Battle Over RIDE’s Role in Addressing Funding for Blind & Visually Impaired Students Escalates
Monday, April 19, 2021
Families and advocates for visually impaired students at the Sherlock Center are battling for permanent funding for services, after the Rhode Island Department of Education said it was now going to require the Center to bid for a contract.
Now, one State Representative is accusing RIDE Commissioner Angélica Infante Green of making "less than accurate statements" about the situation.
"When asked if she had met with the legislature [in a recent interview] she said yes," said Julie A. Casimiro (D-Dist. 31, North Kingstown, Exeter). "Well… that isn’t exactly an accurate statement. The news about the Sherlock Center broke in the media in early March."
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"Let’s be crystal clear – she never met with House Finance which is the usual process for needing money in the state budget. And, it was evident weeks ago there would be a problem with the Sherlock Center," Casimiro continued.
"I am fully confident that the Speaker will work with the Governor to fix the situation," she added. "However, how did it get this bad without the involvement of the Education Commissioner? Who at RIDE was responsible for this? Questions need to be answered and answered honestly!"
"I am truly grateful for the Speaker’s commitment to these blind and vision impaired children," said Casimiro. "I just wish that RIDE had this same commitment earlier in the process – not 5 weeks after the announcement when the truth came out to the public!
RIDE Responds
Infante-Green's spokesperson responded to the allegations.
"I think it's important to note that the Commissioner has mentioned when she was made aware of how families were notified by the Sherlock Center, who is the employer and provider, she was very upset," said RIDE spokesperson Emily Crowell.
In early March, students and parents were informed the current six-year contract with Sherlock, valued at approximately $684,600 for vision services, will end on June 30. The money comes from the federal government, through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). To comply with school contracts, RIC had to send layoff notices to the schools' specialty teachers and aides.
"RIDE is not the employer of these teachers and extended the contract one year when it was scheduled to end in June of 2020 to allow for this planning. The $600,000 (with a 5% increase in the extension year) is not and has never been enough to run this Center and no other dollars come from RIDE's agency budget," Crowell added. "There had been a line item in the state budget to help support districts pay for these services that was ultimately eliminated. The request for a line item is not a request for funding for RIDE."
"While the responsibility has always been with local education agencies (LEAs)/school districts to provide services to visually impaired students, RIDE had worked in past years to ensure that these services are Medicaid reimbursable to help with the cost of services," said Crowell. "Even if the line item were to be restored, it would not come to RIDE but rather provide supports to LEAs who are providing these services to their students. The request for proposals (RFP) for the master price agreement (MPA) for this service is still currently open and all vendors are able to apply!"
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