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Learning disabled kids are "vegetables" & Teachers should be paid more for 'having to deal with minority kids'

Some school administrators are calling for the removal of Rep.-elect and current Sen. Ed Butcher, R-Winifred, from the Legislature's House Education Committee after he called severely disabled students "vegetables" during a public meeting last week. Butcher, who dubbed his comment an "unfortunate choice of words," is also being criticized for the comments he made about minority students during the same meeting. Butcher said Nevada pays its teachers more because they have to "deal" with a more diverse student population. "Montana teachers who leave the state for better paying jobs elsewhere have to deal with groups of Hispanic, Asian and black gangs that are terrorizing schools," Butcher said Tuesday in an attempt to explain the comments he made during the Dec. 14 meeting of the central Montana school superintendents. Columbus Public Schools Superintendent Allan Sipes, who will become president of the School Administrators of Montana next year, called the senator's behavior "reprehensible." "It's mind-blowing that we would have somebody in a position like his, who is so out of it," Sipes said. "I believe that he should be pulled from the Education Committee and replaced with someone who understands and cares about all kids." At last week's meeting, Butcher said "vegetables," or seriously disabled children, should be removed from the traditional school setting and relocated in regional hub schools that can better meet their needs. Butcher said he's sensitive to the needs of disabled children, and said he has some disabled family members. "Those kids definitely need to be put in a special place," Butcher said Tuesday. Butcher said he wouldn't formally apologize. "I think I've said what I'm going to say," Butcher said. "This thing where people have to grovel around and apologize for everything they say irritates me." [more] and [more]

Senator apologizes for calling disabled students 'vegetables' [more]
"Does the issue of academic failure result from genetics or cultural differences?" [more]