KSB summer program (followup)

The Courier-Journal reports here on the Kentucky School for the Blind's summer program, canceled for financial reasons. There's a glimmer of hope from Senator Shaughnessy, who attended the parent meeting and thinks there can be a way to restore funding.

I've just had two ideas on how it could be done:

• The federal stimulus includes major IDEA funding increases. Maybe dollars can't go directly to the School for the Blind because it isn't in a standard school district. If so, maybe school districts could receive the money, include the program in students' Individual Education Plans, and then pay KSB in an added step.

• The 2009 program could be paid for out of the 2009-10 budget. That's how ESS has worked for years, and it's a bad idea--but maybe better than no program at all.

My earlier post on the cancellation is here, but do read the CJ version. It's a case study of why bloggers like me will never replace "shoe-leather" journalists like Deborah Yetter.