Parents fear DOE cutbacks to District 75

Posted by Philissa at 8:30 AM

Is the DOE's next cost-cutting move going to be dismantling District 75, the city's district for students with the severest disabilities? That's what parents and the teachers' union allege in yesterday's Post. They say the "hush-hush" study being conducted now by the Council of the Great City Schools to identify ways to "improve" the district is a first step toward eliminating it and sending disabled students back to their neighborhood schools.

The DOE says it had no particular agenda in commissioning the study by the non-profit research organization that supports urban school districts. But parents remain suspicious, the Post says, and they may be right to, given past chancellors' attempts to dismantle the costly district, the DOE's current preference for CTT classes that include students in both general and special education, and the budget crisis that has left administrators at all levels scrambling to find ways to save money. Either way, those looking out for children with special needs, including Advocates for Children, Insideschools' parent organization, are sure to keep a careful eye on the situation.