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http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-30749sy0dec01,0,1186320.story?track=mostemailedlink
RICHMOND -- A Newport News lawmaker has offered a new twist on an old theme when it comes to the state school for special-needs children in Hampton.
Close it. Then expand it.
Del. Phillip A. Hamilton, a Republican, envisions a new purpose for the 75-acre campus off Shell Road. He says it could be a regional center that serves a variety of children, not just the multi-disabled students who now attend the school.
He proposes deeding the school to the New Horizons Regional Education Center, which has several campuses throughout the Peninsula. It operates a governor's school, offers career and technical education and - more to the point - special education.
Hamilton outlined his plans in a letter that will be presented today to the Advisory Commission for Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind, which is scheduled to meet today in Hampton.
"It shifts it from being a state school to another service within this New Horizon umbrella that's already established," he said.
He concedes that his vision is just that. The logistics of the deed transfer, the authority over such a deal, and the need for additional state funding have yet to be examined.
Exactly how the new campus would look is open to discussion, he said. It could serve multi-disabled children. It could have cottages for foster children. There are a variety of needs in the mental health and education communities, he said.
The future of the school has been in flux for years, and various lawmakers have tried to find ways to get the issue moving.
Virginia operates a second school for deaf and blind children in Staunton, and lawmakers have wanted to consolidate the schools, which are struggling with rising costs.
It almost happened earlier this year. The General Assembly directed the Virginia Board of Education to combine the schools, and it capped the cost of a consolidation at $61.5 million.
But estimates for consolidation proposals ranged from $84.1 million, to build a school in Richmond, to $94.9 million, to renovate the Staunton school. So the board decided to ask the General Assembly for advice on what to do next.
It has been difficult for lawmakers to reach a consensus because parents, students and alumni have a close connection to their home schools, and they've lobbied hard to keep them open.
Hamilton concedes that his idea may not please loyalists.
"I think it's a way to preserve the legacy of the Hampton location in providing services to the community," he said. "But also acknowledge the fact that, from the state's perspective, they only want to have one state school designated for the deaf and blind."
Joseph Johnson, New Horizons executive director, said Hamilton's proposal builds on past discussions about expanding his group's special education services.
"It's something that would have to be explored," Johnson said.
He did agree, though, that the future of the Hampton campus would not resemble its past.
"They have studied that issue to death," he said. "It is clear that something different is going to happen."
RICHMOND -- A Newport News lawmaker has offered a new twist on an old theme when it comes to the state school for special-needs children in Hampton.
Close it. Then expand it.
Del. Phillip A. Hamilton, a Republican, envisions a new purpose for the 75-acre campus off Shell Road. He says it could be a regional center that serves a variety of children, not just the multi-disabled students who now attend the school.
He proposes deeding the school to the New Horizons Regional Education Center, which has several campuses throughout the Peninsula. It operates a governor's school, offers career and technical education and - more to the point - special education.
Hamilton outlined his plans in a letter that will be presented today to the Advisory Commission for Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind, which is scheduled to meet today in Hampton.
"It shifts it from being a state school to another service within this New Horizon umbrella that's already established," he said.
He concedes that his vision is just that. The logistics of the deed transfer, the authority over such a deal, and the need for additional state funding have yet to be examined.
Exactly how the new campus would look is open to discussion, he said. It could serve multi-disabled children. It could have cottages for foster children. There are a variety of needs in the mental health and education communities, he said.
The future of the school has been in flux for years, and various lawmakers have tried to find ways to get the issue moving.
Virginia operates a second school for deaf and blind children in Staunton, and lawmakers have wanted to consolidate the schools, which are struggling with rising costs.
It almost happened earlier this year. The General Assembly directed the Virginia Board of Education to combine the schools, and it capped the cost of a consolidation at $61.5 million.
But estimates for consolidation proposals ranged from $84.1 million, to build a school in Richmond, to $94.9 million, to renovate the Staunton school. So the board decided to ask the General Assembly for advice on what to do next.
It has been difficult for lawmakers to reach a consensus because parents, students and alumni have a close connection to their home schools, and they've lobbied hard to keep them open.
Hamilton concedes that his idea may not please loyalists.
"I think it's a way to preserve the legacy of the Hampton location in providing services to the community," he said. "But also acknowledge the fact that, from the state's perspective, they only want to have one state school designated for the deaf and blind."
Joseph Johnson, New Horizons executive director, said Hamilton's proposal builds on past discussions about expanding his group's special education services.
"It's something that would have to be explored," Johnson said.
He did agree, though, that the future of the Hampton campus would not resemble its past.
"They have studied that issue to death," he said. "It is clear that something different is going to happen."