Special Education/Programs for the "Mentally Challenged", Useful or useless? Options

[MissHygienic]

There has been an ongoing debate about whether or not to levy taxes to properly fund public schools. I already know of a few under-funded school districts who forced teachers to work double shifts, and many schools were not able to provide paper, pens, or pencils because no one paid enough taxes.

With that said, what is your opinion on special education that is funded by the state? Public schools are already having a hard enough time. Should people waste more time and money on people with irreconcilable disabilities, or do you believe that all people should have education, whether or not they make use of it?

Discuss amongst yourselves.

[karmakiller]

I'm in Special Ed, and I do believe that it helps people. The thing is, though, is there's lots of people who aren't "challenged" that take advantage of the program. They see it as a way to get more help on tests and skip classes and go a Special Ed study hall. Being a special ed teacher is a difficult job, and sometimes there are people who think they can do it but they really can't. I think everyone has the right to have a good education, no matter what some IQ tests say. Everyone learns different ways and everyone's smart in different ways. For families dealing with mentally challenged children it's hard. They shouldn't be expected to pay a lot of money out-of-pocket to assure that their child gets a fair education.