EAST MOLINE - Moline Superintendent David Moyer held a closed-door meeting with his employees at the Black Hawk Area Education Center Thursday in East Moline.
The meeting discussed new information that could decide what the future is for his employees. In phone conversations, Moyer told News Eight that the Black Hawk Area Special Education District (BHASED) wants to privatize the Education Center to save money. The majority of the center's employees work for the Moline Public School District, but it is BHASED who oversees the center and would ultimately make a decision.
"We've been blind sided," Moline school teacher and Illinois Education Association member Shelly Rumler said. "We're being blind sided we feel like from both the district and BHASED."
About 90 Moline Public School employees work at the Education Center. As previously reported, the Moline School Board has already voted to withdraw from the Center starting in 2014. Now though, teachers and parents are worried about changes coming quicker than that.
"They teach them so much here," Rock Island parent Patricia Despain said. "They teach our great grand daughter how to be able to get along without assistants."
BHASED Director Mike Weger would not comment on the issue Thursday. Moline Public Schools plans on operating the facility through the 2013-2014 school year. No word on whether Weger has an outside company in mind.