February 23, 2007
Legislator Kennedy Announces Public Hearing on Local Law Regarding School #84

Erie County Legislator Tim Kennedy recently announced that he will be holding a public hearing to discuss a Local Law before the Erie County Legislature that will begin the official process of entering School #84 into the State Reconstruction Project Itinerary. The meeting will be held on Thursday, March 8, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. in the legislative chambers on the 4th floor of Old County Hall, 92 Franklin Street, Buffalo, 14202.

Legislator Kennedy, who has championed this initiative, bringing it to the forefront and rallying the stakeholders to devise a resolution, called the meeting as a way to bring all stakeholders together to air the school's history, its present condition, and what the plans are for the school in the short and long term future. Those partnering in the effort to reconstruct School #84 include Michael Young, chief executive officer of ECMC; School Superintendent Dr. James Williams and the Buffalo Board of Education; the Erie County Executive and the Erie County Attorney; the Erie County Legislature; the Erie County Department of Public Works; and the Western New York State Delegation.

"All sides have worked in a collaborative effort forming a partnership, putting politics aside to find a resolution to this problem," said Kennedy. "This was a paramount step as we move forward to advocate for the school' s inclusion in the New York State Reconstruction Project budget. From here we will be reaching out to our partners in state government to ensure that this project continues to move forward as quickly as possible."

School #84 was originally left out of the NYS Reconstruction Project selection process because it did not fit into the cookie cutter guidelines that Albany required of the schools that were included. As other schools infrastructures' were being invested into and refurbished, School #84 was crumbling. The roof was leaking, pieces of concrete were falling off of the building, the windows were rotting, exposing dangerously sharp rusted holes in them. In addition, the computer room was closed for lack of internet access and updated equipment, the public announcement system was outdated and the rugs and wallpaper were falling apart. Furthermore, there were signs of cracking concrete on main support beams in the school.

All of this did not take away from the fact that it is the only school of its kind not only in Erie County, but in the entire state. One New York State Legislator who has committed himself to the issue is Assemblyman Mark J.F. Schroeder.

"Due to the Albany bureaucracy, School #84 stands today, just as it stood years ago, while other schools in the district were completely revamped," Schroeder stated, "Unfortunately School #84 was discriminated against because of its uniqueness as the only school of its kind in New York State which serves these children with special needs. I, along with Legislator Kennedy and all the stakeholders have made it a top priority to do what is necessary to move the process along."

The uniqueness of the school lies not only in the population it serves but also in how they serve that population. There is roughly a one to one faculty/teacher-student ratio at the school ensuring full attention to each child's needs for learning are met.

The diversity of disabilities and the specialized individual needs each child requires to learn puts them at a disadvantage in a regular classroom setting because of the lack of individualized attention; the very reason advocates for the school are opposed to any sort of mainstreaming proposal.

"These children have the ability to learn, but it is essential that we give them the resources and create an environment to ensure that we facilitate that process to the best of our abilities," said Kennedy, who has worked with the special needs population as an occupational therapist, "We owe it to them just as we owe it to every other child in our education system."

"My hat goes off to the wonderful faculty and staff of School #84 who have sacrificed so much to deliver the best education to their students, in spite of the declining condition of the school's physical structure."

For more information regarding School #84 and the upcoming public hearing, please contact Erie County Legislator Tim Kennedy's office at 824-6180.

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