Glen Ellyn's Rock Center for deaf and blind faces imminent closure
The state's only school for the deaf and blind will run out of money next week if the state does not come through with the roughly $1 million it owes the school, officials say.
Peggy Whitlow, chief administrator at the Philip J. Rock Center and School in Glen Ellyn, said Thursday that she continues to pursue loans, but by the middle of next week she will not be able to pay her staff.
Although Whitlow stopped short of saying the school will close, she did say she worried about the facility's future.
"It's an extreme emergency," she said. "We're in a crisis and will no longer be able to pay staff after next Wednesday. And it's a residential facility. I cannot take care of the kids without the staff."
The deadline comes three months after officials borrowed money to make payroll from April through this month. However, that money is about to run out.
"It puts the children, the school and myself in a very bad situation and an awkward situation," Whitlow said. "It's unfair to those families. They don't know what is going to happen to their children. They have enough challenges just getting through each day and dealing with their issues. They don't need this looming over their head."
The 24-hour residential facility, northeast of Route 53 and Roosevelt Road, works with 15 students 5 to 21 who are both deaf and blind.
They are taught life skills that range from learning how to read Braille to walking and eating.
With an annual budget of $3 million, Whitlow said a payment of a Feb. 1 voucher could keep the facility open another six weeks. As the state seeks to secure $1.3 billion in short-term loans, Whitlow said her facility has been pegged as one of the beneficiaries. The loans would cover, among other things, past due vouchers sent forward by the state board of education through Feb. 5.
A call to Gov. Pat Quinn's Office of Management and Budget was not immediately returned Wednesday.
Illinois State Board of Education spokeswoman Mary Fergus said the situation continues to weigh on state officials.
"We've been very concerned about all of our districts and the entities that are waiting for funds from the state," she said. "We get calls weekly from districts that were waiting for these funds. You never want to see programs closing or cuts to classrooms or cuts to education."
A major concern has been little to no direction from the state, said Gary Ofisher, director of operations for Keeneyville Elementary School District 20. Keeneyville serves as the Rock Center's fiscal agent.
"We cannot keep taking care of the kids without any state revenue," he said, "and the state has been in no communication whatsoever. We have to deal with what we have to deal with. But we can't issue payroll with no money."
Ofisher said the school will likely close if no payments are forthcoming. Although the center has met its last two payroll dates with borrowed money, the state's financial crisis makes it more difficult to secure loans.
"What shocks me is total lack of communication and lack of honesty," he said. "The state's in terrible condition, but hiding under a rock doesn't solve any problems. I feel sorry for the kids. That's where my real anger comes from."
As the board of education blames the comptroller and the comptroller blames the General Assembly for lack of payment, Ofisher said the students are the ones who ultimately suffer.
"We're going to have to send them home," he said. "These are the most hard-hit children. They can't fend for themselves. What's wrong with our state? This is insane."