The Compassionate Conservative
Suddenly George Bush is all about fiscal conservativism. He wants Congress to spend less on domestic programs such as the irresponsible State Children's Health Insurance Program (because, don't you know, it would lead to universal health coverage). Another target is Medicaid expenditures for transporting disabled children, as noted in an article in today's Sacramento Bee.
The Bush administration plans to stop reimbursing states for school-based Medicaid activities, including transporting disabled students, a move that would cost California schools more than $100 million a year.
Districts are scrambling to figure out how to pay the bill because federal law requires schools to provide special services for disabled students. ...
Sacramento City Unified School District and other school districts rely on the Medicaid insurance program for the poor, known as Medi-Cal in California, to pay a portion of the costs of transporting children with disabilities.
The district transports 1,100 special-needs children each day -- including some who use wheelchairs -- and is still calculating the potential costs.
"This (regulation) is not limited to just the physically disabled, it also includes physical and speech therapy and other services," said Terry Brown, the district's transportation chief. ...
Maria Lopez, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento City school district, said the proposed regulations are incompatible with "an administration that keeps pushing for leaving No Child Left Behind." A hallmark of the Bush presidency, the sweeping federal law is intended to close the achievement gap and improve the academic achievements of poor children.
"This not only leaves them behind, but it locks them up," Lopez said. "School districts will do all they can to continue to provide services for (these) children, but this is so devastating."
How ... compassionate. Apparently leaving disabled children who also happen to be poor behind is ok. There must be an invisible asterisk after "No Child..." that covers things nicely.
But, hey, it's all about the fiscal responsibility: the deficit keeps growing. Cutting war spending is off the table because our security (terra! terra! terra!) is just too important. And rolling back tax cuts for the rich is off the table because, well, the rich will use that extra money to buy stocks, and that helps everybody.
Nice.
The Bush administration plans to stop reimbursing states for school-based Medicaid activities, including transporting disabled students, a move that would cost California schools more than $100 million a year.
Districts are scrambling to figure out how to pay the bill because federal law requires schools to provide special services for disabled students. ...
Sacramento City Unified School District and other school districts rely on the Medicaid insurance program for the poor, known as Medi-Cal in California, to pay a portion of the costs of transporting children with disabilities.
The district transports 1,100 special-needs children each day -- including some who use wheelchairs -- and is still calculating the potential costs.
"This (regulation) is not limited to just the physically disabled, it also includes physical and speech therapy and other services," said Terry Brown, the district's transportation chief. ...
Maria Lopez, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento City school district, said the proposed regulations are incompatible with "an administration that keeps pushing for leaving No Child Left Behind." A hallmark of the Bush presidency, the sweeping federal law is intended to close the achievement gap and improve the academic achievements of poor children.
"This not only leaves them behind, but it locks them up," Lopez said. "School districts will do all they can to continue to provide services for (these) children, but this is so devastating."
How ... compassionate. Apparently leaving disabled children who also happen to be poor behind is ok. There must be an invisible asterisk after "No Child..." that covers things nicely.
But, hey, it's all about the fiscal responsibility: the deficit keeps growing. Cutting war spending is off the table because our security (terra! terra! terra!) is just too important. And rolling back tax cuts for the rich is off the table because, well, the rich will use that extra money to buy stocks, and that helps everybody.
Nice.
Labels: Budget, California
posted by Diane at 5:06 AM
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