From: "Nancy K. Martin" 
Subject: School for blind may close (fwd)
   
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 1997 05:02:32 -0800
From: Kelly Ford 
Reply-To: SJU List for Families of the Blind
     
To: BLINDFAM@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: School for blind may close (fwd)
School for blind may close
Protesters pack Assembly hearing on future of state facility
AARON NATHANS ASSOCIATED PRESS
MADISON, WIS. A proposal to close the state's school for the blind drew
criticism Tuesday at a packed public hearing in the Assembly chamber.
The enrollment at the Wisconsin School for the Visually Handicapped is
about 59 students, a number that state Superintendent John Benson said is
too low to justify keeping the Janesville school open.
"Unfortunately, I believe that much of what you will hear today, and
probably what you have heard in the past, focuses on the emotional issue of
closing WSDH, with little or no regard to the meat of my proposal. That is
to make the best use of scarce resources, to serve the needs of all
visually disabled children in Wisconsin," Benson said.
Members of the Assembly and Senate Education committees held the hearing on
a bill that would close the school, providing that the state continue to
sponsor a summer school for the blind.
The bill would allow Benson's Department of Public Instruction to contract
with the city of Janesville to turn the school into a park.
The money saved by closing the school -- estimated by the Legislative Audit
Bureau at $3.65 million -- would be used to improve special education at
public schools throughout Wisconsin, an area Benson said is lacking.
Benson said the 59 students attending the school make up about 5 percent of
the state's 1,144 blind students. He said the other 95 percent of students
go to mainsteam schools and are enrolled in special education programs
there.
Competing legislation would authorize a study of the feasibility of
shutting down the school.
Sen. Tim Weeden, R-Beloit, said he doubted Benson's plan would save money
and said it was a poor approach to solving the problem of low enrollment.
"I believe his decision to recommend closure of the school is wrong,"
Weeden said. "We're not talking about a failure to recruit, we're talking
about a basic failure to inform."
A survey conducted by Weeden and Rep. Wayne Wood, D-Janesville, showed that
29.4 percent of parents with blind children did not know the school even
existed.
Supporters of the school, including vocational teacher Tom Hanson, said the
school provides important training for blind and visually impaired
students.
Hanson, who is visually impaired, said his school teaches self-esteem, and
provides education in all areas of life. He said it also has
extracurricular programs such as band and student government.
"I believe that a comprehensive study to ensure the best services for all
blind and visually impaired is what we need at this point," Hanson said.
---
 # Origin: NFBnet  Internet Email Gateway (1:282/1045)
---------------