Highlighting Legislation: Autism Tuition Assistance Grants
Today we wanted to highlight a couple of school choice bills that have been introduced in this year’s General Assembly session. Earlier in the session we noted a number of these bills, and we wanted to provide more information for you on those measures.
Two of the bills introduced this year would establish an Autism Tuition Assistance Grant program. Senator Walter Stosch introduced SB 956, and Delegate John O’Bannon introduced HB1985.
These bills would establish a tuition assistance grant program for students with autism. These TAG grants would provide up to $20,000 a year per student to a Virginia nonsectarian private school of choice for students identified as autistic and for whom individual education plans have been written.
Virginia has offered Tuition Assistance Grants (TAG) for college students since 1972. These grants are available for Virginia residents attending private colleges and universities in the Commonwealth.
The Lexington Institute has studied the potential impact of a TAG program for special needs students in Virginia, and concluded that such program would save the Commonwealth money.
Unfortunately, the Senate Education and Health Committee has already defeated Senator Stosch’s legislation, Delegate O’Bannon’s legislation is still being considered by the House Appropriations Committee. We encourage everyone to contact their Delegate and the members of the Appropriation Committee to urge their support of HB1985.
Nothing to fear
Last week, Del. Chris Saxman, shared his thoughts on the need for greater educational choice in Virginia and why we have launched School Choice Virginia in a guest column to the Richmond Times Dispatch.
Today’s letters to the editor pages included the following response:
Where It’s Tried, Choice Proves Popular
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
Thank you for running Del. Chris Saxman’s guest column detailing his reasons for launching School Choice Virginia ["Each Student Deserves the Best Opportunities"].
People in other states have already discovered they have nothing to fear — and much to gain — from letting education dollars follow each child to the school of their parents’ choice, providing an environment that better suits each child’s individual needs, a sense of empowerment, and greater parental involvement.
No city or state in which a school voucher or tax-credit program has gotten off the ground has seen it repealed by voters, and studies show parents who have the opportunity to use them are far more satisfied with their choices than what the government was forcing on them before.
Virginia has already tasted this type of success with Tution Assistance Grants for higher education. The only groups with something to fear from passing those benefits on to the K-12 set are those who place greater importance on protecting their own power over the well-being of children.
Karla Dial, Managing Editor,
School Reform News. Colorado Springs, CO.
