.com

[Imageassassin]

So Palin, very contrary to typical Republican record, raised, instead of cutting funds, to special education. You have to ask yourself if this one good thing will make it worth voting for someone who's platform is otherwise vile and despicable.Ask yourself also,if elected, will she truly bite the hand that feeds and push this for the country, or cater to those who put her in power. And even if she does, will it be worth it?

[Juliette]

Momocrats really owes Governor Sarah Palin an apology. I hope your reader will get the real facts at factcheck .org and
http://proteinwisdom.com/?-13211

Sarah Palin actually increased the budget for special needs children by 175%!

Do any of you momocrats have daughters. How on Earth could you engage in this misogynis witch hunt?

[Kelly O]

Are the people who run this blog going to admit that they lied about Sarah Palin slashing funding for special needs children when in fact she increased funding 3 fold? If they are responsible, they will.

[Mia, mother of autistic daughter]

Gov Palin is not my candidate. It is amazing how different people can see the same info and come to different conclusions: Alaska Challenge Youth Academy Program is described as "This instructional program is operated in Anchorage with student enrollees from across the state. Students work on challenging academic programs in a “boot camp” environment. Completing high school and building career goals and skills are the goals."

This program appears to be part of the National Guard http://www.defenselink.mil/ra/documents/ngycpar.pdf .

Does this sound like Special Education to you??? If Alaska Challenge Youth Academy Program is not special ed, then by removing it from budget in both 2007 and 2008, Gov Palin reduced the budget between 2007 to 2008 by approximately $18,000.

Furthermore, there are several lawsuits filed against Gov Palin and the State of Alaska for not supplying need-based education for autistic children.

[Backtoearth]

What would make anyone even begin to think Palin has ANY interest in "Special Needs Children"? She has one of her own that she does not "care" for....How could a "Real" mother drag their 3 day old "Special Needs Newborn" to the office? And, if for some reason America would consider putting her in Washington.....where would she be when her own "Special Needs" infant said his first words, stood alone the first time, took his fist step? She has dumped her own "Special Needs" child off on someone else. If a Mother doesn't care who raises her own children, can America really feel safe in her hands?????

[Susan Radosh]

I guess as the mother of a daughter living with asperger syndrome in NY, my question is this: Ms Palin was able to make the additional budget shifts and some increase because of increased gas and oil revenues paid to the state of Alaska. But the Alaskan economy and the Federal Budget are two different things. Considering that the House of Representatives voted down a stimulus package of $25 billion dollars for infrastructure spending and to cover states medicaid services on 9/19-and then on 9/20 annnounced the biggest bailout in American history, to Wall Street, I have no confidence that the Republican ticket, even the mother of a child with special needs, and a mother who if elected will have universal healthcare, will advocate for that same healthcare for the rest of us. I do not beleive that the Republican ticket is going to look to provide baliouts to the poor and middle class. I tink that they will continue the Bush policies--welfare for the rich, the hell with the rest of us.

[Tonya]

I think the biggest thing we need to remember with Mrs. Palin is the fact that no matter what she did in office, she is now running for position of Vice President of our Country while having a special needs BABY who has many years of trials, therapy and IEPs left in his life. As a mother of a special needs child I can not even imagine how she can give her son the amount of time and attention he needs from his MOM while being Vice President. I guess though we have seen how she plans to do this, and that is with her daughters and husband raising him...not really sure that as a woman I want that kind of woman as our first Female Vice President.

[Thomas Welch]

I can't understand how a mother of disable child not
mention her disable daughter other than the fact her
daughter is Downs. Must be wealthy to have nannies
raise her child while she's campaigning.
I know of mothers of Downs who are very committed to
thier child. But then again they can't afford nannies.

[trent]

Governor Palin has increased spending for special needs children and she has been the most vocal supporter of the cause. These are positives, no matter what side of the political aisle you stand. I am not an Obama supporter, but I acknowledge that his rise is a very positive symbol for African Americans. Let's not criticize her decision to rais ea child and be a professional. I support women like that in my workplace.