This week the House Ways & Means Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee have proposed budget reconciliation bills that include provisions harmful to children with disabilities. Specifically, the House Ways & Means bill would add $20 billion in funding for a tax mechanism that would provide tax credits to individuals who donate to “a scholarship granting organization” and then access up to $5000 annually through a voucher to use for tuition, curriculum, books, online education, and more. Families making more than three times the local median income do not qualify. While language was added to reference students with disabilities and accessing “equitable services” -as allowed under current law to ensure public school districts reserve some IDEA funding for parentally placed children in private schools- the bill does not add any new protections. Similarly, the House Energy and Commerce bill would cut Medicaid by more than $800 billion. 

“The House budget bills deliver a double blow to children with disabilities by prioritizing a flawed voucher scheme and by cutting funding essential to providing services to children with disabilities,” said Denise Marshall, COPAA CEO. “On its own, the voucher proposal is a bait and switch because we know families who use vouchers can lose their IDEA rights; accountability suffers; and costs go up. Rather than prioritizing IDEA funding to benefit the 8 million children with disabilities (ages 0-21) served by early intervention and schools, the House has proposed a $20 billion boon to private schools that is paid for by massive cuts to Medicaid. Together, these proposals jeopardize access to all IDEA protections, including the screenings, interventions, therapies and services, assistive technology, and more that children and youth with disabilities need.”  

COPAA is the author of School Choice Series Choice & Vouchers—Implications for Students with Disabilities, whose findings demonstrated that while some families can benefit from voucher programs, what is also true is that most voucher programs cut the IDEA-eligible child off from IDEA rights and cause loss of services and supports. The report also highlights the severe consequences families can face, such as financial strain; being pushed out by private or religious schools when children are deemed too challenging to educate; and there is often no accountability for student outcomes equal to state accountability systems.