Apt. 11D Newsletter

This newsletter builds on my established blog, which is named after my former New York City apartment. Here, I share my thoughts on a variety of topics including politics, family life, parenting, and experiences in the suburbs. It's a casual, spontaneous space where I can express myself freely.

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Medicaid Saves Disabled People

2 weeks ago | lauramckenna.substack.com | Laura McKenna

For eight hours today, I helped families with disabled children and young adults. The younger families needed help understanding a new autism diagnosis, finding ABA providers that accept Medicaid, and learning the secret words that open up the doors of the special education system.
Laura McKenna's Apt. 11D

3 weeks ago | lauramckenna.substack.com | Laura McKenna

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Cory Booker is the Real Deal

3 weeks ago | lauramckenna.substack.com | Laura McKenna

About seven years ago, a staffer from Cory Booker’s office reached out about a potential interview with the Senator around school reform. Booker’s office thought the press coverage of his high profile efforts to improve schools in Newark during his years as mayor was inaccurate, and they wanted Booker to set the record straight. As a regular contributor to the Atlantic’s education section and a proud Jersey girl, I had already written one or two small pieces about Newark schools.
Laura McKenna's Apt. 11D

1 month ago | lauramckenna.substack.com | Laura McKenna

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Laura McKenna's Apt. 11D

1 month ago | lauramckenna.substack.com | Laura McKenna

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Medicaid Cuts Will Cause Chaos

1 month ago | lauramckenna.substack.com | Laura McKenna

In 1986, Trump brashly rebuilt Wollman Ice Rink in Central Park when the city was too incompetent to manage this task. This was Trump's defining moment. He was the hero of New York! He bested the Koch administration! Everything that Trump does today is an attempt to relive that special moment. Now, I don’t blame Trump for his love of the 1980s. In 1986, I was dancing to Madonna and REM at college dorms and dance clubs in the Lower East Side. My hair was big, my skirts were short. But I’ve moved on.
Laura McKenna's Apt. 11D

2 months ago | lauramckenna.substack.com | Laura McKenna

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Where Did $190 Billion in COVID School Recovery Funds Go?

2 months ago | lauramckenna.substack.com | Laura McKenna

Earlier this week, I wrote about government waste and pointed to the misuse of COVID relief funds as an example. I’m pulling that section out of a longer essay and making it a standalone newsletter. Between 2020 and 2024, the federal government gave states about $190 billion to distribute to local schools, which would then create new programs to support students who were adversely impacted by school shutdowns during COVID. An admirable goal, right? However, nobody knows where all that money went.
Will DOGE Come for the Disability Community?

2 months ago | lauramckenna.substack.com | Laura McKenna

Last night, a local mom called and asked for school advice. Usually, I nudge parents to set up daytime appointments and become formal clients for my autism business; I need to put some boundaries on my time. But I helped this mom for free because she’s a sweetie and she promised to make me dinner. During our one-hour conversation about IEP legalities and other matters, she mentioned three times that she thought DOGE was going to hurt kids like ours.
Laura McKenna's Apt. 11D

2 months ago | lauramckenna.substack.com | Laura McKenna

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