Mississippi Special Needs Voucher Bill Inches Forward

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A proposal to create state-funded vouchers for special education students is moving forward in the Mississippi Legislature.

The House voted 65-51 Wednesday to pass a version of Senate Bill 2695 (http://bit.ly/1Ak3trP ).

Because the House made some changes, the bill is likely to be sent into a final round of House-Senate negotiations later this month.

The bill would create a program to give vouchers worth $6,500 apiece to 500 special-needs students per year. The students’ families could use the public money for private school tuition or for tutoring or other services.

Supporters say it is a way to help some of the 63,000 special-needs students in Mississippi.

Opponents say it would do too little for too few.