Leader of state Braille school suggests ways to revamp services

DES MOINES - A plan to offer more intensive assistance to blind Iowans in their home communities could result in the elimination of 18 jobs at the Braille school in Vinton.

As the number of long-term residential students at the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School in Vinton has declined from 119 in 1972-73 to five today, the Board of Regents and school administrators have looked for other ways to meet the needs of blind Iowa children.

Braille School Superintendent Patrick Clancy told the Legislative Government Oversight Committee Thursday he expects enrollment to drop even further as the availability of services elsewhere increases. Also, many families prefer services to be provided in their home communities.

The loss of jobs was a concern for Rep. Dawn Pettengill, R-Mount Auburn, who represents most of Benton County. A member of the Legislative Government Oversight Committee, she has questioned the direction the school and regents are going with services to the blind.

“Parents and alumni are up in arms that what was a great facility has been decimated in the last five years,” Pettengill said.

However, continuing the Braille school's current operation “doesn't seem feasible or practical,” Clancy said.

He predicted there will be either a very small residential program in Vinton by the fall of 2012 or none at all.

As residential services are discontinued, the Braille school will need fewer cooks, custodians, dorm staff, maintenance workers and para-educators at its 55-acre, 191,000 square foot campus.

While the elimination of the residential program will be accompanied by job losses, Clancy said the economic impact of the campus goes beyond the Braille school.

Much of the space is in the third year of a five-year lease to AmeriCorps. The program brings up to 200 civilian volunteers at a time to Vinton for training. As result, Clancy said, buildings that otherwise might have been razed have been renovated.

“From a Vinton standpoint, a Benton County standpoint, there is a lot of benefit that comes out of that beyond the lease amount,” Clancy said.

Clancy recommended seeking more tenants.

Employees have been made aware of the recommendations, Clancy said and told that if they have other opportunities they may want to consider them. Some employees may have opportunities for part-time work at the school, he said.

However, as residential staff is eliminated, the school is likely to hire teachers and other staff to serve students throughout the state.

Clancy offered seven recommendations for “an improved model of service ... to provide an intensity of service around the state that is hard to do now.” He recommended partnering with local schools, area education agencies and other agencies - even other states, if necessary.

The recommendations are not about cost-savings, but cost-effectiveness, Clancy said. Although the cost of the residential services has dropped, the cost per pupil has skyrocketed.

“You can only get so efficient,” Clancy said.

Residential program costs have dropped from $3 million in 1993 when there were 57 students to $2.2 million for nine students in 2010. During that time, cost per pupil has increased from $53,485 to $246,341.

While the campus would not be used for long-term residential programs, Clancy said it could be used as the headquarters for administrative services as well as for direct services such as short-term programs, weeklong and summer programs.