Special Olympics not political pawn

Write to the Point

 

Last updated 4/11/2019 at 5:25pm



By SHANNEN TALBOT

Staff Reporter

March was fraught with conflict for educators and parents across the county when the U.S Office of Management and Budget proposed the elimination of nearly $18 million in Special Olympics funding.

Lights. Smile. Curtain up.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos defended the budged on Capitol Hill, even though the billionaire personally donated to the organization. A massive public outcry ensued despite the slim chance that Congress would approve such a move, and following the potential public relations nightmare, President Trump declared that he had “overridden my people” and restored Special Olympics funds.

Now, two weeks later, the controversy has died down and pundits have moved on to other things, discussing the outrageous tweet of the moment. But we would do well not to forget the moment this administration used Special Olympics funding as a pawn in a political game with no winners.

Aside from the fact that it shouldn’t take a firestorm of public criticism to safeguard special education programs, one must ask what our leaders expected to accomplish with the move. The administration has attempted to cut Special Olympics funding for two years in a row to no avail, so why waste valuable time and resources only to flip-flop at the 11th hour?

A misstep? A distraction? A story concocted just for the drama?

It could be because the Special Olympics is just one of more than two dozen programs totaling $6.7 billion that have been identified for elimination or reduction because they were deemed inappropriate for federal funding, many of which target teachers, literacy and college affordability. Among those are programs much more likely to be cut than Special Olympics — gifted programs, arts education and afterschool programs created specifically for low-income children,

Educators are asking citizens not to be sidetracked by the hullaballoo around funding all but guaranteed to continue, but instead keep a watchful eye out for vicious cuts or blatant underfunding of programs far more at risk. Programs like Title 1, part of a law that provides money to high-poverty schools to help educate students.

Just over a month ago, the American Association of School Administrators outright opposed the president’s budget proposal, calling it the continuation “of his administration’s prioritization of privatization, at the direct expense of the nation’s public schools and the 50 million students they serve every day.”

Regardless of the reason for the back-and-forth battle over Special Olympics funding, it’s pretty clear that it was a waste of time — for athletes, for activists and for politicians. Using legislation affecting vulnerable portions of the population as a set piece for a stage upon which our leaders can crown themselves heroes is not acceptable.

And we have to show our leaders that if these bait-and-switch games continue, our votes will be used to ensure it’s them taking their final bows.

Shannen Talbot can be reached at shannen@cheneyfreepress.com.

 

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