[il-talk] Amenditory Veto of SB 171 a good thing, according to Lauderdale

[Bill Reif]

The below was posted in the August 28th issue of the Jacksonville 
Journal-Courier.

Cordially,
Bill


Superintendent: Veto of Senate Bill 170 a good thing
August 28, 2011 7:00 AM
JAKE RUSSELL
Journal-Courier
An amendatory veto to a bill offering more latitude in the way of hiring 
new teachers
and having two qualified superintendents at Illinois School for the Deaf 
and Illinois
School for the Visually Impaired is a step in the right direction as far 
as superintendent
Marybeth Lauderdale is concerned.
Gov. Pat Quinn returned Senate Bill 170 with an amendatory veto, asking 
that the
language on a loan fund be cleaned up and calling for a comprehensive 
review of deaf
and blind education in the state.
“In the near future, I look forward to convening educators, state 
agencies, families
and other stakeholders to determine how we can best serve Illinois 
children who are
blind and/or deaf,” Quinn wrote in the veto.
Lauderdale sees the comprehensive review as an extension of the charge 
by the Department
of Human Services Secretary Michelle R.B. Saddler in 2009 to evaluate 
who would be
the best governance of both schools, Lauderdale said.
“I think the comprehensive review will determine the future of the two 
schools and
the future of the governance,” Lauderdale said.
But, with threats like Saddler’s — that the agency would close the blind 
and deaf
schools if it had to cut another 6 percent from its budget — at a House 
Appropriations
Human Services Committee hearing in late April, that future is uncertain.
“I’m always worried, especially in this kind of political climate and 
economic climate,”
Lauderdale said, “but residential schools like ISD and ISVI are required 
by [the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act] 2004 as part of the 
educational continuum,
so the decisions should be made based on students needs.”
The team has done its governance homework since 2009 and the group has 
to see how
it fits within the framework of the state of Illinois.
Ultimately, Lauderdale would like to see the schools recognized as 
schools with some
degree of control over their hiring and their budget just like other 
schools have,
she said.
There are critical positions in the schools that need to be filled and 
haven’t been,
even though school has already started, Lauderdale said. The changes 
effected by
this bill would allow for a more timely hiring process.
Lauderdale anticipates the schools will operate with the same structure 
this school
year, she said. A superintendent for Illinois School for the Visually 
Impaired may
be hired next school year. She does not expect that will happen this 
year, especially
in light of problems with the budget.
The budget was not addressed in the bill, although it did say that the 
superintendent
would manage day-to-day operations. The budget could be factored in 
there, but it
is not specific, Lauderdale said.
If the school could manage the budget itself, it could expedite some of 
the lengthy
timelines that come with state procurement and be able to use things 
like grant money
to its maximum potential, Lauderdale said.
The actual language vetoed involved the Therkelsen/Hansen Fund — a loan 
fund set
up by a family of someone who was deaf for loans for students who are 
deaf to attend
college.
The fund has been with the state and an amendment suggested bringing it 
to Jacksonville
to be held locally. The veto maintains the fund be local and changes a 
few words
for clarity.
The bill has to be approved during the veto session in October.
“We’re deciding the futures of two schools that have been here 173 and 
163 years,”
she said. “We don’t want to do it in a haphazard way. We want to develop 
good plans
to take it into the next century.”
The schools will still not be allowed to use state funds for 
out-of-state travel,
Lauderdale said. Since the new rule was decided last December, the 
schools fundraise
and pay as they go.
The children at both schools have started fundraising, especially 
students at Illinois
School for the Visually Impaired to fund a trip to Indiana for a track 
meet Sept.
8.
“I don’t know if that will ever be lifted,” Lauderdale said. “Maybe in a 
different
economic climate. But it’s OK, both schools rose to the challenge and 
are fundraising
their little hearts out.”