A reader who is a parent in Wisconsin notes that the far-right group American Federation for Children is reaching out to disability groups to get their support for vouchers. AFS is committed to privatization, and they know full well that vouchers for special education students is a first step. It is also high on ALEC’s agenda. It arises not from concern for the students, whose rights are protected by federal law in public schools, but out of concern for their own political agenda, which is anti-public education, anti-union, and anti-professionalism.
Writes the reader:
More about Wisconsin and vouchers — I and two other parents of students with disabilities have just had a column published in Wisconsin’s Capital Times:
Amanda’s link above, about expanded vouchers expected to be part of the budget plan, also holds true for special needs vouchers, although the Walker administration has been silent on that aspect so far. Just this week, however, the national American Federation for Children lobby has begun contacting disability groups across Wisconsin, with a pitch for putting the vouchers INTO the budget.
This although no statewide disability group in Wisconsin is asking for these vouchers, and we particularly DON’T want them in the budget where they wouldn’t get a separate public hearing. Such a controversial statewide policy change, full of problems and pitfalls, must be debated and exposed and voted on separately!
Stop Special Needs Vouchers, a statewide grassroots group led by families of students with disabilities, is spreading the word: we need to keep special needs education strong in Wisconsin public schools. We’re on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StopSpecialNeedsVouchers — please join us!
Diane Ravitch's blog 
As happened last session, this bill will pass the Assembly. It can be defeated in the more moderate Senate, but only if a lot of pressure is applied by voucher opponents on moderate Republicans. Kudos for this great OpEd.
I agree with you that this proposal does not arise out of concern for students. However, disabled students’ rights are not adequately protected by federal law in practice. I know of plenty of families whose children, disabled by autism, Asberger’s, or learning disabilities, found their public schools untenable and decided to homeschool in order to take care of their kids’ needs. They’d love to have a charter school set up just to funnel money to them for their kids’ educational needs. I am not saying this is a good way to go, just that there are struggling families who will find it in their interest. A good approach to countering this legislation is to recognize this need and make other suggestions about how to address it.
The primary point used by special needs voucher proponents is exactly the one you’re making: special ed. isn’t working for many kids. That is true, and there are many ways to fix it, including adequate funding, better professional development, and more funding for advocacy. The irony of voucher proponents using this argument is their proposal gives children with disabilities less (or no) rights and not a single one of these programs has shown that it improved education for children with disabilities.
I worry Act 10 and the subsequent recall attempts have muddied the Wisconsin waters to a point many cannot see clearly what is best for our kids and schools. Clearly, the expansion of Wisconsin’s voucher program is a bad choice for Wisconsin public schools.
Blinding many Wisconsinites is the well-funded, school choice marketing of the the Koch Brothers’ Americans for Prosperity (AFP). AFP is not out to improve Wisconsin’s public schools. Traditional public education runs contradictory to the free market model of competition favored by AFP, WPRI, EAG, CRG, MacIver Institute, Bradley Foundation, Heartland Institute, Tea Party, and other free market think tanks running wild in our state.
For the free market enthusiasts, the invisible hand will work its magic and solve many of the problems plaguing our public schools by expanding privately-run, publicly-funded voucher schools. For those of us in public education, we know better. There is no magic in solving the complex socioeconomic problems dragging down too many of our students and schools. School vouchers address symptoms of poverty, not the causes.
What Wisconsin schools most need is a comprehensive plan that treats the causes of student poverty. Serious reform must include a culture of collaboration, student-centered learning, school-led community partnerships, and, above all, extensive social and academic support for our neediest students.