The statistics on busing (Feb. 2) show that the Chicago Board of Education spends more money taking care of special education students ($40 million) than on busing for desegregation ($32 million). Previous news reports have indicated that the funds available to special education are inadequate, so it seems unlikely that the board is overspending there.
Since it seems obvious that there are more ordinary students in the system, wouldn’t the fact that you are spending a smaller portion of transportation on them indicate that an increase is due rather than a cut?
Magnet schools do attract middle-class families. Is your reporter suggesting that there should be no programs available to middle-class parents? Or is he suggesting that these programs don’t also serve the poor? I wish the Tribune would drop the biased reporting on public education.
