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Oh I hear ya both...
It is really difficult.

ToT...as far as those parents paying taxes too...you are totally correct. They ARE paying taxes...and it is a hard situation. Because even if NO ONE is learning...other parents (even of healthy kids) are getting free babysitting (if education is at its worst) for 180 days a year...and shouldn't they get to take advantage of that "free babysitting" too?
But, on the other hand...if you add up the amount of $$$ that is being spent on these 7-9 children per year...it is JUST HUGE!
I would venture to guess (with benefits) it would be close to a million dollars per year for 7-9 students.
AND, since they are qualified for special ed..they will be able to go to school for 3 years LONGER than regular ed students (until the year in which they turn 21).
Also, they qualify to begin earlier (we have a birth-2 program AND a3-5 program)...
So, conceivably, it could cost in the neighborhood of 20+ MILLION dollars to have these 7-9 kiddos in public school for 20 years..
AND...there is really NO POTENTIAL for learning at this level.
PLEASE KNOW that I am a big special ed advocate..and the trend is for all of these folks to be working adults who live as independently as possible...and SINCE they have to "live" somewhere post high school..I would rather have them leading productive and semi-independant lives both because it is the cheapest for us....AND the best for them..
(I hope that run-on sentence makes sense)...

So..it WOULD be interesting wouldn't it..to see what would happen if we all KEPT our own money...used the portion that we kept for choosing our OWN educational preference for our children..AND THEN special ed could be supplemented somehow (don't as me how though:-)

But that will probably NEVER happen because then the special ed students would probably be educated somewhere OTHER than in school with regular ed students..and THAT would be discrimination.
(ACK ACK ACK)

Anyway...I appreciate BOTH of your comments..and again..I just don't know.
But my gut says that a million dollars per year is too much for respite care (but ToT..I REALLY DO understand what you are saying too)..

But my gut says that a million dollars per year is too much for respite care (but ToT..I REALLY DO understand what you are saying too)..

I agree.

I also can't imagine quite what would happen to these families & children if the public school system were done away with. I suppose they might then be covered under medicaid or something.