Official to go over plan to combine campuses

One alumni group opposes the plan while the other has accepted it.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
LIBERTY -- The superintendent of the Ohio School for the Deaf will be in town Saturday to review what has become a controversial plan to combine his school and the Ohio State School for the Blind on a single campus.
Dr. Ed Corbett Jr. will address the issue at 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn MetroPlex on Belmont Avenue. The session is one of a series of nine community meetings he's holding across the state to inform alumni, parents and other interested people about the plan, which appears to have the endorsement of the state government.
Not everyone thinks putting the two schools onto one campus is a good idea. The School for the Blind offers programs from kindergarten through 12th grade while the School for the Deaf offers preschool through 12th grade. The schools are publicly funded and all Ohio children with the appropriate disabilities can apply to them.
Against it
Corbett's own Ohio School for the Blind Alumni Association has voted not to support the single campus plan and has vowed to fight the move, said Richard Heubner association president.
"Psychologists have told us it would demean the self-esteem of our kids," Heubner, who is deaf, said through an interpreter. The two groups of children have distinctly different needs, can't communicate with each other and can't socialize, he added.
There is also a concern that one group of children may abuse or tease the other, Heubner said, adding that he is aware of allegations of sexual abuse at a combined school for the blind and deaf in a southern state that apparently resulted in the school being broken into separate entities.
His alumni group is getting petitions signed by people involved with the deaf population who oppose the plan and will send the petitions to the Ohio Department of Education and Ohio School Facilities Commission, he said. The association has hired an attorney and may hire a lobbyist to aid in the fight, he said.
"We're going to keep trying. If we fail ... I guess we will have to accept it," he said, adding that he fears a loss of enrollment if the plan goes through.
His counterpart with the Ohio State School for the Blind Alumni Association, Peggy Fain, said her group isn't opposing the combined campus idea.
The alumni want to be involved in the planning process to be sure the pupils' needs will be met, Fain said.
The association members recognize the economy of the move, she said, adding that she doesn't see any potential for abuse by one student group against the other as an issue.
That's a security measure that can be addressed with careful planning, she said.
Where they are now
The two schools are back-to-back in Columbus now, separated by a large ravine, and there is already some socialization between the student bodies.
The School for the Blind has a marching band that plays at the School for the Deaf football games and a pep band that plays at their basketball games, said Dr. Lou Mazzoli, superintendent of the Ohio State School for the Blind.
The kids know each other, with many sharing transportation to and from school on buses and vans, he said.
Although the plan is to create a single campus, the instructional programs, serving distinctly different needs, would remain separate, Mazzoli said.
There may be some shared areas such as a cafeteria and gym, he said, adding that it would appear cost savings can be realized by combining such things as business offices, maintenance and food services.
"I would say it's going to happen," Mazzoli said, noting that the state has put up money to cover the cost of planning and design and is expected to pick up the construction tab.
No decision has been made on which school site will house the new facilities, though that issue could be resolved by the end of April, he said.
Both campuses are about 50 years old and the buildings no longer meet educational needs, Mazzoli said, adding that it's an opportunity to improve the educational programs for both schools.
Heubner doesn't buy the antiquated building argument. The School for the Deaf recently put 20 million in improvements into its school, he said.
"It's beautiful. I don't know why they want to tear it down."