Miss-Delectable
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willametteLive.com
It has been nearly a year since Salem Monthly reported on the termination of Oregon School for the Deaf Director Jane Mulholland (February 2007). Mulholland was asked to step down amid a swirl of controversy surrounding a plan proposed by the Oregon Department of Education to consolidate OSD with the Oregon School for the Blind. The plan met with stiff resistance from many members of the community and for many, ill feelings still linger.
Since then a new OSD director, former vice principal at McKay High School Patti Togioka and new advisory boards for both schools have been apoointed. However, plans for the future consolidation of the two schools has been held up in legislative buget reviews. ODE will report to the Oregon legislature in 2008 and Communications Director for ODE, Gene Evans said that consolidation plans are going forward.
"The plan is still to have a bill ready for the 2009 full legislative session," Evans said. "We need to ensure that the proceeds from the sale of property can go back to the schools' programs and the cost to rehab the buildings on campus. If not, we'll need the legislature to allocate funds to do that."
Since her departure as Director of OSD, Jane Mulholland has continued to be active in supporting deaf education. She has created a private consulting firm called Planning for Student Success and has worked with several schools for the deaf across the country, including The Learning Center in Boston and the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind.
Meanwhile, a new foundation, Friends of OSD, is forming to help support students and staff at the Oregon School for the Deaf. Mulholland has been involved with the foundation since her termination and she said its purpose is to enhance the resources available to the school.
Co-organizer and foundation vice president Damara Paris said the foundation has been in the planning stages for 2 years.
"We were established for the purpose of raising funds to support education at OSD. We are there to help with activities and field trips and to make up the difference when there isn't adequate funding."
The foundation has established a goal of raising $10,000 by the end of this school year. They hope to help with summer school activities and they are interested in paying for an artist to come work with students.
Paris said Friends of OSD is outside the scope of ODE and they work directly with OSD staff.
The foundation is still in its early stages of organizing and meets monthly. For more information or to get involved, call (503) 623-9470.
It has been nearly a year since Salem Monthly reported on the termination of Oregon School for the Deaf Director Jane Mulholland (February 2007). Mulholland was asked to step down amid a swirl of controversy surrounding a plan proposed by the Oregon Department of Education to consolidate OSD with the Oregon School for the Blind. The plan met with stiff resistance from many members of the community and for many, ill feelings still linger.
Since then a new OSD director, former vice principal at McKay High School Patti Togioka and new advisory boards for both schools have been apoointed. However, plans for the future consolidation of the two schools has been held up in legislative buget reviews. ODE will report to the Oregon legislature in 2008 and Communications Director for ODE, Gene Evans said that consolidation plans are going forward.
"The plan is still to have a bill ready for the 2009 full legislative session," Evans said. "We need to ensure that the proceeds from the sale of property can go back to the schools' programs and the cost to rehab the buildings on campus. If not, we'll need the legislature to allocate funds to do that."
Since her departure as Director of OSD, Jane Mulholland has continued to be active in supporting deaf education. She has created a private consulting firm called Planning for Student Success and has worked with several schools for the deaf across the country, including The Learning Center in Boston and the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind.
Meanwhile, a new foundation, Friends of OSD, is forming to help support students and staff at the Oregon School for the Deaf. Mulholland has been involved with the foundation since her termination and she said its purpose is to enhance the resources available to the school.
Co-organizer and foundation vice president Damara Paris said the foundation has been in the planning stages for 2 years.
"We were established for the purpose of raising funds to support education at OSD. We are there to help with activities and field trips and to make up the difference when there isn't adequate funding."
The foundation has established a goal of raising $10,000 by the end of this school year. They hope to help with summer school activities and they are interested in paying for an artist to come work with students.
Paris said Friends of OSD is outside the scope of ODE and they work directly with OSD staff.
The foundation is still in its early stages of organizing and meets monthly. For more information or to get involved, call (503) 623-9470.