I work in Special Ed in San Jose CA schools. I can tell you first hand that the cost to tax payers to educate Special Ed students can, and often does, triple the cost of educating main stream students. Parents are often the cause of such high cost. Parents who know the legal system, and how to abuse it, get programs that do not necessarily help their child, but add cost to the over all budget. Legal cost, special programs, pull out programs, learning devices, and on and on...... Some work others do not. Bottom line, someone has to pay for it all, that someone is you and me. Bottom of the bottom our schools need to be reformed.
I am actually surprised you had your kids in public school for as long as you did. As one tax payer to another, thank you for taking them out. You sound much more happy with/in the private sector. How does Texas handle Special Ed in their public schools? Maybe Texas is a better fit for your family.