Dr. Joshua Starr (a.k.a. self-described "social justice warrior") presided over a hefty increase in outside counsel special education legal fees during the month of November, 2012. He spent this money fighting families of children with disabilities, whose parents were seeking more or different special education services. Special Education Legal Expenses
Special education legal fees for outside counsel for November 2012 totaled $59,003. The year-to-date total of $155,628 is $35,384 (18.5 percent) lower than the same period in the previous year. Total year-to-date special education legal costs of $155,627 are $86,518 (35.7 percent) lower than the budgeted amount of $242,145 through November 2012.
The Jeffrey A. Krew bill for November 2012 totaled $59,003 and included work on six cases. Three involved administrative hearings ($54,201), and three involved appeals to federal or state court ($4,802).
What would $59,003 buy? How many hours of paraeducator time? How much professional development? How much speech therapy or discrete trial training for a child with autism?
Urging social justice while spending $59,003 a month to fight requests for educational services by families of children with disabilities is the rankest hypocrisy.
Some of the appeals run for over a week, more than a murder case! Add the monies that the County spends on appeals and what the families spend and a child could attend private school for several years!!
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