tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7771487.post4771807132453436895..comments2024-03-27T15:43:53.969-04:00Comments on Adventures in Autism: Sarah Palin Raised Special Education Funding in AlaskaGinger Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04200286625735078479noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7771487.post-9841991986960542392008-10-24T19:07:00.000-04:002008-10-24T19:07:00.000-04:00I live in Fairbanks Alaska and my 17 yr old daught...I live in Fairbanks Alaska and my 17 yr old daughter has Williams Syndrome. If there has been any increase in funding for Special Education I haven't seen it in our High School Special Ed classrooms. I am currently paying from my own pocket for my daughter to be tutored in the Linda Mood Bell (LMB) program which the school won't provide even though they do have a few teachers educated in the program. The reading education given to my daughter the past 2 years haven't progressed her at all ... she went from reading at a first grade level to a kindergarten level. Her LMB tutors expect to get my daughter to at least a 5th grade reading level and perhaps an 8th grade level. I don't believe Sarah Palin when she says she'll be an advocate for special needs because I haven't seen it personally or with any of the other children I've seen in special education.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359918245966290126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7771487.post-73112541448795820412008-10-22T12:11:00.000-04:002008-10-22T12:11:00.000-04:00Hi timmmahhhh, a commentor on the link you asked a...Hi timmmahhhh, a commentor on the link you asked about posted a great answer for your question. Here's her comment:<BR/><BR/>"I am only the mother of two children with Autism, a parent advocate employeed by my school district to help families navigate special education. I serve on the board of my states Parent Inforamtion Center for Children with Disabilities and I work sith a very active PTA board who studies state and local educations budgets very closely. And oh, by the way, I do have a degree in accounting!<BR/><BR/>If you look at the 2007 budget http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/07_OMB/budget/EED/comp2735.pdf the budget for the school year was $8,265,300 and this number included the Alaskan Challenged Youth Academy.<BR/><BR/>If you look at the 2008 budget http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/08_OMB/budget/Enacted/HB_95_bill.pdf (page 13) <BR/><BR/>the budget is $3,156,000, but the Alaskan Challenged Youth Academy is a seperate line item. It's budget is $5,709,000 for a grand total of $8,865,000.<BR/>This is a 6.25% increase, not a decrease!<BR/><BR/>If you look at the 2009 budget <BR/>http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/09_omb/budget/bills/HB310_with_vetoes.pdf (page 13)<BR/><BR/>Again if you add the two numbers together you get a total of $9,214,900 and this year it is a 3.94% increase.<BR/><BR/>Stephanie"<BR/><BR/>Personally, I believe Stephanie :)CMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13973269177091246715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7771487.post-4707243955748436902008-09-06T15:00:00.000-04:002008-09-06T15:00:00.000-04:00So which version are we to believe? This is a sin...So which version are we to believe? This is a sinceere question.<BR/><BR/>http://momocrats.typepad.com/momocrats/2008/09/sarah-palin-sla.htmltimmmahhhhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12311508044891564610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7771487.post-22723812464141318462008-09-05T16:21:00.000-04:002008-09-05T16:21:00.000-04:00Actually, she did cut overall funding by 62%. Tha...Actually, she did cut overall funding by 62%. That is to say, she cud funding for special needs programs for all ages, including infants, pre-school children and adults.<BR/><BR/>She did raise funding for a few programs for school-age children - the ones referenced in your article.<BR/><BR/>To me, that doesn't offset Palin's willful lack of compassion for the rest of the special needs community.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com