[Iabs-talk] FYI letter from Mr. Clinton

[Patti Gregory-Chang]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Flora Dennison" <Flora.Dennison at illinois.gov>

Subject: letter from Mr. Clinton


> ** High Priority **
> 
> June 18, 2009
> 
> 
> Good Morning
> 
> I wanted to write to the parents and supporters of our school due to
> the recent events and announcements from State Government.
> 
> Tuesday morning it was announced that as of July 1, 2009, the Illinois
> School for the Visually Impaired will be closed due to state budget
> woes.  I realize that times are tough across the state.  We all have
> felt it in our own personal situations and have made choices to reduce
> our spending to make ends meet.  It appears that the State of Illinois
> is going to make an attempt in some manner to do the same.  But right
> now it is not a cooperative effort among state leaders, which has lead
> to the announcement regarding ISVI.  
> 
> I wish I had further information to share with you regarding details of
> the cuts to be made beyond what has been published on the State of
> Illinois web site.  But at this time I don't.  I only have the
> information that is available to the public by visiting that web site. 
> Thus, I can verify that ISVI has been named on a list to be closed July
> 1, 2009, but I don't have any further information or verification.
> 
> I write this letter to you because I am concerned for our school and
> hope that everyone is doing what you can to voice your concerns about
> the possible closure.  I have been asked if this really will happen?  I
> can't answer that question as I am not one of those who will make that
> decision.  What I can tell you is that in the past rumors and rumblings
> have been made about consolidating our school or doing some other sort
> of reduction in services.  But those situations were always of a verbal
> nature.  This time it has been put in black and white, ink on paper, and
> is there for all to see.  Not a rumor, but a proposal that has been
> submitted.  That is a first.  Thus, it raises the level of concern.
> 
> We all have decisions to make in this situation regarding what personal
> action we need to take.  I trust each person reading this letter has
> thought through this and has already taken some type of action, as is
> the legal right of every tax-paying citizen in the State of Illinois. 
> For us to sit quietly to a side and watch services and programs for our
> students and children be dismantled would be the same as agreeing to
> close ISVI.  I personally do not agree with that concept.  Thus, as a
> citizen of Illinois I will do what I can on my own time to ensure this
> does not happen.
> 
> In closing, below I have copied a letter to the editor from the
> Jacksonville Journal Courier.  This is the local newspaper here in
> Jacksonville and I think this letter sums things up pretty well.  Thank
> you for your past, present and future support of ISVI and the
> opportunities we provide to students from across the State of Illinois!
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Reggie Clinton
> 
> Jacksonville Journal-Courier
> EDITORIAL: Schools are more than Jacksonville institutions; they are
> part of community
> Wholesale closing of beneficial programs is wrong approach for state to
> take
> June 17, 2009 - 10:34 AM
> JOURNAL-COURIER STAFF 
> The words were delivered from Springfield with painful but clinical
> precision: "Cut funding for state-provided services by $232
> million."  In the middle of the four-item list from the
> governor's office was the proposed shuttering of the Illinois
> School for the Deaf and the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired.
> It was - and still is - a take-your-breath-away moment, a time when
> saying "oh, no" and wrinkling the forehead in disbelief is an
> understatement. Looking at the move from cold unemotional numbers, it
> seems just a pittance of the $9.2 billion hole into which the budget has
> sunk. Closing the Jacksonville institutions would save the state an
> estimated $18 million. We cannot be unemotional. This is more than a
> line item in a financial ledger. These are people who desparately need
> specialized services offered at the schools to build their own
> self-sufficiency. These are schools that are a part of Jacksonville's
> community fabric. The loss of either would be devastating to the city,
> which has been the benefactor of the economic and cultural impact of the
> schools. Both facilities have been embraced with a warm acceptance and a
> willingness to integrate unique lifestyles. Closing the schools would be
> painful to Illinois' deaf and visually impaired students and families.
> The School for the Visually Impaired brings school-age people to its
> 18-acre campus for an education that goes beyond what could be offered
> in most environments. The school also offers outreach programs that
> start as early as infancy. The same for the School for the Deaf, which
> has grown to a 50-acre campus since founded in 1839, offers similar
> programs for the deaf or hard of hearing. Most important is the
> self-sufficiency these schools help bring to students. That can't be
> defined by a price tag. Sure, we've heard the cry-wolf tactics before.
> In fact, it has grown tedious to hear the cacophonic tales of "we
> said/they said" and know it comes at the expense of real progress. But
> this seems serious.  What is at risk is clear: State agencies would
> suffer and, in turn, so would the people and families who rely on such
> services. It's a double-edged sword. While we believe lawmakers need
> to make sure the state lives within its means like any individual or
> business would be expected to do, the depth of the cuts being discussed
> seems almost spiteful at this point. Times are tough on the economic
> front. Less money is coming into the state and expenses are on the rise.
> We know, we get it - our wallets have been hit hard, too. In some
> cases, we've had to make adjustments to live within our means, and we
> recognize the state could do a better job of that. But the wholesale
> slaughter of programs without careful evaluation or, even worse, just
> ignoring the problem until it "goes away," is a wrong-headed
> approach that demonstrates a lack of leadership needed more than ever in
> these turbulent times.
> 
> 
> 
>