News : Cuts likely as state leaders continue discussion of Iowa Braille School

In her “In the Statehouse” column today, Iowa House District 39 Rep. Dawn Pettengill shared the following information:

In Government Oversight, the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School presented the results of the Residential Study Committee and after hearing in January they had begun implementing the recommendations of the committee without the Legislature's approval. You can imagine, there were some pointed and critical questions for them.”

At that hearing, Pettengill said that the IBSSS has been “decimated.”

The hearing is one more step toward what many believe will be the complete elimination of the residential program.

There are five students in the residential program this year; 40 years ago, there were well over 100.

Braille School Superintendent Patrick Clancy told the committee he expects enrollment to decline even more.

Pettengill expressed concern for the loss of jobs, as well as the impact of the changes on visually impaired students and their families.

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

But Clancy told the committee that keeping the current program does not seem feasible or practical.

Pettengill said she will be offering more comments on the IBSSS issue in the near future.