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Teacher, student tell education committee special-education supports are essential
Summary
At a Feb. 28 Education Committee meeting, a high school teacher and a senior student testified that individualized plans and federal grants are critical to students’ success, warning that cuts would shift costs to districts.
On Feb. 28, during a meeting of the Education Committee, Annie Schneider, a high school teacher at the Miski Kids School, and Alexis Glenn, a 17-year-old senior at Munoz High School, told committee members that special-education supports and funding are essential to students’ academic success and future opportunities.
Schneider described students she has taught who lacked services when they first arrived at school. She said one student who suffered serious injuries as a child “was not receiving any services” and, after staff advocated and completed testing, “we’re able to place him on an individualized education program” — a change she said “totally changed things for him.” Schneider asked committee members to “put a face to the numbers” when considering funding decisions.
Alexis Glenn, who said she receives accommodations for severe anxiety and a speech impediment, told the committee the supports allowed her to improve attendance, complete assignments and succeed academically. “I now hold the top GPA of our graduating class and received a full scholarship to the University of Vermont next fall,” Glenn said. She described being set up with “a 504 plan,” which she said immediately produced positive change: more time on assignments, breaks when needed and alternative testing environments.
Both speakers described the role of federal grants in funding special-education services. Glenn told the committee that “currently, the federal government sends grants annually to states who in turn send this money to specific districts,” and that what grants do not cover is made up by local schools. She warned that if federal funding were cut, schools would “be required to support special education programs completely on their own.”
Committee members thanked the speakers and asked questions. A committee member congratulated Glenn on her accomplishments and asked what she was most proud of; she replied that attending school consistently and arriving mostly on time were among her biggest improvements. The committee member closed by saying the topic is important and that committee members should keep special education and related funding in mind during budget deliberations.
Why it matters: The testimony linked classroom practice and individual student outcomes to programmatic supports (IEPs and 504 plans) and to funding flows from federal grants to districts. Committee members did not take formal action at the meeting; the session featured testimony and a brief question-and-answer exchange.
