I made an error of changing the Governor Cuomo document to President Obama document, instead of "saving as" to keep two separate documents...
So, here's a picture of my letter to Governor Cuomo:
Now, my letter to President Obama:
March 8, 2011
President Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama,
I am Karen Mayes, from Rochester, New York. Right now, Governor Cuomo has made a budget proposal to the state, calling for deep cuts and I understand the need for the cuts.
However, one thing I don’t agree with is his proposal including the 85% budget cut to 4201 School System which includes 11 schools serving the children with disabilities (deaf, blind, and severe physically disabilities.) The proposal calls for a shift of costs to the school districts who’d then have to take up the responsibilities of evaluating, placing, and providing the resources for the disabled students. The problem is that the school districts in New York State are already suffering budget cuts and would not be able to dig into their pockets to provide the needed resources for them. This would likely lead to the failure of producing the graduates with Regents degrees, less chance of going to a college, and let alone finding a job.
In New York State Constitution there’s a clause that has protected 4201 schools for more than 100 years:
"Neither the credit nor the money of the State shall be given or loaned to or in aid of any association, corporation or private undertaking. This section shall not, however, prevent the legislature from making such provision for the education and support of the blind, the deaf and dumb, and juvenile delinquents, as to it may seem proper”. (NYS Constitution, Act VII)--This was established in 1822 by Chapter 234 of that year.
My take on this is that Governor Cuomo has sworn to uphold the NYS Constitution, he has to honor it.
My Deaf children, David and Elizabeth Mayes, aged 14 years old and 10 years old respectively who attend Rochester School for the Deaf, wrote their letters (dated Feb.13th, 2011) to Governor Cuomo who failed to respond to them. In their letters, they shared their experiences in mainstream settings and how affected they were emotionally and socially. I am enclosing the copies of the letters for you to read. They are not the only ones; the majority of mainstreamed disabled students also experience the same thing. By going to 4201 schools, they feel more accepted, learn more from direct teaching, etc. If Cuomo’s budget is passed, effectively dismantling 4201 school system, the 1000+ students would place more financial burden on their school districts.
It seems to me that Governor Cuomo thinks it’d be cheaper to have school districts taking care of the disabled students… he’s wrong in this stance. For a Deaf child, hiring a sign language interpreter or/and a CART interpreter would cost about $35K a year, plus, hiring a TOD (a Teacher of the Deaf who’d work with public school teachers to keep track of the Deaf student’s academic performance) would cost oh, easily around $45K to $50K a year. What if the Deaf child has additional needs (about 40% of Deaf children have additional needs)? That would still add up to $100K per Deaf child in the already financially strapped school districts. Nowadays most of the students are day pupils, not living at the dorms, so they average $40K-$50K per pupil which would add more stress on the school districts to find funding for the disabled students, not wanting to violate IDEA, FAPE, and ADA laws.
Now, imagine placing a severely physically disabled student who needs to live on feeding tube and a respiratory in a rural school district. That school district would have to hire a nurse, more spending on making the schools (elementary, middle and high schools) more accessible to the student, more money on resource rooms, etc. Hmmm… I frankly can’t see the reason of dismantling the 4201 school system which is more cost effectively and efficiently for serving the disabled children, can you?
Plus, the disabled students would face more social isolation and bullying in the public schools, which would lead to lowered self-esteem and less than desirable academic performance.
Dr. Harold Mowl’s (who is the chairperson of 4201 school system) requested that 4201 schools face 7% budget cut just like other public schools and that New York State Legislature set up a task force committee to gather and analyze the facts about 4201 schools and to make recommendations.
Also, I am enclosing a copy of Sheri Farinha and Marla Hatrak’s letter. Even though they work in California, they have excellent grasp of Federal and State mandates. I am really impressed by their letter and I am urging you to read it if you haven’t already did.
I do hope that you’d take this letter and other letters from other parents whose children attend 4201 schools into consideration and realize that the children would be more successful in becoming taxpayers holding down jobs as long as they went to 4201 schools. Also I am enclosing the brochure that the RSD’s group who went to Albany on March 2nd for Advocacy Day to give you a better idea.
Thank you for your time,
Karen Mayes
For both letters, I have enclosed:
1. the copies of my children's letters (you can read them: http://deaftranquillife.typepad.com/blog/2011/02/kids-letters-to-governor-cuomo.html),
2. a copy of Sheri Farinha and Marla Hatrak letter (with Sheri's permission) which you can find on Barb Digi's blog (http://deafprogressivism.blogspot.com/2011/03/we-will-be-seen-we-will-be-heard-we.html),
3. and a brochure which was developed by Rochester School for the Deaf group who went to Albany on March 2nd to lobby with the legislators (http://deafprogressivism.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-may-happen-if-governor-cuomos.html) .
I spent $32 to overnight them, so they should arrive... hopefully... the desks of both Governor Cuomo and President Obama by tomorrow noon (March 9th.) My line of thinking is that having President Obama's awareness of the plight of 4201 school system which was unfairly imposed by the threat of the budget proposal would increase the chances for 4201 school system to escape the ax, so to speak.
NOW, I encourage you to continue contacting New York State Legislature about the wrongness of Governor Cuomo's budget proposal for 4201 School System. And you can join the FaceBook group page that I have set up... Oppose Oppose Cuomo's Plan for New York State's 4201 Schools... the purpose of it is to keep informed of what's happening with the budget proposal. Also, come to Albany for 10 AM rally this Thursday, March 10th.)
Lastly, I hope you'd sign the online petition to save 4201 schools:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-ny-4201-school-funding/
