Republicans using disabled kids to help them kill public education

More than a decade into Texas' charter school movement, some politicians want to expand the nontraditional campuses to tap into an underserved market: children with special needs.

One of the state Senate's interim charges, released last month, is to study the feasibility of opening charter schools for students with disabilities such as autism.

The idea stems from a failed effort last year to provide vouchers for these students, said Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano.