[nfbwatlk] H.B. 2834: Closing the Door on the Future of BlindChildren

[Albert Sanchez]

The Oregon legislature should be ashamed of itself!
A.S.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "T. Joseph Carter (by way of David Andrews<dandrews at visi.com>)" 
<carter.tjoseph at gmail.com>
To: <david.andrews at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 7:01 AM
Subject: [nfbwatlk] H.B. 2834: Closing the Door on the Future of 
BlindChildren


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Art Stevenson,
President
National Federation of the Blind of Oregon
1616 5th St. NE
Salem, Oregon 97301
(503) 585-4318

H.B. 2834: Closing the Door on the Future of Blind Children
May 24, 2009

The State Does Not Have Clear Title to the
Property It Plans to Sell: The Oregon School for
the Blind is located on property given to the
state specifically for the purpose of operating a
school for blind children.  The deed is
restricted and the property may not be sold and
the proceeds used for other purposes. The
legislature is well aware of this limitation.
Nevertheless the legislature plans to close the
school, assuring parents and others that funds
from the sale of the property will be available
to support educational services to blind children
in their local schools. This is a clear "bait and
switch." Once the school is closed and the blind
children moved to their local schools, and it is
found that the property may not be sold, there
will be no funds to backup the legislature's
promises. Why then would the legislature move
forward with a plan to close the school without
knowing whether the property can be sold? Could
it be about money? Denying Blind Children an
appropriate Education: The legislature persists
in saying that local schools will provide the
educational and related services needed by the
students currently enrolled at the School for the
Blind, yet they have no answer as to how.  There
is already a shortage of trained teachers in the
state.  Still the legislature continues to say
that cost-saving is not behind the closure of the
school. At the same time, the legislature has
made no promise regarding helping the local
districts meet the cost of educating these
children beyond the hoped for proceeds from the
sale of the school. In other words once the
school is closed and the students moved to local
schools, and it is found that the property may
not be sold, the local schools will be on the
hook, and blind children will be left high and
dry. The only winner will be the legislature
since funds will no longer need to be
appropriated to run the school. It's All About
Money: On Thursday, May 21, in a meeting of the
Ways and Means Education Subcommittee, the
chairman made reference to "virtually unlimited
funds" being available to provide needed services
from the sale of the property, yet when a
question was raised about whether children at the
Oregon school would have the option of being
educated at the nearby Washington School for the
Blind, the subcommittee members were told that
placement decisions would have to be made on a
case-by-case basis.  Why? It has already been
determined that the students at the School for
the Blind require the array of services available
at the Oregon School for the Blind.  Why would
placement at the Washington School for the Blind
not be an automatic option afforded students who
will be displaced by the closure of the Oregon
School for the Blind.  Could it be the cost?
Placement at the Washington School for the Blind
is expensive so no promises are made about
placing displaced blind children at the
Washington school, but remember "it's not about
money." Or is it? Parents whose children attend
the Oregon School for the Blind should be given
the immediate option of enrolling their children
at the Washington School for the Blind--a
well-regarded, comprehensive program.  Instead,
they are told that local districts that have
never before been able to meet their children's
educational needs will somehow be ready to
provide the full complement of needed services by
the first day of school in September. No Serious
Input Allowed: Two years ago, the Oregon
Legislature created the Oregon School for the
Blind Board of Directors.  The board was charged
with developing a blueprint to serve as a Master
Plan for the school. In developing the Master
Plan, the board consulted with blind and visually
impaired K-12 students, parents, teachers, and
district and regional staff. Yet despite the work
of the board and the involvement of stakeholders,
the Oregon legislature has set aside the plan and
is moving forward with plans to close the school.
At the May 21 meeting of the Ways and Means
Education Subcommittee, no public testimony was
allowed, not even from the statutorily created
Oregon School for the Blind Board of Directors.
In fact the subcommittee refused to allow written
testimony to be submitted for the record.
Oregonâ?Ts Blind Stand Together: The National
Federation of the Blind of Oregon, the American
Council of the Blind of Oregon, and everyone else
involved, knew there were many problems with the
educational system for the blind students of our
state.  The Department of Education and the
Oregon Legislature have been provided an
opportunity to create a system that all
Oregonians could be proud of.  Our
recommendations would have accomplished this goal
by producing a better working relationship with
the regional programs and the Oregon School for
the Blind.   If any one believes that given the
current economic outlook for all schools in
Oregon, that the educational environment for all
blind students is going to get better, they just
donâ?Tt live in the real world.  House bill 2834
is a tragedy waiting to happen if it becomes law.


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