Legislators go 'back to school' at Cardinal Cushing Center
Hanover - Legislators and their staff from around the state are visiting with special education schools and students to learn about special education policy issues, including disparities that exist between state-approved special education schools and public schools.
In attendance at the recent meeting at the Cardinal Cushing Center in Hanover were state Reps. Robert J. Nyman representing Hanover, Norwell and Rockland, and state Rep. Frank M. Hynes representing Marshfield and Scituate, as well as senior staff members from the offices of: state Rep. Patricia Haddad of the Taunton area; state Sen. Joan Menard of the Fall River area; state Rep. Christine Canavan of the Brockton area; and state Rep. Geraldine Creedon of the Brockton area.
The special education schools play a vital role in assisting the state with thousands of its special needs children by providing specialized education and treatment that the public schools are not equipped to provide. These schools have to meet all state requirements under the Education Reform Act of 1993, and yet have received virtually no financial assistance over the last decade to pay for the additional cost.
To address this, the special education schools, along with their association, the Massachusetts Association of 766 Approved Private Schools, are conducting a series of regional legislative meetings across the state, allowing MAAPS member school directors, staff and board members an opportunity to meet with their state senators and state representatives to discuss enhancing the special education circuit breaker to provide adequate state funding and to require Massachusetts to change its special education Medicaid reimbursement system to capture an estimated $50 million in additional federal funding.