To OSDAA members and OSD supporters,
Important!!! Attention OSDAA and OSD supporters!!!
This is very serious and frightening news regard the OSD museum and OSDAA office being in danger of being abolished from Kuenzi Hall by officials from the Oregon Dept.of Education (ODE). The OSD museum and OSDAA office now located in Kuenzi Hall will be converted to make room for the Oregon School for the Blind (OSB) as a school building. It is very devastating and pathetic for ODE to eliminate OSDAA office and OSD Museum from this area. Will it be possible for the OSDAA office and the museum to stay on campus or will they be banished for good? Who knows? I am so disgusted with this ODE proposal and want to know what will happen to our most treasured and historic OSD museum! It is said that this museum probably is one of the largest and best deaf museums in the world and has been enjoyed by many people from all over the United States and different parts of the world. The artifacts in this museum are very valuable and rare, essential to preserving the history of our deaf culture and MUST be preserved at all costs and must not destroyed or taken (like auctioned-off) over by others who have no right to do this. The museum and OSDAA office must stay on the deaf campus and must not destroyed! What does ODE propose for OSDAA office and our museum? We, OSDAA are very concerned with that! We have to act right away to stop ODE’s foolish acts before it’s too late!
We must fight to SAVE OUR MUSEUM AND OSDAA OFFICE! What a terrible tragedy it would be to lose them!
I believe that ODE’s recommendation to merge both OSB and OSD at the OSD campus is very senseless, ridiculous and a waste of the state’s money. The present location of OSB in downtown Salem is a perfect place for the blind students rather than OSD’s campus. The Blind people and the OSB supporters prefer to stay where are now. OSB campus has been at its present location for 113 years after moving there from the first location. OSD campus has been located on Locust Street for 97 years, its 5th location.
ODE is making a big mistake for the history of both OSD and OSB. Hopefully, when / if the SB 757 for OSD $ OSB passes, ODE control will be a thing of the past.
See Link _www.ode.state.or.us/news_ (http://www.ode.state.or.us/news) then go to click and see under “State School Study” and “State School Appendices” (notice: sometimes some fine small print will not appear, depending on your computer). My own opinion words are not bold print. Some words (in bold) which I selected and researched are adapted from ODE’s recommendation/information reports made by the State School’s Study Committee.
Thank you.
M.L. Hamstreet
OSDAA Historian
(since 1973)
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This staff report to Susan Castillo, superintendent of Oregon Dept. of Education (ODE) provides cost information for the recommendation from State Schools Study Committee to close OSB and move the OSB’s educational and residential programs to the campus for the OSD. The report includes notations where additional information may more fully inform the superintendent’s final decision.
Click the “State Schools Study”
See “Option #1: Basis as Update of Work Previously Done on Moving the OSB
Program to the OSD campus”
This option does not allow for the continuance of the OSD museum, OSDAA office or the Baker Charter School in Kuenzi Hall.
What? This is unbelievable and outrageous and must not happen to our treasured and historic OSD museum and the OSDAA office! It is not right. Destroying the museum which has been successful and growing for many years makes no sense. With ODE’s approval two years ago, the museum moved just over a year ago from Lindstrom Hall basement, after twenty-eight years, to a new location at Kuenzi Hall. Moving the museum with it’s thousands of artifacts took a lot of energy and hard work. OSDAA and I worked hard to preserve the history for our OSD museum which was a labor of love. This is OSD museum’s 4th location since 1973. Destroying the museum in it’s new home would hurt Oregon’s Deaf Community.
ODE’s control over OSD and OSB will be OVER if the SB 757 passes to establish the School Board for OSD. The ODE’s recommendation of merging both schools would likely be dropped when if the SB 757 passes but it is up to the legislators as the request was a budget note from 2005 and the report is due to them this year, so let’s see if the Ways and Means Committee accepts that report or ignores it.
OSD museum was established in 1973 by former OSD director Dr. Clatterbuck to preserve the historic school artifacts and M. L. Hamstreet then was 8th grade OSD student, as OSD’s first museum curator in 1974. Also the archives was established in 1989 by OSDAA historian & archivist M. L. Hamstreet to preserve the historic school photographs, blueprints, home movie films, records, etc. There are thousands of OSD artifacts which I, M.L. Hamstreet, have collected for thirty-three years. Thousands of tourists have toured the museum the past thirty years since the official grand opening to the public in June of 1977 and has provided highly educational benefits to the public. For many years since the museum opened many deaf tourists from other states have said that our museum has the best collection of all the deaf schools in the United States. Also, former Secretary of State Barbara Roberts toured the museum for two hours and was quite impressed. She agreed it is one of Salem’s best-kept secrets. The Gallaudet University’s best-known deaf historian and author of Deaf Heritage (1980 edition), Jack Gannon, visited OSD, toured the museum and applauded it for being the most extensive and complete.
Former Governor Vic Atiyeh wrote a formal letter in 1979 to the OSD museum that it is most professional, dedicated and perseveres in developing its museum-style collection. OSD was the first school on the list of a newly created commission on Historic State properties, Chapter 205 Oregon Law of 1979. OSDAA is very PROUD of our museum’s rich heritage and culture which is preserved for the future generations to come.
Also, the hearing students of the Baker Charter School which leases part of Kunezi Hall to use as classrooms, is in danger of losing part of their learning benefits which include socializing with deaf students on OSD campus. This provides an opportunity for the Baker students to understand deaf culture and American Sign Language (ASL).
See “Summary Appraisal of OSB campus”
As part of a new master plan, the OSD alumni would be allowed to maintain ownership of the museum pieces that are currently housed in Kuenzi Hall but would have to locate a new place for the pieces to be housed. A list of museum resources could be provided to the OSDAA to assist with the move and possibly a formal, legal agreement that would transfer ownership of the pieces to the OSDAA could be drafted. Regardless of which option is chosen, there will not be any available space to provide for the OSDAA on the campus. Recognition of the importance of this museum to the OSDAA is very important. What ODE proposes to do is most likely against the law or illegal since these OSD museum pieces have been under the Historic State properties since 1979. All museums for schools for the deaf in this nation remain on their campuses along with alumni association’s offices. It is prohibited to remove or discard the historic pieces from all deaf school campuses. OSD museum and OSDAA office should be the same.
See “Recommendations”
As an example, Kuenzi Hall has a solid concrete interior roof that sits directly over spaces currently housed by the Baker Charter School, the OSDAA office, and the OSD Museum. The report from Otak Architects indicates that Kuenzi Hall would require demolition of everything but the exterior walls and then would need to be reinforced and stabilized to meet seismic needs as well as provide a structure sound enough to be rebuilt from the inside out. Kuenzi Hall contains asbestos building materials, suspect lead-based paint, suspect PCB ballasts and mercury containing lamps and switches which would need to be removed or managed as part of any renovation. There is likelihood that these same conditions exist in other buildings. You see, the cost to remodel & renovate Kuenzi Hall is almost 7 million dollars alone!!! It is absurd and insanely expensive to renovate rather than build anew! The ODE’s study renovation project for Kuenzi Hall is really unnecessary and nonsense!! Kuenzi Hall, named in 2002 to honor the longtime OSD employee, Lewis Kuenzi, ‘44 graduate, for 41 years of service was originally a Primary Building in Colonial-style brick and was erected in 1949 at the cost of $200,000. If the Blind school moved into Kuenzi Hall after renovation it is possible that the name of “Kuenzi” could be changed as it would no longer belong to OSD. We, OSDAA, are very concerned about it right now.
Click for “State School Appendices”
“Appendix of Model for State Schools”
See Issue #4 - Train passing by
Trains passing by the campus were indentified as being very noisy and potentially a danger to students who are blind/visually impaired. Kuenzi Hall is located too close to the train track on Locust St. and is not a good place for OSB students since they are very sensitive to noises unlike regular hearing or sighted people.
See Issue #5 - Crime rate neighborhood
The Locust Street neighborhood in North Salem adjacent to the OSD campus experiences significantly higher crime rates than other locations within Salem. Another concern was with the location of a “half-way house” for sex offenders located near the OSD campus. Blind students may walk on Locust Street unsupervised or wander around the Locust St. neighborhood area outside the OSD campus where they would be prey to bad influences or criminals, thus placing themselves in danger.
See Appendix F
Initial proposals by project team members included renovation of the existry OSD boys dorm (Lindstrom Hall) to allow for the blind boys to use this as a dormitory area and included separate wings for housing the two populations of boys.
Nah, I don’t think the Lindstrom Hall (as Boys’ Dormitory, erected in 1957) renovation project would work out for blind boys in a separate wing due to the deaf boys on the other wing constantly creating too much noise. It is very poorly constructed and probably it’s not sound-proof. Another problem is loud, false fire alarms for many, many times for years! Revovation of Clatterbuck Central Services Facility (erected in 1971) was one option to accommodate the blind girls for dormitory and living spaces needs.
Well, where will both deaf and blind students go to stay in the Infirmary while ill? It’s a bad idea.
Another possible option was renovation of the upper floor of Carpenter House (Erected in 1950, formerly as OSD Superintendent’s residence in yellow painted) for an OSB girls’ dormitory and living spaces with the Oregon Association of the Deaf office retaining the basement area. I doubt it! I don’t think it’s good idea anyway!
The upper floor of the Old Gym is very unstable and the entire building would most likely require complete demolition. I believe that demolition of the Peck gym (erected 1963) is not really necessary at all! Just build two new special small, additional dressing rooms on the first floor on both sides rear of the gym to be designed for wheelchair-only access instead of the downstairs dressing rooms since they are not available for wheelchair access. That’s my suggestion.
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Recommendation information made by the ODE and State Schools Study Committee are NOT very professional and has bad advice due to poor math and absurd plans which are unacceptable!. The study to merge both schools doesn’t make good sense and shows poor judgment and would not be successful. Merging the two schools would cause many problems in the future and the plan for the whole OSD campus does NOT look good at all.
The cost of relocation and renovation projects for older facilities for OSB on OSD campus totals 16.2 million dollars as compared to the original 1993 study of $ 7 million which failed by the Oregon Legislative. ODE’s plans to change both schools were considered too abusive. The 2006 summary appraisal value for Oregon School for the Blind (land only) is now $9,110,000. If the SB 757 passes, both schools could have more student enrollment than when under ODE’s control. Who knows…
ODE has NO understanding of what it is to be deaf or blind, has no experience with the deaf or blind and tends to ignore any input or information from qualified people. There are NO deaf or blind people working in the ODE office building so how can they understand our needs. They have caused many problems for OSD and OSB for years. It appears that ODE has not appreciated the value of OSD and OSB for years and has failed in it’s ability to meet with and help deaf and blind students in Oregon. Their attitude is that they don’t care and are oppressive to the deaf and blind students.
There is still NO EXCUSE or explanation for ODE’s termination of OSD director Ms. Mullholland. She was a great director for our school. and deserved better treatment. Sadly, that her retirement is only a few years away! I feel that the ODE should have consideration and respect both OSD’s and OSB’s wish for their historic campuses to continue in separate locations as they now do.
ODE wants to save money and has no understanding of OSD or OSB children or their needs. They are making a big mistake! ODE has threatened to close both schools in the past, much to our displeasure. It has been very distressing and stressful for OSD and OSB to be under ODE’s control..
I strongly encourage you to write letters to your legislators to SUPPORT the bill to establish the School Boards for OSD and OSB which will replace the ODE. Just tell them that you are against the ODE’s recommendations of merging OSB and OSD and the elimination of the historic OSD museum and OSDAA office. IT’S VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE WRITE TO LEGISLATORS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE –TIME IS RUNNING OUT! DON’T BE WEAK OR NEUTRAL and DON’T SIT AROUND DOING NOTHING! Please choose words wisely in your letters to the legislature, do not use filthy, abusive or angry words which are not acceptable. Please use nice language and be sensitive so they will listen and be more easily convinced.
Write letters or send email to Senator President Peter Courtney, Sen. Vicki Walker, Sen. Margaret Carter, Rep. Betty Komp, and other legislators. Also CEASD Board of Directors and Gallaudet University Deaf Historian, if you would.
WE, OSD PEOPLE HAVE BEEN VERY PROUD OF OUR SCHOOL FOR 137 YEARS IN THE EDUCATION FOR THE DEAF IN OREGON. AND OSB FOR 134 YEARS. THEY BOTH DESERVE OUR PRAISE! PRAY THAT SB 757 PASSES!
Blogger note: Email addresses of the Oregon State legislation reps and senators can be found by going to Email Addresses link on right side.
Shelby Campos, Assistant to
Ed Dennis, Deputy Superintendent
Oregon Department of Education
(503) 947-5801
Fax (503) 378-4772
shelby.r.campos@state.or.us
Ed Dennis
Deputy Superintendent
Oregon Department of Education
ed.dennis@state.or.us
503.947.5801-office 503.551.8638-cell
Associate Superintendent
Nancy Latini at (503) 947.5661 or
Nancy.Latini@state.or.us
Governor Ted Kulongoski
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, Oregon 97301-4047
All Oregon Legislators
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Oregon Board of Education
Duncan Wyse ( Vice Chair)
1100 SW 6th Ave. Ste. 1608
Portland OR 97204
Duncan.wyse@state.or.us
Nikki Squire
960 NW Hillside Park
Bend OR 97701
Nikki.squire@state.or.us
Jerry Berger
805 Kingwood Dr. NW
Salem OR 97304-3639
Jerry.berger@state.or.us
Steve Bogart
1205 Reservoir Rd.
Baker City, OR 97814
Steve.bogart@state.or.us
Brenda Frank (Chair)
4623 Winter Ave.
Klamath Falls, OR 97603
Brenda.frank@state.or.us
Artemio Paz Jr.
86950 Cedar Flat Rd.
Springfield OR.97478
Artemio.paz@state,or.us