In Sarah Palin's speech she pledged to make America a more welcoming place for children with special needs. Parents in Alaska may just have had a fit when she said that. Funding in Alaska has been slashed by 62% since she got in office.
Palin: "To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."
So how are the
special needs students in Alaska faring? If you look at the school system in Alaska the answer is not well. Alaska has the lowest rate of high school completion in the nation. In the town that
Palin was mayor, Wasilla, the average student makes it to the 10th grade before dropping out. That makes Palin unusual, she went to university.
We already know that she has cut funding for teen moms in her state. She also has cut sex education programs.
What has she done that was for the good in terms of education? One she raised per student funding by $100.00 to the current $5,380. The national average of $8,973. Still that's $100 less than what educators had been asking for.
Quietly in
March 2008 Palin signed the biggest rewrite of the state's education funding system in a decade.
In the next five years an extra $180 million will be going to school districts.
Like George Bush's Texas, homeschooling is considered the way to go in Alaska if you want an educated child. It's something that Palin knows about since her own children are enrolled in that venue.
Now to be fair Alaska has a very small population compared to the mainland. But does her record stand up for what you want for your children?
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