Pennsylvania’s Scranton State School for the Deaf may close by the end of the year. Governor Ed Rendell is proposing to cut the entire $8 million that typically goes to the state-owned from next year’s budget. The governor's plan is to have the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf to pick up the slack. The Scranton Times quotes the president of the board of trustees as saying the move is “like a bomb being dropped” because they were not expecting the change. Students have put up signs that say "Save Our School!"
Residential and day service for deaf students may still be provided but some legislators and education officials are working to keep the school open. The Scranton State School for the Deaf employs 75 faculty and staff members and more than 100 students attend the school that was first founded in 1880.
