From Senator Joan Bray’s website—if you’re in Ladue, Clayton, Brentwood and many other areas of St. Louis County, Bray is your representative in the Missouri House:
Sen. Joan Bray (D-St. Louis) realizes the vital role higher education plays in the future of Missouri. “If we want to have Missourians who can participate in the cultural and civic life with knowledge and thoughtfulness; if we want Missourians to enjoy their leisure time to maximum benefit; if we want Missourians to be able to participate in the workforce at a high level, we must invest more money more thoughtfully in higher education,” Bray said.
Unfortunately, this sentiment doesn’t hold true for the thousands of special needs children who would be helped by House Bill 1886, which Bray is not supporting.
The estimated number of IEP students in Missouri is 130,000. With the 10% cap imposed by this scholarship tax credit, 13,000 students across Missouri whose public school doesn’t offer the type of services they need can find a private institution that does, or choose another public school with different options without having to move into another district. The benefit would be monumental.
What’s more, HB 1886 meets that need Joan Bray is talking about. Many students with learning disabilities only need a short period of individualized, focused help and are then able to do quite well in a mainstream education—sometimes without an IEP. These are Missourians. They are future doctors, teachers, future grad students and future lawmakers—and we have to support first the ability for students to reach those heights. Ask Rep. Joan Bray to represent Missouri’s special needs children with her vote for HB 1886—just give her a call (573) 751-2514 or email jbray@senate.mo.gov.
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