Deaf Schools United

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=64967

Area’s only deaf school in danger of closing

by: Nelson Garcia , Reporter

created: 2/16/2007 5:52:00 PM

Last updated: 2/16/2007 6:06:31 PM

DENVER – When students like Belva Wolcott came to The Rocky Mountain Deaf School, they were looking for a way to improve their lives. Now, the charter program is in danger of shutting down due to financial problems.

“They really teach me a lot of stuff, what to do outside of the school and what to do in the school,” said Wolcott.

When you look at the 6th grader, it’s hard to tell she’s deaf. She can read lips so well, she doesn’t always need an interpreter and her speech is crystal clear.

“Our teachers are all versed in deaf education and have a strong background in the research of teaching deaf students,” said Dr. Janet Cerney, the school director.

Most of the teachers are deaf themselves acting as role models and creating an environment where all the students can feel comfortable and confident.

However, due to state guidelines on charter school finances, The Rocky Mountain Deaf School cannot use tuition funds or the public money it gets from the state on building costs. Because of that, the school cannot pay its rent and may be forced to shut down.

“We don’t have a solution in sight yet,” Cerney said.

She and other administrators are appealing to the Colorado Department of Education to change the guidelines to allow the school to use tuition money on building costs. Cerney says she’s not sure the state will do that.

If not, the only program in Denver which exclusively serves deaf students will be forced to close its doors. The students would then have to attend mainstream schools with the help of sign language interpreters.

“If I go to a hearing school, I wouldn’t understand the teacher more than here,” Wolcott said. “I would freak out. I’ve been at this school for a very long time since pre-school and I really love this school so much.”

“It will be a challenge to keep our doors open,” said Alison Talbert.

Talbert’s says her 9-year-old daughter, Payton, has flourished here.

“The other option, of course, is to move out of the Denver metro area, relocate my family,” she said.

The nearest deaf school outside of Rocky Mountain is in Colorado Springs where students have to live on campus. Cerney says the best options for her school are to find a donor willing to pay for building expenses or for the state to listen to the problems and make a change.

(Copyright KUSA*TV. All rights reserved.)

Recruiting a new OSD director is not possible on the ODE timeline

February 8, 2007

In 1998, I was on the OSD interview committee established with the purpose of recruiting a new director. Three out of the 10 committee members were deaf. Jane Mulholland was on that committee as well and was, at the time, an ODE executive.

We interviewed several people for over six months. None of them accurately answered ODE’s questions and/or were qualified under ODE’s guidelines. At the end of that time period, we recommended Jane Mulholland as a fitting candidate because she was highly qualified and met our high expectations of what an OSD director should be. Jane got the job and did a great service to us as the OSD director.

I read the process and timelines ODE set for recruiting a replacement for Ms. Mulholland’s previous position. What a joke! I can’t believe that ODE thinks they can find a better OSD director in such a short amount of time. That is impossible! They will be hard pressed to find any highly qualified individual who would be interested in that director position because the income is sadly un-equivalent to the job’s requirements and they also may not want to be on the receiving end of ODE’s “investigations.” As well as the fact that ODE’s administration staff lack any knowledge of deaf culture, thus adding to the replacement’s job description.

In my opinion, the only way to quickly and sufficiently meet ODE’s timeline: Reinstate Jane Mulholland as OSD director.

Margi Morgan, Salem

How are the OSD children?

February 8, 2007

There is a tribe in Africa whose greeting is “And how are the children.” The point of this greeting is that the well being of the children is an indication of how the tribe is doing.

If the deaf community were to be asked today, “And how are the children of the Oregon School for the Deaf?” The answer would sadly be very different than it was in the fall. Last fall, the School for the Deaf had a competent leader, Jane Mulholland who understood the needs of the students. Also, she understood her primary responsibility was the care and safety of all students.

In December, Deputy Superintendent Dennis abruptly dismissed Ms. Mulholland as the director. Since then he has admitted to not reviewing her personnel file. He has not denied that Ms. Mulholland had no evaluations completed during her tenure as director and he has not denied that she was given no feedback about her performance.

ODE is unwilling to address the concerns of the deaf community regarding Mr. Dennis’s action to remove a respected leader. It is time for an outside agency to step up. It is time for the governor or the Legislature to ask “And how are the children of OSD?”

Jill Bailey, Dundee