Palin's Special Needs Record - Not So Wonderful

[TomClash]

Conservatives on the rightist blogs, The Weekly Standard and elsewhere have been crowing that Palin actually increased Special Needs spending in Alaska during her two years as Governor. They're technically correct but, as usual, the Rightists have trouble with math, economics and context.

It's true that more was spent on Special Needs students. In 2007 The budget allocated $8.265 million including the Alaska Challenge Youth Academy, which the State calls a "boot camp" for children with special needs. http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/07_OMB/budget/EED/comp2735.pdf

The Alaska Challenge Youth Academy was separated out of the 2008 budget and marked as a special line item. http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/08_OMB/budget/Enacted/HB_95_bill.pdf (page 13) Totaling the two lines for the Academy and Special Services shows an increase of $600,000 to $8.865 million, about a 7.3% increase.

The 2009 budget shows another increase to $9.215 million, about a $350,00 increase, or a 3.8% increase.
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/09_omb/budget/bills/HB310_with_vetoes.pdf (page 13)

So the great Sarah Palin increased spending on special needs by $950,000 or just under 11.4% over two years.

So you say, "Tomclash I thought you were a Dyed in the wool Dem!! What's up with this?"

There's more to the story. Let's look at this in context.

What happened to Alaska's budget during those two years? It went up as oil revenues continued to soar. The Alaska Legislature authorized spending of $8.541 billion in 2007 (gov.state.ak.us/omb/07_OMB/07VetoesFiscalSumm.pdf). In 2009 the authorization was 9.873 billion, http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/09_omb/budget/bills/09_fiscal_summary_conf_committee_less_vetoes_9-5-08.pdf) an increase of $1.332 billion or 15.6% over two years, a percentage significantly more than the increase special needs kids got. So special needs kids got less than the average budget increase that everyone else got. I guess they're not so "special."

Is this 11.4% increase for real? It's not really very much when you factor in inflation. The Anchorage Consumer Price Index advanced 4.6% over the past year (http://www.bls.gov/ro9/cpianch.htm). Assuming an increase of 3% for the rest of the fiscal year, that would mean about a 3-4% real increase in funding over her first two years. Big deal.

Now, about 2/3 of the special needs funding goes to the Alaska Challenge Youth Academy. In 2008, Palin proposed spending $1 million less than the Legislature wanted on that program, according to he Association of Alaska School Boards. http://www.aasb.org/PDF's/LegiBull/030207.htm

But what is the heck is the Alaska Challenge Youth Academy? Googling it brings up nothing about what it actually does, except the state budget report which only states that "This instructional program is operated in Anchorage with student enrollees from across the state. Students work on challenging academic programs in a “boot camp” environment. Completing high school and building career goals and skills are the goals." http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/09_omb/budget/EED/comp2837.pdf Not much about special needs here.

Nor is there anything about it from the Alaska Division of Public Assistance or SERRC - Alaska’s Educational Resource Center - on its special needs page. The Alaska Family directory for schools is silent too. http://www.asd.k12.ak.us/AFD

So what gives? Is this really a special needs program or something else? Tell us Sarah.

When it comes to special needs kids, Sarah Palin is just another Republican - all talk and not much action. Instead of playing beauty queen or small town mayor, maybe she should have just started as something else - like a community organizer.

[PA Democrat]

1. My guess is that the Alaska Challenge Youth Academy

is an alternative education program for kids with mental health or severe behavioral issues.

Great analysis. I'd also like to point out that the number of kids needing special education services increases as population increases, so on a per capita basis the "increase" is even less.

[TomClash]

2. Thanks!

You may be right but we don't know for sure.

I tried to do a per capita analysis too but could not find enough information, i.e., the number of special needs students.

If we win PA and OH the election is over. Help as much as you can.