[Blindtlk] H.B. 2834: Closing the Door on the Future of Blind Children

[T. Joseph Carter]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CONTACT: Art Stevenson, President
National Federation of the Blind of Oregon
1616 5th St. NE
Salem, Oregon 97301
(503) 585-4318

H.B. 2834: Closing the Door on the Future of Blind Children

May 24, 2009

The State Does Not Have Clear Title to the Property It Plans to Sell:

The Oregon School for the Blind is located on property given to the 
state specifically for the purpose of operating a school for blind 
children.  The deed is restricted and the property may not be sold 
and the proceeds used for other purposes. The legislature is well 
aware of this limitation.

Nevertheless the legislature plans to close the school, assuring 
parents and others that funds from the sale of the property will be 
available to support educational services to blind children in their 
local schools. This is a clear "bait and switch." Once the school is 
closed and the blind children moved to their local schools, and it is 
found that the property may not be sold, there will be no funds to 
backup the legislature's promises. Why then would the legislature 
move forward with a plan to close the school without knowing whether 
the property can be sold? Could it be about money?


Denying Blind Children an appropriate Education:

The legislature persists in saying that local schools will provide 
the educational and related services needed by the students currently 
enrolled at the School for the Blind, yet they have no answer as to 
how.  There is already a shortage of trained teachers in the state.  
Still the legislature continues to say that cost-saving is not behind 
the closure of the school. At the same time, the legislature has made 
no promise regarding helping the local districts meet the cost of 
educating these children beyond the hoped for proceeds from the sale 
of the school. In other words once the school is closed and the 
students moved to local schools, and it is found that the property 
may not be sold, the local schools will be on the hook, and blind 
children will be left high and dry. The only winner will be the 
legislature since funds will no longer need to be appropriated to run 
the school.


It's All About Money:

On Thursday, May 21, in a meeting of the Ways and Means Education 
Subcommittee, the chairman made reference to "virtually unlimited 
funds" being available to provide needed services from the sale of 
the property, yet when a question was raised about whether children 
at the Oregon school would have the option of being educated at the 
nearby Washington School for the Blind, the subcommittee members were 
told that placement decisions would have to be made on a case-by-case 
basis.  Why? It has already been determined that the students at the 
School for the Blind require the array of services available at the 
Oregon School for the Blind.  Why would placement at the Washington 
School for the Blind not be an automatic option afforded students who 
will be displaced by the closure of the Oregon School for the Blind.  
Could it be the cost? Placement at the Washington School for the 
Blind is expensive so no promises are made about placing displaced 
blind children at the Washington school, but remember "it's not about 
money." Or is it? Parents whose children attend the Oregon School for 
the Blind should be given the immediate option of enrolling their 
children at the Washington School for the Blind--a well-regarded, 
comprehensive program.  Instead, they are told that local districts 
that have never before been able to meet their children's educational 
needs will somehow be ready to provide the full complement of needed 
services by the first day of school in September.


No Serious Input Allowed:

Two years ago, the Oregon Legislature created the Oregon School for 
the Blind Board of Directors.  The board was charged with developing 
a blueprint to serve as a Master Plan for the school. In developing 
the Master Plan, the board consulted with blind and visually impaired 
K-12 students, parents, teachers, and district and regional staff. 
Yet despite the work of the board and the involvement of 
stakeholders, the Oregon legislature has set aside the plan and is 
moving forward with plans to close the school. At the May 21 meeting 
of the Ways and Means Education Subcommittee, no public testimony was 
allowed, not even from the statutorily created Oregon School for the 
Blind Board of Directors. In fact the subcommittee refused to allow 
written testimony to be submitted for the record.


Oregon’s Blind Stand Together:

The National Federation of the Blind of Oregon, the American Council 
of the Blind of Oregon, and everyone else involved, knew there were 
many problems with the educational system for the blind students of 
our state.  The Department of Education and the Oregon Legislature 
have been provided an opportunity to create a system that all 
Oregonians could be proud of.  Our recommendations would have 
accomplished this goal by producing a better working relationship 
with the regional programs and the Oregon School for the Blind.   If 
any one believes that given the current economic outlook for all 
schools in Oregon, that the educational environment for all blind 
students is going to get better, they just don’t live in the real 
world.  House bill 2834 is a tragedy waiting to happen if it becomes 
law.