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Schools & Youth - StatesmanJournal.com
Members of newly formed state boards overseeing the Oregon School for the Deaf and the Oregon School for the Blind told legislators Tuesday that the state's timeline for combining the two schools on one campus is too fast.
"OSB and OSD boards will be scrambling to meet deadlines established for reviewing and making recommendations to the Superintendent of Public Instruction," OSD board member Don Dorman of Philomath told the Senate Education Committee.
Meanwhile, State Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo says she has not officially decided to combine the schools.
Instead, Castillo says, her announcement last May that she would move the School for the Blind to the campus of the School for the Deaf was a recommendation, dependent on legislative action allowing proceeds from the sale of one property to finance renovations at the other. That issue will be taken up by legislators in spring 2009.
The distinction is important because an official decision triggers the chance for either board to appeal the move to the state Board of Education. Advocates for both special schools oppose the co-location.
Committee chairwoman Sen. Vicki Walker, D-Eugene, said she was unhappy with the department's position that an official decision has not been made.
"It looks like they're in a Catch-22," Walker said. "If we wait until we're so far along in the process, how on earth would the state board of education ever agree to second-guess the superintendent's decision?"
Also at the meeting, Department of Education officials presented a newly developed timeline for completing the move.
The department hopes to contract with a developer next month and complete a feasibility study by July. It would hold stakeholder meetings between July and October before beginning the design phase.
Construction would start in September 2009 and would be complete between August 2010 and August 2011.
"This timeline is a rough estimate. It could be considered aggressive," said Sue McGlashan, ODE assistant superintendent of finance and administration.
The School for the Blind property was appraised at $9.1 million, but education officials said they're confident it would sell for as much as twice that amount.
Members of newly formed state boards overseeing the Oregon School for the Deaf and the Oregon School for the Blind told legislators Tuesday that the state's timeline for combining the two schools on one campus is too fast.
"OSB and OSD boards will be scrambling to meet deadlines established for reviewing and making recommendations to the Superintendent of Public Instruction," OSD board member Don Dorman of Philomath told the Senate Education Committee.
Meanwhile, State Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo says she has not officially decided to combine the schools.
Instead, Castillo says, her announcement last May that she would move the School for the Blind to the campus of the School for the Deaf was a recommendation, dependent on legislative action allowing proceeds from the sale of one property to finance renovations at the other. That issue will be taken up by legislators in spring 2009.
The distinction is important because an official decision triggers the chance for either board to appeal the move to the state Board of Education. Advocates for both special schools oppose the co-location.
Committee chairwoman Sen. Vicki Walker, D-Eugene, said she was unhappy with the department's position that an official decision has not been made.
"It looks like they're in a Catch-22," Walker said. "If we wait until we're so far along in the process, how on earth would the state board of education ever agree to second-guess the superintendent's decision?"
Also at the meeting, Department of Education officials presented a newly developed timeline for completing the move.
The department hopes to contract with a developer next month and complete a feasibility study by July. It would hold stakeholder meetings between July and October before beginning the design phase.
Construction would start in September 2009 and would be complete between August 2010 and August 2011.
"This timeline is a rough estimate. It could be considered aggressive," said Sue McGlashan, ODE assistant superintendent of finance and administration.
The School for the Blind property was appraised at $9.1 million, but education officials said they're confident it would sell for as much as twice that amount.