Montana’s Office of Public Instruction is preparing this winter for the implementation of a new program that will make public education funds directly available to the families of students with special needs.

With the Legislature’s passage last year of House Bill 393, Montana is set to become one of 13 states where parents can apply for government reimbursement for certain educational services obtained outside the public school system. The restrictions placed on such reimbursement programs — known as “education savings accounts” — vary from state to state. Programs in Arizona and Florida are nearly universal, while Montana’s education savings accounts can only be used for services related to special education.

“I want to help in any way possible to make it easier for the parents of special needs children to get their kids the education that they need,” Walter said, “because it doesn’t always fit in the same box and it doesn’t always fit in the public setting.”

“My interest is to make sure that this isn’t just a transfer of public dollars into private schools,” Curtiss said of her role on the committee, adding that she also intends to ensure that Individualized Education Plans — federally mandated documents developed for each student with special needs in the U.S. — serve as a primary guide in HB 393’s implementation.

Montana Free Press: Montana prepares to launch new education savings accounts