Special-needs pupils might get the opportunity to attend private schools at taxpayers' expense.

At least one Georgia legislator thinks it's a good idea, but some educators question the removal of disabled pupils from public schools.

"A lot of parents, particularly in the middle and upper-middle classes, are convinced that the best instruction for their (special-needs) kid is in a specialized private institution," said Henry Levin, the director of the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education at Columbia University in New York.

"They would automatically remove a kid from the mainstream situation, and it may not be in their best interest," Dr. Levin said.

State Senate Bill 10, called the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Act, would allow parents to remove special-needs children from public schools and place them into state Department of Education-approved private schools with appropriate special-education programs.

"The parents of children with special needs sometimes feel like they're not having those needs met in the school system and want to look for alternatives," said Sen. Eric Johnson, R-Savannah, who sponsored SB10.

The proposal would help parents afford a private school program, Mr. Johnson said.

Based on a special-needs pupil's Individualized Education Plan, state officials would calculate the tax dollars spent to educate that child and then grant that much money to the parents as a scholarship for a private school, Mr. Johnson said.

Although the bill states it is not "a basis for granting vouchers," critics disagree.

"It's hard not to look at it as a voucher program, because you're taking money from public schools and you're giving it to private schools," said Jeff Hubbard, the president of the Georgia Association of Educators.

Even Mr. Johnson referred to the scholarship as a "voucher system" similar to the state lottery funded pre-kindergarten program and the HOPE scholarships.

Mr. Hubbard estimated the state spends $10,000 to $20,000 annually to educate a special-needs pupil.

In 2005, there were nearly 200,000 special-needs pupils in public schools, said a legal aide in Mr. Johnson's office.

Across the nation, roughly half of pupils designated as special needs are capable of learning in a mainstream environment, Dr. Levin said.

The benefits of such inclusion programs include establishing social relationships and building a stronger self-esteem by competing with their peers, he said.

"The possibility of having part or all of their instruction in a regular setting is completely sacrificed," Dr. Levin said.

Mr. Hubbard, who said the educators' association does not intend to support the bill, questioned the fairness of allowing a special-needs pupil to receive an education at a private school yet be tested at a public school.

The bill would allow parents to bring their children back to their zoned public school for such critical tests as Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests, a benchmark exam mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Pupils are separated into gender, race and socioeconomic subgroups, including one for pupils with disabilities, on the CRCT. A school can fail to make adequate yearly progress if any subgroup doesn't meet the state's minimum standard.

In 2006, nearly 30 percent of Georgia schools not meeting the CRCT progress mark - 128 in all - failed solely because of the pupils with disabilities subgroup.

Private schools are not bound to the No Child Left Behind legislation.

Mr. Johnson said a special-needs pupil's test score would not be counted against the school.

"The private schools will be allowed to come up with whatever type of progress assessment they feel is more appropriate," he said.

Columbia County school Title 1 Director Lisa Soloff said parents should have the right to relocate special-needs children if they can show their public school is not meeting pupils' needs.

Dr. Soloff questioned the capability of private schools to match the resources of their public counterparts.

Sharon Harkrider, the director of Richmond County's special-education department, also opposes the legislation.

"I'm going to fight this one," she said. "You're not going to see the specialized training in the private school setting."

Public schools have staff members, each with expertise in a particular area of special education, such as autism. A private school might not be able to provide that specialization, Mrs. Harkrider said.

The possibility of a scholarship also could lead to an influx of parents filing inappropriate requests to have their children needlessly tested to see if they qualify for special education services, she said.

Any children who leave for a private school would hurt the children in Richmond County public schools, Mrs. Harkrider said.

"If we have to take money and give it to parents to go to private schools, then that's less money we have to run our department," she said.

Jack Hall, the head of schools at Augusta Preparatory Day School, said his school doesn't offer programs suited for special-needs pupils.

Although Augusta Christian Schools do have a special-needs program, Headmaster Joel Woodcock said the school has a policy against accepting state or federal money.

Cary Rivers, the director of development and marketing at Westminster Schools, said his school would accept pupils as part of the scholarship program if enough applied and if participating in the program didn't force the school to abide by too many state regulations.