The McCain Palin Commitment To Children With Special Needs "And as governor, I've succeeded in securing additional funding and assistance for students with special needs. By 2011, I will have tripled the funding available to these students." -Governor Sarah Palin, 10/24/08
Governor Palin Has A Proven Record Of Commitment To Special Needs Children: Governor Palin Has Increased Funding For Special Needs Education. Overall funding for Special Needs students has increased every year since Sarah Palin entered office, from $219 million in 2007 to a projected $276 million in 2009. Breakdown below:
FY07: $219,358,041 FY08: $220,420,268 FY09: $275,827,909
On March 28, 2008, Governor Palin Signed Legislation That Will Nearly Triple Per-Pupil Funding Over Three Years For Special Needs Students With High-Cost Requirements. Perpupil breakdown below:
FY08: $26,900 FY09: $49,320 FY10: $61,380 FY11: $73,840
Governor Palin Has Directed State Funds To Other Special Needs Programs. This funding includes $500,000 for diagnostic services for autistic children and $250,000 for training in early autism intervention in her FY2009 budget. The Executive Director Of The Association Of Alaska School Boards Called The New Funding Palin Fought For A "Historic Event." "Carl Rose, the executive director of the Association of Alaska School Boards, praised the changes in funding for rural schools and students with special needs as a 'historic event,' and said the finance overhaul would bring more stability to district budgets." ("Alaska Legislators Overhaul Funding," Education Week, 4/30/08) Families Of Special Needs Children "Have Been Flocking To Palin Rallies ... They Say, Because Her Story Is Theirs, Too." But in the sea of faces, nearly everywhere she goes, she encounters people who aren't really there for the politics. ... Families of children with Down
syndrome have been flocking to Palin rallies. They come to shake her hand, grab a hug or snap a picture, drawn there, they say, because her story is theirs, too." (Savannah Guthrie, NBC "Nightly News," 10/14/08)