Vindman, Kaine Help Introduce Bill to Restore Federal Funding for Program Aiding Students with Disabilities
Spotsylvania is one of 13 divisions across 11 states that offered the "Charting My Path for Future Success" program.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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A bill introduced by Congressman Eugene Vindman (D-Va.-07) and Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) would restore funding for the Charting My Path to Future Success program, which was cut earlier this year by the Elon Musk-led Department of Governmental Efficiency.
Spotsylvania County was one of 13 divisions across the country to offer the program, which aimed at easing the transition from high school to college or the workforce for students with disabilities.
In Spotsylvania, staff members learned abruptly on a Monday night in February that the U.S. Department of Education had terminated funding for the program, affecting 91 students who had been receiving services through it and five teachers whose positions were supported by it.
Vindman and Kaine introduced the bill along with colleagues in the House and Senate.
“Students across Virginia’s Seventh District and our country deserve a real chance to thrive after high school. And yet, the Trump Administration just recklessly cut the ‘Charting My Path for Future Success’ program from Spotsylvania County Public Schools and I cannot let that stand,” Vindman said in a press release from his office.
Charting My Path for Future Success was a $45 million, ten-year initiative originally launched in 2019 during the first Trump Administration. It provided one-on-one and small group sessions, mentoring, and year-round tutoring to more than 1,600 high school students and their families in Virginia, Georgia, Utah, Massachusetts, California, Alaska, and New York.
When it was cancelled in February, more than $25 million of the total funding had already been spent, according to the press release.
Kaine said in the press release that slashing funding for the program “is cruel and hurts America's future.”
“Not only does this harm disabled students who are depending on this support, it also hurts the teachers and Spotsylvania schools whose jobs and school budgets depend on this funding,” he said.
In addition to Vindman and Kaine, the bill is sponsored Representatives Lucy McBath (D-GA-06), Juan Vargas (D-CA-52), Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53), and Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-10); and by Senators Edward Markey (D-MA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
It is endorsed by a number of disability advocacy groups, including the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities Education Task Force, the National Center for Learning Disabilities, The Arc of the United States, the Autism Society of America, the National Disability Rights Network, and the Council of Administrators of Special Education.
The full text of the bill is available here.
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