A group of Northern Virginia parents are protesting the proposed cuts to the Arlington Public Schools budget, saying a program for toddlers with disabilities is on the chopping block. News4’s Walter Morris reports.
Parents rallied ahead of Thursday night's school board meeting, urging members reconsider.
“These children are worth it,” said Melissa Dokurno, an Integration Station parent. “They deserve to be more than a line item in a budget.”
Dokurno and her daughter joined dozens of families who gathered to tell school district leaders to change course.
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Parents learned two weeks ago that Integration Station, their children’s preschool program, was set to be shut down next year as APS looks to close a budget shortfall, Dokurno said.
“When I first got the email, I was just gobsmacked,” she said. “These are 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds, who, you know, early education, it sets them up for the rest of their lives.”
Integration Station is housed at the Children’s School, an early learning center where students with disabilities can learn alongside general education students.
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Dokurno said her daughter, who has autism, has been in the program for three months and has made huge strides. She worries losing the program will be disruptive and set her daughter back.
“I’m really scared for her future,” she said. “She went from saying a word or two to saying full sentences, full phrases.”
Dozens of parents filled the school board meeting to share their concerns ahead of the budget presentation. Some shared success stories they credit to Integration Station.
After a few months, Erin Turner’s son Alex already is one of them.
“I understand that this is a really critical time, there’s not enough money to go around, but these are preschool kids with special needs,” she said. “I frankly, you asked me how I felt about it, frankly, I was shocked that when Arlington looked to cut it targeted toddlers with special needs.”
“The FY 2026 budget includes the proposal to move the students currently attending the Integration Station program at The Children’s School closer to their home schools within APS,” a representative for the school district said in a statement. “It is the beginning of the budget process, and the proposal includes a range of reductions and cost-saving measures. There are many opportunities for community feedback. APS continues to meet with Integration Station families to hear their ideas and concerns to make an informed decision that best serves our students.”
“I have gotten to know my daughter in a way that I never, ever knew her before just in these last few months by hearing her talk, hearing how she feels, which is, it seems like such a small thing, but when your child has autism, these are the milestones,” Dokurno said. “These are massive, massive milestones.”
Several work sessions are planned over the next few weeks with the final budget vote set for early May.
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