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Bill would give aid for tuition to autistic children Critics say tactic would pave way for broader private tuition subsidies.

Publication: St Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)
Publication Date: 11-MAR-08
Format: Online
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Full Article Title: Bill would give aid for tuition to autistic children Critics say tactic would pave way for broader private tuition subsidies.(Metro)

Article Excerpt
Byline: Virginia Young POST-DISPATCH JEFFERSON CITY BUREAU CHIEF

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CORRECTION: Unpublished correction: Although Missouri House member Scott Muschany has listed his residence in Frontenac, his home is actually within the boundaries of Huntleigh, a nearby municipality.

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JEFFERSON CITY -- Lobbyist Carl Bearden stood quietly in a packed Senate hearing room as families pleaded for help so their autistic children could attend private schools.

Bearden, a former legislator from St. Charles, didn't testify. He had quipped earlier that he didn't want to hurt the bill's chances.

Opponents still saw his fingerprints on the measure. The bill is similar to one Bearden backed last year to use tax credits to send urban children to private schools.

The school choice movement is orchestrating the campaign to set up special-needs scholarships. National choice groups and multimillionaire backer Rex Sinquefield of St. Louis have financed YouTube videos of autistic children, scholarly studies of tuition tax credits and four lobbyists, including Bearden, to round up votes.

Critics say school choice supporters are using autistic children to pave the way for broader private tuition subsidies later. The tactic has

alienated some former supporters of tuition tax credits.

"They have picked...

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