[nfbmi-talk] another important point on newsline

[joe harcz Comcast]

During the meeting on budget and cash match which Lary attended in person and I did by phone Connie Zanger read from the operating budget. (By the way as all know Cannon said to Geno that the information commissioners had should be made available to the public. I've requested it and hope others would as well. But, he hasn't responded to that request.)

Regardless Zanger read off an $80,000 item to date that MCB had to pay the Attorney General's office for services. That could fund Newsline, but unfortunately MCB keeps breaking various laws and is getting sued for that. So their malfeasance directly takes away from vital programs and projects including Newsline of course.

Also Newsline cannot be funded through Cash match, or third party cooperative agreements as they must only be used with local governmental entities like for transition services. This Heibeck correctly pointed out during her discussion. But, then Jones came up afterwords and talked about exploring cash match agreements with DRIS and WKAR! From my understanding one of the problems with Newsline is that Cannon used it somehow as a cash match through the Department of Eduction.

This all goes to the issues I know are going on related to the RSA monitoring on MCB and MRS. Simply they have been using these things inappropriately.

Now, this doesn't mean that Newsline cannot be funded in a variety of ways through MCB. It just can't be a "cash match" agreement because it is not a local governmental entity like the Intermediate School Districts that MCB has appropriate cash match agreements, but rather, a non-profit.

I hope this makes sense to folks. But, from the discussion that went on it appears Jones didn't understand this at all. Then again he stated we didn't have to have a state plan or hearings on it until the Rehab Act itself was amended at the last MCB meeting. Wow! 

And, of course we all know how much they understand about the Rehab Act on the college policy. The sad shame is that it took non-professional college students like Elizabeth and her sister, and others like Fred and I to point violations out and to point to even proper citations.

Joe