Deaf Schools Budgets are just a blip on States' Budgets
Jay Krieger points out that budgets to run Deaf Schools, which may run as much as 25 million dollars a year, are simply a blip on their States' budgets. A simple State-wide cut may appear insignificant from their Governers' perspective but impacts these schools at a greater magnitude.
Understanding this, we need to come up with strategies to prevent States from touching Deaf schools' budgets when cutting needs to occur. Jay will touch some of these strategies, but you are welcome to suggest your ideas.
13 comments:
Yeah... I said a little bit about the state budget in your Lackluster Deaf Education posting.
Indiana does not have the Deaf Child's Bill of Rights (I don't know if it has any affects on the budgets in other states that have Deaf Child's Bill of Rights... mind if you could share it with us if there are any substantial increases in monetary and quality of education?)
You know what? It affects mainstreaming also. I was asked a few times to consider C-PRINT since my son who is mainstreamed in Carmel/Clay school district is an excellent reader. I said no and that my son preferred to have an interpreter over C-PRINT, but I'd consider it when my son enters middle school, for a few subjects like language arts. But the fact I was asked... tells that C-PRINT is a lot cheaper than the interpreter.
Again, we need parent lobbyists. The superintendents cannot do it all.
Tell that to taxpayers.
Just a suggestion....get some full-time outreach specialists and/or lobbyists to educate state senators. Get them to visit deaf school and see what they do....Do you think it would work?
JR
Move your school closer to the Governor like New Mexico School for Deaf and Maryland School for the Deaf. No, I don't mean physically. The Supt of the said school reports directly to the Governor instead of the Board of Education.
That way, it is easier to perserve or *INCREASE* the budget.
Yes, thats right, the State Dept of Education forgotten about the long run, they are ending up paying more after the child grown up... SSI! Federal $ and State $ work together.. If State help pay for Deaf programs for a better education therefore less Deaf people on SSI. SAD they dont think ahead with something like that.
I am from Washington St and both of my children are Deaf, they attend Deaf school. We have been struggling to keep budget coming in to support the programs. We (state of Washington) just added new bill to set up a new agency that will be in charge of the Deaf Education in Washington St, meaning the mainstreamed programs, Deaf school and many more to be under one agency instead of State so they will get better service from agency that knows more about Deaf Education's need and right amount money to go to and which service is best for individual's needs. We are crossing our fingers hoping it turns out for the better. DON'T GIVE UP!!
Judge,
Our school is goverened by a School Board, and our superintendent is Governor appointed to serve at his pleasure.
We changed our school governance several years ago, when we used to be under the Department of Health umbrella. Now we are pretty much independent, yet are within State's personnel, budget, and other agencies' control & influence just because we are still ultimately a State Agency.
Governing us as an agency versus as a school is really comparing apples with oranges, and is a common frustration we and any other state-owned schools experience.
Jay
WELCOME BACK! Whew... Now you get my mind running. You help me to see differently between state government and department of education.
Do you think we need more lobbists with the State government? Or create a position with the state that focuses only on Deaf including other responsbilities such as emergency preparation, social welfare, and etc?
Darlene
Jay,
Again, your video blog is not working! Drat! Drat!
Sandra Goldstein
It still works for me, but to my surprise its showing something new I have not seen before -- a popup bar on bottom of my video with my previous clips in a slideshow format. I wonder if the new feature youtube has is affecting your computer... Try Internet Explorer.
Darlene... lobbyists get donations from whoever they represent!
And time and effort from their supporters as well.
Who do you think really change the laws?
LOBBYISTS! They get paid from corporations/interested parties to go to DC.
And...also, lobbyists can be average people like you and I - they just are good at talking!
I was surprised to find out that one of the people in the legislative here in Michigan is a garbage man!!
He got votes from people who liked him and wanted him to focus on certain issues they were concerned with... so he worked his way up there.
It isn't somebody who has a degree in law or whatever...
But a person who usually has a passion.
Unfortunately, the greed ones nowadays.
Point is, we CAN have deaf lobbyists - but we need to get together and get some deaf lobbyists to reperesent us - and donating.
Lawsuits make things happen, too. A lot of what the schools are doing nowadays are because of these law passages. Who can sue? Parents.
Funny that 7% impact is felt more in the lower bracket funded agencies including state schools for the deaf than the bigger ones - 2 million loss from a $250 million agency may not even be debated.
Has anyone seen the movie, "Thank You for Smoking"?
Great movie about a lobbyist. :D
getting a lobbyist is one option..
take a look at nc law...will hold 140 beds at ncsd...and no more..
perhaps that is most effective at this time..a state law to accommodate federal mandates..
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