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

[Brad Hodges]

Colleagues:

Thanks Ed for bringing this to our attention. I think we need to 
formulate a response to the potential relocation of the school. Since my 
understanding of the history of the current location is not as deep as 
many others on the list, I will defer re those factors. I do believe 
that there are some potential advantages to a relocation, and an 
enormous pitfall of combining the schools and student populations in the 
name of saving money, perhaps a great deal of money in the mind of the 
State School Board.

Other thoughts from list members?

Thanks,

Brad



On 1/28/2013 4:42 PM, Ed McDonald wrote:
> 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
>
> This audio player requires Adobe Flash
> Download MP3
> 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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