[nfbwatlk] IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ!

[KAYE KIPP]

We can't let that happen.

Kaye
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: "NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 8:07 PM
Subject: [nfbwatlk] IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ!


> Greetings, Fellow Federationists!
>
> Today, Governor Gregoire released her revised budget proposals and I am 
> told they've been dropped into the bill hopper in the legislature though I 
> don't know the bill numbers in the House and Senate yet. The proposals for 
> WSSB/WSSD and DSB remain unchanged. That is, the Washington State Schools 
> for the Blind and for the Deaf (WSSB/WSSD) are slated to move to the 
> Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the 
> Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) is slated to move under DSHS. 
> Worse than that, although LouOma Durand, Director of DSB, was given to 
> understand that DSB would be a separate entity under DSHS along with the 
> Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), the actual wording in the 
> budget has DSB becoming part of DVR. Obviously, this won't fly. It's time 
> to up the pressure a bit.
>
> If you go to the page http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx, 
> you can put in your street address (the first edit box), city (second edit 
> box) and zip code (5-digit in next edit box and last 4 digits in the final 
> edit box) and click on the "find district" button and you'll get the 
> district you reside in and your two state representatives and one state 
> senator. You should call the legislative hotline at (800) 562-6000 and 
> leave messages for your representatives and senator asking that the 
> Washington State School for the Blind and the Department of Services for 
> the Blind remain separate state agencies as they are now. If you want to 
> try to talk to your legislators directly (and I urge all to do so), you 
> can go to http://www.leg.wa.gov, click on the "House" or "Senate" link and 
> from there can find either "Representatives" which will list them (and 
> their individual pages list office numbers) or the same for "Senators" 
> from the Senate link.
>
> If you do talk to individual legislators, please point out to them that 
> the Governor's staff admits that no money will be saved by these 
> reorganizations, that both WSSB and DSB are well-thought-of in the rest of 
> the country and that this is no accident; it is the independence of these 
> agencies that have made innovation and quality service to the blind 
> possible. Say that, even if reorganization is to be considered, there are 
> too many complex issues involved to do this in a short legislative 
> session.
>
> Almost everyone in the Clark County chapter is in either the 49th or 18th 
> legislative district (most are in the 49th) but I suspect that Seattle 
> chapter members reside in several districts. I charge the Seattle chapter 
> with designating someone who will ascertain the legislative district of 
> each of its members so that they may call and leave messages for the 
> appropriate senators and representatives.
>
> Let's try to nip these machinations in the bud. If this doesn't work, we 
> will consider more drastic action -- like rallies on the steps of the 
> Capital, a legislative day in Olympia or other events of similar vein.
>
> To the wall, comrades!
>
> Mike Freeman, President
> NFB of Washington
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