Hawaii (R) governor to cut dozens of special ed teachers

[KamaAina]

cross-post from GD:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2811988

this from a woman who campaigned largely on education issues, only to see her pet proposals shot down in flames by the Dem legislature, and her handpicked Board of Ed candidates poll only slightly ahead of Alan Keyes.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Dec/10/ln/ln03p.html

The state's public schools would lose 163 special-education teaching positions under an initial 2005-07 two-year budget proposed by Gov. Linda Lingle, state Department of Education officials said last night.

State schools superintendent Patricia Hamamoto said the governor's proposal would severely impact the system's ability to serve Hawai'i's "special needs" students and place the state at risk of violating the Felix consent decree, the 1994 court order that requires the department to provide adequate services to mentally and physically disabled students....

DOE budget director Ed Kuyama said the administration apparently made its cuts based on criteria used before the Felix decree.

"What's surprising is that they reached their conclusion without even talking to us," he said. "There's a huge disparity, and it doesn't make sense."

"Based on criteria used before the Felix decree", indeed. Typical Repuke in action: "La, la, Federal court, I can't hear you!" Note that judge David Ezra, author of the Felix consent decree, is himself a Republican and a Reagan appointee.

In other news, the Bush** "administration" announced its new educartion initiaitve, called "No Child Without a Disability Left Behind" </sarcasm>

To the roughly half of Americans with disabilities who drank the Bush** Kool-Aid in November, this is what you voted for: no more public education for us. :grr: :argh: :nuke:

[nofurylike]

1. if even any more LIFE for us. raging!! thanks for info, KamaAina n/t

[Bush on crack]

2. sick!

This is sick! I bet it is blocked...that won't fly in Hawaii.