They need more money, but better cost controls? Sounds kind of contradictory to me.

Has there ever been an education audit that came back saying the schools have enough money or even more than they need?

Why are so much of our educational dollars being diverted for health care and behavioral issues? The photo of the "outburst" room is a perfect example of when the Health and Human Services — and not the Education — department should be funding these things.

One of the first things that all Minnesota citizens should do is contact John Kline who sits on the Education Committee in the House of Representatives and ask him why the federal government has failed every year to supply the dollars prescribed in the law for the Special Education mandate. Minnesota receives back from the federal government something like $0.68 per dollar sent to them. It's time the other states pay their own way and quit expecting the good citizens of Minnesota to pay for their follies.

Stepping back, I think a better solution would be stop trying to mainstream every student and stop expecting the public school system to provide for every child regardless of the child's abilities and challenges. Some children are better served by being in a specialized environment and other students who do not have extraordinary challenges would be better served by having few distractions.

It's time the other states pay their own way and quit expecting the good citizens of Minnesota to pay for their follies.****I don't get this, what does our public school system have to do with other states as far as this article is concerned.

Why was the boy, whose room was built for, even in a school setting? Why would any parent even allow such a thing? Not ALL children are able to go to traditional school! Enough with all this stupidity already!

The IDEA specifically states if a district does not have a special ed program in place that a special ed student needs, they either have to put one in place or transfer the student to a district that has one in place. In regards to that particular case, I have not seen it stated what federal setting that particular school was. A traditional school is typically a federal setting level 3. Not all special ed students can handle a federal setting level 3, or least restrictive environment. You have special ed students in a federal setting level 4, which is a more restrictive environment.

If special ed programs had better cost controls wouldn't they need less money? I'm so tired of the left telling me over and over again that they promise they'll do a better job with their finances.....if I give them more of my money. This time will be different. We promise

tomstromie - i agree with your point however the application of your point is more challenging. If you propose such a thing you will be called at best insensitive and at worst a hater. You will have parents that scream at you that their kid has just as much right to go to that school as anyone else even if it ultimately lowers all the other kids educational experience. The drain this article describes is real.