PLEASE JOIN THE QUALITY EDUCATION COALITION (if you're already a member, then please renew your membership)

As I am sure you are aware, special education in Wisconsin needs as many allies as possible in these challenging times. As I write this letter, QEC members are gearing up for an important budget campaign to try to increase funding for special education in Wisconsin. We will also be working on trying to pass our bill to limit the use of seclusion and restraints in Wisconsin schools, and to make such use safe when it has to be used in an emergency or pursuant to an agreed upon IEP.

The Quality Education Coalition (QEC) is Wisconsin's only coalition of parents, educators and advocates, that works together to improve the quality of special education in Wisconsin on a systemic basis. Indeed, QEC works on a wide variety of issues which affect the quality of special education delivered to children with disabilities in Wisconsin. In addition to those big ticket items mentioned above, we are regularly meeting with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to improve the way that DPI enforces state and federal special education law at the local level.

QEC pushes for improvement in Wisconsin's special education system in many ways, including:

• Regular meetings with DPI to advocate for better state administration of special education;
• Meetings with the Governor's office and state legislators to advocate for increased funding and better special education policies;
• Participation in the Wisconsin Special Education Stakeholders meetings which not only works on revision to state special education law, but provides critical advice to DPI about how to monitor school districts.

While we certainly appreciate the financial assistance to QEC that your membership brings, which helps QEC do its work, you will receive other benefits by joining QEC, including:

• Members can participate in any of our meetings, in person or by phone;
• Members receive regular updates by e-mail (or regular mail, if you do not have e-mail) on both state and federal special education issues.
• Members can participate in our list serve to receive timely updates and chat with each other about special education issues of common interest.

As we gear up for the 2007-09 biennial budget battles, now is a critical time to join QEC. We welcome your new or continued membership!

If you have any questions about QEC, feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Spitzer-Resnick
Chairperson
608-267-0214
spitznick@drwi.org

QEC Membership Form

Annual Member Dues
$ 20.00 - Family/Individual Membership

Organizational Membership:
$ 50.00 - Budget less than $100,000
$100.00 - Budget under $300,000
$150.00 - Budget over $300,000

Send your:

Name
Title
Organization
Address (street, city and zip code)
Phone (daytime)
Phone (evening)
Fax Number
E-Mail Address

Make checks payable:

Wisconsin Family Ties, Inc. and mail to:

QEC/Wisconsin Family Ties Inc.
16 N. Carroll St., Suite #640
Madison, WI 53703