Judge Terror
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- May 22, 2006
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Hundreds filled Barton College’s Hardy Alumni Hall last month to tell their personal stories to a group of people on why the Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf should remain open.
Students, families, teachers and officials poured their hearts out at the public hearing supporting the school that’s been a part of the Wilson community for nearly 50 years. While the final decision hasn’t been made on which of the three residential schools will close, some contend the Department of Public Instruction Core Committee, which will weigh heavily in the decision, doesn’t proportionally represent the population whose fate is at stake — deaf and hearing-impaired students.
Wilson’s school is one of three on the chopping block along with the North Carolina School for the Deaf in Morganton and the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh.
“They have no experience in residential schools for the deaf — period,” said Gary Farmer, a Wilson County school board member. Farmer, who served as athletic director, transportation coordinator and dean of students at ENCSD for 28 years before retiring, has emerged as a very outspoken advocate for school, speaking on its behalf throughout the community and beyond. He’s concerned about the committee’s representation. He said there is only member of the committee who has extensive knowledge working with deaf students.
“The rest of them have much more experience in dealing with the blind,” he said, pointing out that one member is not only the superintendant of schools for the Deaf and Blind, but is also the director of the Governor Morehead School for the Blind. He believes that’s a major problem for Wilson and it’s something that deeply troubles him.
While the DPI Core Committee is made up of folks who are good at what they do, Farmer said, they are coming from a standpoint of public education, which has integrated blind students into public school classrooms.
And he fears that might weigh in on the decision. He believes that doesn’t properly serve hearing impaired students.
Farmer said he doesn’t believe this process is an “honest attempt.” And while the committee is made up of DPI’s best, it’s still slanted, in his opinion.
“Are we talking about balanced? Yes, it’s the best they’ve got,” he said. “Are we talking about objective? Absolutely not.”
He said that when people have ownership in the decision-making process, they usually will accept the outcome. But in this case, he doesn’t believe ENCSD has been given a fair shot.
“No one feels like they have ownership of the decision making,” he said. “Why is there not a deaf person on the committee? Are we being honest? Is this an honest attempt to do right by the state of North Carolina and the handicapped children of North Carolina and their parents or is there another agenda completely?”
Farmer said he doesn’t understand the rush in a decision when the future of children are at stake.
“Why the hurry. If they stop what they are doing now and go back and plan this thing better, really honestly attempt to do what’s right,” he said.
Farmer said there is a blind person on the committee. He questions where is the representation to balance out the equation.
STATE’S VIEWPOINT
Tom Winton, section chief of the Exceptional Children Division, and who also serves on the committee, said the Department of Public Instruction wanted to make sure the committee was fully represented in all aspects of the decision-making process, including the blind and deaf populations. “There needs to be knowledge of these populations of students, knowledge of how schools run, the business and finance,” Winton said. “We wanted to have in that committee folks who could represent that. We wanted to have that core representation of the committee to help steer us in this effort.”
DPI held three public hearings last month for each school, a survey was open for 18 days for anyone to voice their concerns and opinions about the closing of the schools. The committee has started to review the input from all three public hearings as well as the surveys. Winton said they received 969 surveys from the public.
“We’ve had a good, healthy process for input,” Winton said. “We’ve heard quite a bit from the public. We had people that traveled around the region on behalf of whatever school they were interested in.”
In addition to the public hearings and survey, the Core Committee made prior visits to the schools as well as reports about each. They are using all of those things in the decision-making process, he said.
“The most recent visits were the same day as the hearings,” he said. “We conducted a daylong visit at each particular school. At those visits we had discussions with the administration, faculty and staff.”
Winton said that was an opportunity for the Core Committee to get input directly from the people who work at the school.
The Core Committee will take the next two months to determine which of the three residential schools they will recommend to the General Assembly to shut down in July. The Core Committee will write a report in November. DPI will submit it to the state board of education in November as well. The state board will take action on the report in December. In mid-January, DPI will submit the report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee of the General Assembly.
Winton said the Core Committee makeup has given them a good, healthy perspective.
“We need to be able to do that,” he said. “It requires complex thinking. We knew it would have to take several perspectives on things.”
CLOSING A SCHOOL
In last year’s budget, the General Assembly transferred the responsibilities of the three residential schools from Health and Human Services to the Department of Public Instruction.
“This current legislation comes on the heels of the previous legislation ....” Winton said. “That responsibility took effect June 1 of this year. Fourteen days after we received the schools, we received the direction to close one.”
During the 2011-2012 state budget the General Assembly directed DPI to make recommendations of closing one school and consolidate blind and deaf students at the remaining schools in an effort to save $5 million. When making their choice, DPI was given five considerations to follow:
- Minimization of impact on services to deaf and blind students currently served by the residential schools.
- Minimization of costs of modifications at the two remaining residential schools to accommodate students from the closed school.
- Maximization of funds generated or net savings to the state from costs avoided due to the closure of one school and the sale or transfer to other state agencies of the school campus and other physical assets.
- Minimization of required travel for students of the school that is closed.
- Historical and cultural significance of the school.
While the Core Committee is the steering group of the process, they will be asking for input from other officials within DPI, Winton said.
“While we do have that representation on the committee, no one has all the answers,” he said. “We will be looking at others in the agency to help shed light on these five consideration areas we have been given.”
Winton said they didn’t select the Director of the Governor Morehead School for the Blind because she was solely the director, but because she is the superintendant of all schools for the deaf and blind.
“It’s easy to make a snap judgment based on a title without knowing the history and background of individuals,” he said.
CAN THEY BE FAIR?
Llewellyn Jones, who worked in various roles at ENCSD for 31 years, said four of the committee members are from the visual impairment field and only one member is from the hearing impairment field. Jones, whose last role at ENCSD was a DeafBlind specialist, now works as a contractor for Wilson County Schools teaching visually impaired children.
Jones, who also spoke at the public hearing in Wilson, doesn’t think they can make a fair decision.
“I see both sides of the fence,” she said. “I’ve taken classes at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind. I have great respect for all of them, but I don’t think they can give a fair, unbiased opinion. When you’ve spent your whole career doing something, you’re biased toward it. I think they would be slanted to where their allegiance lies (the blind). That’s the professionals they work with and work for.”
She doubts four of the committee members could directly communicate with a hearing impaired student.
“I’ve seen so many parents who have worked so hard and done so much to try and get the best education for their children,” she said. “They all deserve a fair decision on both sides.”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Farmer, who has recently spent countless hours speaking to groups, civic clubs and community members lately, said he wants the truth to be known.
“I feel like if people understand the truth from someone who they know who has integrity, someone who does not gain one thing from this, it will make a difference,” he said. And he believes if there is enough people behind it, together they can all save ENCSD.
“I really believe that people will stop and look at the process, look at the morality of it,” he said. “There are so many levels of it being wrong. Morally it’s wrong. Educationally it’s wrong. Emotionally the carnage. It’s wrong to these families. Economically it’s wrong. On every level ENCSD should remain open.”
WilsonTimes.com - Is the deck stacked against Wilson's ENCSD?
Students, families, teachers and officials poured their hearts out at the public hearing supporting the school that’s been a part of the Wilson community for nearly 50 years. While the final decision hasn’t been made on which of the three residential schools will close, some contend the Department of Public Instruction Core Committee, which will weigh heavily in the decision, doesn’t proportionally represent the population whose fate is at stake — deaf and hearing-impaired students.
Wilson’s school is one of three on the chopping block along with the North Carolina School for the Deaf in Morganton and the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh.
“They have no experience in residential schools for the deaf — period,” said Gary Farmer, a Wilson County school board member. Farmer, who served as athletic director, transportation coordinator and dean of students at ENCSD for 28 years before retiring, has emerged as a very outspoken advocate for school, speaking on its behalf throughout the community and beyond. He’s concerned about the committee’s representation. He said there is only member of the committee who has extensive knowledge working with deaf students.
“The rest of them have much more experience in dealing with the blind,” he said, pointing out that one member is not only the superintendant of schools for the Deaf and Blind, but is also the director of the Governor Morehead School for the Blind. He believes that’s a major problem for Wilson and it’s something that deeply troubles him.
While the DPI Core Committee is made up of folks who are good at what they do, Farmer said, they are coming from a standpoint of public education, which has integrated blind students into public school classrooms.
And he fears that might weigh in on the decision. He believes that doesn’t properly serve hearing impaired students.
Farmer said he doesn’t believe this process is an “honest attempt.” And while the committee is made up of DPI’s best, it’s still slanted, in his opinion.
“Are we talking about balanced? Yes, it’s the best they’ve got,” he said. “Are we talking about objective? Absolutely not.”
He said that when people have ownership in the decision-making process, they usually will accept the outcome. But in this case, he doesn’t believe ENCSD has been given a fair shot.
“No one feels like they have ownership of the decision making,” he said. “Why is there not a deaf person on the committee? Are we being honest? Is this an honest attempt to do right by the state of North Carolina and the handicapped children of North Carolina and their parents or is there another agenda completely?”
Farmer said he doesn’t understand the rush in a decision when the future of children are at stake.
“Why the hurry. If they stop what they are doing now and go back and plan this thing better, really honestly attempt to do what’s right,” he said.
Farmer said there is a blind person on the committee. He questions where is the representation to balance out the equation.
STATE’S VIEWPOINT
Tom Winton, section chief of the Exceptional Children Division, and who also serves on the committee, said the Department of Public Instruction wanted to make sure the committee was fully represented in all aspects of the decision-making process, including the blind and deaf populations. “There needs to be knowledge of these populations of students, knowledge of how schools run, the business and finance,” Winton said. “We wanted to have in that committee folks who could represent that. We wanted to have that core representation of the committee to help steer us in this effort.”
DPI held three public hearings last month for each school, a survey was open for 18 days for anyone to voice their concerns and opinions about the closing of the schools. The committee has started to review the input from all three public hearings as well as the surveys. Winton said they received 969 surveys from the public.
“We’ve had a good, healthy process for input,” Winton said. “We’ve heard quite a bit from the public. We had people that traveled around the region on behalf of whatever school they were interested in.”
In addition to the public hearings and survey, the Core Committee made prior visits to the schools as well as reports about each. They are using all of those things in the decision-making process, he said.
“The most recent visits were the same day as the hearings,” he said. “We conducted a daylong visit at each particular school. At those visits we had discussions with the administration, faculty and staff.”
Winton said that was an opportunity for the Core Committee to get input directly from the people who work at the school.
The Core Committee will take the next two months to determine which of the three residential schools they will recommend to the General Assembly to shut down in July. The Core Committee will write a report in November. DPI will submit it to the state board of education in November as well. The state board will take action on the report in December. In mid-January, DPI will submit the report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee of the General Assembly.
Winton said the Core Committee makeup has given them a good, healthy perspective.
“We need to be able to do that,” he said. “It requires complex thinking. We knew it would have to take several perspectives on things.”
CLOSING A SCHOOL
In last year’s budget, the General Assembly transferred the responsibilities of the three residential schools from Health and Human Services to the Department of Public Instruction.
“This current legislation comes on the heels of the previous legislation ....” Winton said. “That responsibility took effect June 1 of this year. Fourteen days after we received the schools, we received the direction to close one.”
During the 2011-2012 state budget the General Assembly directed DPI to make recommendations of closing one school and consolidate blind and deaf students at the remaining schools in an effort to save $5 million. When making their choice, DPI was given five considerations to follow:
- Minimization of impact on services to deaf and blind students currently served by the residential schools.
- Minimization of costs of modifications at the two remaining residential schools to accommodate students from the closed school.
- Maximization of funds generated or net savings to the state from costs avoided due to the closure of one school and the sale or transfer to other state agencies of the school campus and other physical assets.
- Minimization of required travel for students of the school that is closed.
- Historical and cultural significance of the school.
While the Core Committee is the steering group of the process, they will be asking for input from other officials within DPI, Winton said.
“While we do have that representation on the committee, no one has all the answers,” he said. “We will be looking at others in the agency to help shed light on these five consideration areas we have been given.”
Winton said they didn’t select the Director of the Governor Morehead School for the Blind because she was solely the director, but because she is the superintendant of all schools for the deaf and blind.
“It’s easy to make a snap judgment based on a title without knowing the history and background of individuals,” he said.
CAN THEY BE FAIR?
Llewellyn Jones, who worked in various roles at ENCSD for 31 years, said four of the committee members are from the visual impairment field and only one member is from the hearing impairment field. Jones, whose last role at ENCSD was a DeafBlind specialist, now works as a contractor for Wilson County Schools teaching visually impaired children.
Jones, who also spoke at the public hearing in Wilson, doesn’t think they can make a fair decision.
“I see both sides of the fence,” she said. “I’ve taken classes at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind. I have great respect for all of them, but I don’t think they can give a fair, unbiased opinion. When you’ve spent your whole career doing something, you’re biased toward it. I think they would be slanted to where their allegiance lies (the blind). That’s the professionals they work with and work for.”
She doubts four of the committee members could directly communicate with a hearing impaired student.
“I’ve seen so many parents who have worked so hard and done so much to try and get the best education for their children,” she said. “They all deserve a fair decision on both sides.”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Farmer, who has recently spent countless hours speaking to groups, civic clubs and community members lately, said he wants the truth to be known.
“I feel like if people understand the truth from someone who they know who has integrity, someone who does not gain one thing from this, it will make a difference,” he said. And he believes if there is enough people behind it, together they can all save ENCSD.
“I really believe that people will stop and look at the process, look at the morality of it,” he said. “There are so many levels of it being wrong. Morally it’s wrong. Educationally it’s wrong. Emotionally the carnage. It’s wrong to these families. Economically it’s wrong. On every level ENCSD should remain open.”
WilsonTimes.com - Is the deck stacked against Wilson's ENCSD?