[Nfbwv-talk] WV PUBLIC RADIO STORY ON SCHOOLS FOR DEAF & BLIND

[Ed McDonald]

FYI: Below is the transcript of a story that aired earlier today on West 
Virginia Public Radio regarding the issue of possibly moving the Schools for 
the Deaf and Blind to another location.

An audio version of the story can be found under the "West Virginia News" 
heading on the WV Public Broadcasting web site:

http://www.wvpubcast.org




State school board asks about moving deaf, blind schools



By Cecelia Mason

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January 28, 2013 · When the West Virginia Board of Education meets next 
month it will explore whether it's more cost effective to renovate the West 
Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind, or move them.


During the January ninth meeting the Board discussed the Schools' master 
plan with Dr. Lynn Boyer, Superintendent, and some members questioned 
whether it makes sense to keep the schools in Romney where they've been 
located since 1870.



Boyer was surprised when state school board members brought up the idea of 
moving the schools during a discussion about whether to request $3.4 million 
from the legislature this year. The money would be used to match $1million 
from the School Building Authority to renovate one of the classroom 
buildings on the campus.



"That has not been a topic of conversation previously," Boyer said, "so I 
wasn't prepared that day to offer very many answers to their questions but I 
did not find it to be an unreasonable question to ask."



The architect who designed the schools' master plan, ZMM, Inc. of 
Charleston, W.Va., is now collecting information on what it would cost to 
build a new school in another location. Boyer said her next presentation to 
the board will include a chart of costs as well as information on where 
children who are deaf and blind live and how many attend the schools.



Boyer said moving to a central location could make attending a more 
attractive option for some students, especially those living in southern 
West Virginia. But there would be more to moving that just buying property 
in the center of the state.



"We couldn't just go look for the cheapest acres of land and just go there," 
she said. "There would be no advantage to going if all we were doing is 
moving someplace and the children have nothing but their classrooms and 
their dorm rooms. That's not meeting the mission of the schools."



Boyer said the schools have to be in or near a town that's large enough so 
students will have the opportunity to learn how to get around outside the 
campus.



"For the blind students they've got to learn how to navigate themselves in a 
community which means it's got to have some means of at least minimal public 
transportation, they've got to have some sidewalks to learn to navigate, 
some buildings," she said.



"Children who are deaf, or hard of hearing, have to have enough of a 
community around them that they can begin to understand how they, as deaf 
adults, eventually will manage," Boyer added. "How will they bring their own 
interpreters into a situation for instance? How will they communicate their 
needs to a restaurant, to a job opportunity?"



So the architects are researching what it would cost to build a new school 
in more populated areas like Marion and Harrison Counties and near 
Charleston, for instance.



"Clearly if we move somewhere then the items in our plan that call for 
renovation and restoration of two historic buildings would not be part of 
the costs," Boyer said. "But by the same token if we stay here we don't have 
to buy land."



The Schools for Deaf and Blind sit on nearly 80 acres next to downtown 
Romney. Boyer estimates the schools would have to buy 20 to 30 acres for a 
new campus.



Currently about 120 students from 30 counties attend the schools. The 
projected enrollment after renovations are made to the Romney campus is 
about 175 but it's not known whether a more central location would help 
improve enrollment.



"It's a hard, hard question," Boyer said. "We're at a time when many 
counties believe they can serve their children and do. We know that there 
are counties that try very hard but because of their own resources are not 
able to provide the kind of services that we can provide."



Boyer points out the schools are a long way from some parts of the state 
where students live that might benefit from the services offered there.



"And we need to know whether our services would be accessed if we were in 
another place," she said.



By the time the next board meeting rolls around Boyer said she'll be able to 
discuss whether it's more feasible to move the schools or stay in Romney and 
that discussion will include what other states faced with this issue decided 
to do.





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