From Laura.Allran at ode.state.or.us Mon Jul 27 12:53:01 2009 From: Laura.Allran at ode.state.or.us (ALLRAN Laura) Date: Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:53:01 -0700 Subject: [SE-Dir] OSL&P: Oregon School for the Blind Employees Message-ID: TO: All District and ESD Special Education Directors The message below is being sent to you on behalf of: Nancy Latini, PhD Assistant Superintendent Student Learning & Partnerships ______________________________________________ July 27, 2009 RE: Oregon School for the Blind Employees I wanted to be sure you saw this message that went from Superintendent Castillo to all districts and ESDs about the School for the Blind. Nancy Latini, PhD Assistant Superintendent Oregon Department of Education Student Learning & Partnerships 503-947-5702 nancy.latini at state.or.us ________________________________ Oregon Department of Education Employee Services 255 Capitol Street NE July 23, 2009 Salem, OR 97310 TO: All School Districts and ESDs FROM: Deborah Lincoln, Director of Employee Services RE: Oregon School for the Blind Employees During the recent legislative session, the Legislature passed House Bill 2834, which closes the Oregon School for the Blind by September 1, 2009. Students at the school will be transitioning back to their home school districts for the 2009-2010 school year. Closure of the school provides the opportunity for school districts and ESDs who are in need of staff with significant experience in addressing the special education needs of students who are visually impaired. Several dozen experienced and highly qualified staff members at the Oregon School for the Blind are seeking employment in a school district that could make use of their unique skills. House Bill 2834 contained a provision to help the employees transition into other jobs. Section 4 (1) of House Bill 2834 states: "Except as otherwise provided by a collective bargaining agreement, a public employer shall give preference for a vacant position to an otherwise qualified person who worked for the Oregon School for the Blind." This provision expires on July 1, 2012. Many of your districts may have already been contacted by ODE staff about the availability of these experienced staff members. My human resources team is available to help facilitate communication between our employees and any entity that may be recruiting our OSB personnel. We have qualified personnel in the following areas: teachers, teaching assistants, dormitory counselors, cooks, food service workers, custodians, grounds maintenance workers, plumbers, carpenters, seamsters, administrators, LPNs, and other healthcare workers. We believe that these are some of the most skilled and dedicated employees in their respective fields that you will find in Oregon. Please do not hesitate to contact me by phone at 503-947-5885 or via e-mail at deborah.lincoln at state.or.us if have any questions or need any additional information or a list of interested OSB employees. If you have any difficulty viewing this document, please contact Laura Allran at laura.allran at state.or.us or 503-947-5674. Messages to and from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ===========End of Message============ ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Laura.Allran at ode.state.or.us Mon Jul 27 15:14:59 2009 From: Laura.Allran at ode.state.or.us (ALLRAN Laura) Date: Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:14:59 -0700 Subject: [SE-Dir] OSL&P: Services for Students who are Blind and Visually Impaired Message-ID: TO: All District and ESD Special Education Directors The message below is being sent to you on behalf of: Nancy Latini, PhD Assistant Superintendent Student Learning & Partnerships ______________________________________________ July 27, 2009 RE: Services for Students who are Blind and Visually Impaired This is the second message from Superintendent Castillo regarding student services for students transitioning from OSB. We are excited about our partnership with NWRESD in this effort. Nancy Latini, PhD Assistant Superintendent Oregon Department of Education Student Learning & Partnerships 503-947-5702 nancy.latini at state.or.us _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 27, 2009 TO: All School Superintendents, Principals, and School District Staff FR: Superintendent Susan Castillo RE: Naming of Northwest Regional ESD as Lead Regional Program to Coordinate Services to Blind and Visually Impaired Students per House Bill 2834 Governor Kulongoski recently signed House Bill 2834 into law, which closes the Oregon School for the Blind (OSB) by September 1, 2009. The bill contained several provisions that assign specific duties to state agencies such as the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS), and the Oregon Department of Administrative Services (DAS). These provisions are intended to provide a smooth transition for students as they return to their home school districts. House Bill 2834 also established the Blind and Visually Impaired Student Fund to assist all Oregon students who are blind or visually impaired and ensure they receive appropriate educational services in their local communities. The Legislature included an appropriation of $2,985,218. Specifically the fund can be used for (excerpt of HB 2834): SECTION 7(a) Assisting students who are blind or visually impaired in receiving appropriate resources and services, including educational services, in the communities where the students reside; (b) Supplementing funds available to regional programs authorized under ORS 343.236 (1)(a)(A) and (C) to ensure access to the expanded core curriculum for students who are blind or visually impaired; (c) Coordinating professional development of persons who provide educational services to students who are blind or visually impaired; (d) Providing technical assistance for the purpose of providing educational services to students who are blind or visually impaired; and (e) Coordinating activities for the benefit of students who are blind or visually impaired. The bill also requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to designate one lead Regional Program to provide statewide coordination of services supported by the Student Fund and to ensure a smooth transition for students who will be returning to local school districts. SECTION 11. (b) The superintendent shall designate one of the regional programs that provides special education to children who are blind or visually impaired to provide statewide coordination and technical assistance related to: (A) The provision of services described in section 7 (2) of this 2009 Act; and (B) The transition of students from the Oregon School for the Blind to the communities and school districts where the students will be located after the closure of the Oregon School for the Blind... I am writing today to inform you that I have designated the Northwest Regional Education Service District (NWRESD) to help carry out these provisions of House Bill 2834, effective immediately. I am very pleased that NWRESD has accepted this responsibility and look forward to a partnership that will benefit the students from the Oregon School for the Blind, students who are blind and visually impaired across Oregon, and their families. The staff at NWRESD has demonstrated a continuing commitment to ensuring high quality programs for students who are blind and visually impaired. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Eric Richards at ODE (503-947-5786 or eric.richards at state.or.us) or Joan Steiner at NWRESD (503-614-1275 or jsteiner at nwresd.k12.or.us). If you have any difficulty viewing this document, please contact Laura Allran at laura.allran at state.or.us or 503-947-5674. Messages to and from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ===========End of Message============ ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: