WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

 

Minutes from Board of Trustees Meeting

March 13, 2014

Vancouver, Washington

 

 

Board Members Participating:  Denise Colley, Lorna Walsh, Jim Kemp, Ed Snook, Nancy McDaniel, Yang-su Cho and John Glenn.

 

Board Members Absent: Cindy Bennett and Steve Rainey.

 

Ex-Officio Members Participating: Berl Colley (Washington Council of the Blind), Doug Trimble (Teachers Association), and Denise Vestman (Parent Representative).

 

Ex-Officio Members Absent:  Scott Hone (Washington Federation of State Employees Local #1225) and Michael Freeman (National Federation of the Blind of Washington).

 

WSSB Staff Members Participating: Dr. Dean Stenehjem (Superintendent), Mary Sarate (Director of Business and Finance), Anne Baker (Human Resources Manager), Craig Meador (Director of Outreach), Hans Michielsen (Director of On-Campus), Lori Pulliam (Director of Transition Services), Rob Tracey (Facilities Manager), Emily Coleman (Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Outreach), and Janet Kurz (recording secretary).

 

March 13 – 6:00–8:15pm

Ed called the meeting to order at 6:00pm. 

 

Department Updates/Highlight (Education):

Rob Tracey, Buildings & Grounds:

*      A modular home will be placed between Hall and Clarke Cottages; the primary purpose of this will be housing for practicum students.  Ziegler Homes, a company in Woodland, Washington is a potential source where the home could be purchased.  The cost will be approximately $90,000 from start to finish.  The unit should be complete by the first of September. 

*      The roof/efis work bid on Old Main came in $20,000 less than budgeted.  Moss, dirt staining will be eliminated, in addition to re-caulking. 

*      The swimming pool liner issue is still being evaluated.  Rob met with a materials engineer to discuss the possibility of lining the pool with fiber glass.  A bid has not been obtained yet.  Work also needs to be done on the lane lines and depth markers.

*      Jim stated that the facilities look great, and that Rob and crew are doing an excellent job.

 

Hans Michielsen, Director of On Campus Programs

*      We are anticipating that we will have 12 graduates this year.

*      The Orientation & Mobility (O&M) part time position was not filled, therefore para pro time has been added to assist with this program under the direction of O&M staff.

*      A data collection system for expanded core is being tweaked to help provide more information that can be used by students, families and LEAs.

*      A new course catalog has not yet been developed (summer project).

*      Cross credits are also being explored, i.e. O&M and PE credits, summer camps earning credits.

*      Mr. Steve Lowry has done an excellent job in working with students who are on a vocational track. 

*      Mai Nguyen has been hired as the new English TVI for the 2014-2015 school year.  Mai was a former student who attended WSSB, and was originally from Vietnam.  Mai graduated magna cum lade and received her TVI endorsement in Arizona.  Mai then taught in Idaho; however her goal was to return to WSSB as a teacher.

*      The school psychologist position has not yet been filled.  WSSB is exploring the options of hiring someone with experience or hiring someone who is doing their practicum.  Dr. Stenehjem asked Anne to research if that position could be removed from the union so there are more salary range options.  Lorna asked how WSSB is handling the needs for a school psychologist.  Hans has his Ph.D. in psychology so he is handling the psychology needs. 

 

Craig Meador, Director of Outreach

*      Role of an Itinerant:  Emily Coleman reported that she visits 2-3 districts per day in her role as an Outreach-TVI.  Jim asked what districts she covers; Emily serves Medical Lake, Cheney, E. Valley, Colville, Deer Park, Davenport and a B-3 center.  Emily lives west of Spokane and is centrally located with those districts.  Ed asked how long she has been a TVI; Emily said this is her third year and she completed her program through Portland State University (PSU).  Emily also has an 8-year old blind child who is autistic.  Emily’s oldest student she serves is 16 and the youngest is 14 months old.

*      The Outreach O&M position for South Seattle has been filled.  The position already has a full contract.  This position was filled by an O&M practicum student that was working with one of WSSB’s O&M instructors.

*      Ed asked if our salaries in Outreach are commensurate statewide. Craig stated that Tacoma pays about $12,000 more per year; however WSSB offers a state car, technology, collegial support, professional development, etc.  Dr. Stenehjem stated in Washington, there is the LEAP schedule (statewide teacher salary schedule) which was intended to equalize pay in the state, however TRI dollars, which are supported by local mil levy dollars have caused huge disparity within the state from LEA to LEA, etc.  Districts have the ability to add days, pay for additional duties, etc.  WSSB is concerned about this disparity.

*      Craig stated the mean number for caseload for WSSB 16:1 for Outreach teachers.  The goal is that no teacher is contracted for more than 16 days per month; allowing time for time for assessments, office time, etc. 

*      John asked what percentage of service is direct and what is consultative; Craig has received the information but has not yet crunched the numbers.  Once he has this information, he will share with the board.

*      John asked Emily if she has braille users and if someone within the districts she serves can help augment her instruction.  Emily stated in Medical Lake she has three braille students who are secondary level; Emily has a certified braillist that works there and a para pro that knows braille, to help supplement her time. 

 

Lori Pulliam, Director of Transition Services

*      Lori reported that getting the residential staff functional braille skills has been a focus.  They are piloting the Hadley School for the Blind’s braille program.  Tess Scholl, Residential Life Dean is very creative in how she works with staff, i.e. games, sending notes in braille, apps, etc.  Periodic in-service training is being planned for after they receive the training.  Lori sees a lot of enthusiasm with her staff in this area.  Lori would like to add training in the area of assistive technology so they can stay current with what the students are using. 

*      Residential staff is continuing to work with students on their focused Daily Living Skills program.  A monthly theme is being utilized and they will make changes to the program as time goes on. 

*      The Learning Independence for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT) program is going well.  The improvements to the living area and kitchen area have proven to be very beneficial for all. 

*      Doug asked how many years the program has been running.  Lori stated it started in 2003-2004. 

*      Denise C. asked if there is any follow-up with students after they leave the program.  One of WSSB’s staff contacts students after they leave; Lori stated the version of success can vary as some students take time to get up to speed with their vocational plan.  Denise C. asked if there are many students who graduate from LIFTT who go on to the OTC; not a lot go onto OTC.  The two programs are very different with some overlap.  LIFTT is more habilitation rather than rehabilitation. Lori stated a Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) staff gave a report regarding how the OTC program is evolving and changing.  Lori plans to follow up with this person regarding alignment of programs. 

 

Anne Baker, Human Resources Manager

*      Anne stated several on-call positions have been filled.

*      Anne’s has attended two career fairs recently.  A new display board has been created and a lot of interest has been garnered.  WSSB is signed up to attend another career fair in April; Anne also plans to go to high schools to provide information to students as to this possible career path. 

*      Applications continue to come in for the Digital Research/Development Coordinator position.  WSSB will be interviewing for this position on March 26. 

*      A task force was created for the Birth-3 position.  A job description and posting have been created and the hope is to have the posting out at the end of March.  Lorna asked what kind of qualifications we are looking for.  Dr. Stenehjem stated the following would be beneficial:  experience in early childhood, TVI, leadership skills, training in leadership work with diverse type of programs and people, etc.  Lorna would like to forward the job posting to people she knows in Spokane. 

 

Mary Sarate, Director of Business and Finance

*      Mary has balanced all of WSSB’s general ledger accounts. 

*      Mary stated she received an email from the state auditor letting us know they will be beginning an audit the first week of April.  The audit will be focusing on private local funds for the time period of July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013. 

*      WSSB continues to have issues with the transition of our business office from the Department of Enterprise Services (DES).  DES held on to several claims that were almost two years old; therefore WSSB had to ask permission to expend approximately $10,000 (outside of the fiscal year).    

*      WSSB has been saving funds due to the inability to fill several positions.  82-85% of WSSB’s budget is salaries.  Ed asked if WSSB is in jeopardy with the audit when it comes to 19B funds.  Dr. Stenehjem stated we have a state law in place that allows us to have this fund.  Mary stated she has concerns regarding the 19B funds because of how it was handled through DES. 

*      Lorna asked about fiscal note requests.  Mary stated the latest one has to do with health care; the other has to do with adding two non-paid days to staff for religious or other non-paid days taken. 

 

Business Meeting:

*      Old Business:

o   Approval of minutes for January 15, 2014 Board of Trustees Meeting.  Jim moved to approve the minutes, Nancy seconded the motion.  The minutes passed unanimously.

 

*      New Business:

o   Review/Approve 2014-2015 School Year Calendar.  Lorna moved to approve the calendar; Jim seconded the motion.  The calendar was approved unanimously. 

 

Superintendent’s Report

Dr. Stenehjem reported the following:

*      WSSB continues to receive applicants from all over the United States for the Digital Research/ Development Coordinator position. WSSB plans to interview five applicants.  Lorna suggested having a person from Microsoft participate on the interview committee. 

*      The Ogden Resource Center (ORC) has been very busy and their program is expanding.  Over 600,000 pages of braille were produced last year.  One of the former women from WCCW was hired and works in the ORC.  This employee presented at the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) workshop last fall; she commented that the program changed her life. 

*      The ORC is also gearing up for the changes related to the Unified English Braille (UEB) code.  This will be a long process with January, 2016 being the transition date.  Each state is being transitioned in on a different timeline.  Lorna asked if people who know braille will have to re-learn.  Craig said a few rules are changing and several contractions are being changed. 

*      Ed asked how salary raises can be moved forward for TVI’s.  Dr. Stenehjem stated this needs to be addressed in the 2015-2017 legislative session.  WSSB has provided extra training days through 19B funds, however WSSB cannot count on these funds as they are generated through fee for service programs (Outreach, Oregon state student contracts, etc.).  Dr. Stenehjem will set up a meeting with Office of the Governor and Office of Financial Management to address this issue.  Jim thought Yakima has 17 TRI days for their staff.  Dr. Stenehjem would like to see the concept of TRI go by the way side and make adjustments to the LEAP schedule to once again balance pay for teachers throughout the state at a nationally competitive salary.  

*      Dr. Stenehjem was frustrated that through the budget request process, two positions were not funded that he felt should be covered by Basic Education.  WSSB is utilizing private local funds to cover these positions (teacher’s aide for a medically fragile student and a teacher’s aide for a deaf/blind student).  Dr. Stenehjem feels the state should fund these positions under Basic Ed. 

*      Denise V. asked about Hans’ title, Principal/Director of On-Campus programs.  Hans’ position is Dir. of On-Campus, because he covers more area than Principal. However, Principal would be a more common working title to the general public.

*      Dr. Stenehjem stated WSSB is still waiting to hear which applicant will be chosen for the Board of Trustees for Congressional District 3 (there are three applicants and we are waiting for the Governor’s office to make a decision).  Currently, there are no applications for Congressional District 9 that we are aware of at this time.

*      Sherry Hahn and Robin Lowell are in Barcelona, Spain for the Microsoft Partners in Learning program.  Dr. Stenehjem received an email from Sherry stating that 97 countries are represented; with 260 people that were chosen from 23,000 applicants.

 

Ex-Officio’s Reports

·         Washington Council of the Blind (WCB) – Berl Colley

o   WCB members went to DC for legislative training and mid-year activities; they dealt with some issues established at the national organization level. 

o   The WCB database is being worked on. 

o   WCB leader training will be held the first part of May. 

o   WSB’s national convention will be in July in Las Vegas and their Fall state convention will be held in Tacoma.

·         Teachers – Doug Trimble

o   Teachers on campus have had an exciting year; Doug feels Sean and Hans are doing a great job. 

o   There have been a lot of opportunities for Professional Development this year. 

o   Mr. Steve Lowry, WSSB transition TVI attended the AFB leadership conference in New York regarding transition. 

o   WSSB’s Career Fair was held last week and was a huge success.  Doug wanted to thank DSB for providing/paying for the lunch. 

o   WSSB’s Science camp (Camp Magruder) will be held in April, 2014.   

·         Parent Representative – Denise Vestman

o   Denise spent the day on campus; her son is graduating in June and she wanted to see what he can do vs. what he does at home on the weekends. 

o   Denise stated the grounds are gorgeous. 

o   Denise visited Mrs. Johnson’s art class and reported that the students have built Muppet puppets and they are very impressive.  Denise feels they should be put on the Facebook and displayed during the spring music program. 

o   Denise met with Mr. Lowry regarding transition options for her son, and felt they had a great conversation. 

o   Recently, Denise attended a transition fair at the Microsoft campus; they had every employment vendor in the state; four seminars, etc.  They held one seminar titled “what happens when the yellow school bus doesn’t come anymore”.  Denise feels that the transition plans for multi-disabled students needs to be more in place. 

o   Denise feels the energy at the school is great. 

 

Committee Reports

·         Education Committee (Chair-Hans, Cindy, Denise C., Doug, Yang-su, John)

o   John is interested in seeing where the kids are at with technology, i.e. Window Eyes (free program).  John is very impressed with our student’s technology levels.  Dr. Stenehjem reported that the NVDA is a new screen reader program (free) and feels that students should be using this software.  Yang-su stated they still utilize JAWS and that the same key strokes can be used for JAWS, NVDA and Window Eyes.  Berl asked if there are any movements in going towards Apple; Dr. Stenehjem stated different technology works for different people.  Berl stated one advantage is that when purchasing Apple, it is ready to go in the box (accessibility).  Yang-su stated a lot of people in his department want to purchase Apple products. 

 

·         Buildings and Grounds Committee (Chair-Berl, Jim)

o   Berl stated things look great on campus. Jim did a walk of the campus and felt all looks very well.

 

·         Management Committee (Chair-Lorna, Ed, Denise C.)

o   Lorna stated the management committee may be busy in the upcoming months (Dr. Stenehjem’s annual evaluation, looking into salary schedules, etc.).

 

·         Legislative Committee (Chair-Denise C., Lorna, Berl, Michael)

o   Denise C. felt it would be a good idea to start initiating some calls to discuss some of the issues regarding teacher salaries, etc.  Dr. Stenehjem feels the legislative committee may get busy depending on the results of the Strategic Plan session which will be held on Friday, March 14.

 

The regular business meeting adjourned at 8:15pm.

 

Executive Session

An executive session was called to order.

 

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:30pm.  The next Board meeting will be held via conference call on May 1, 2014 at 7:30pm.     

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Ed Snook, Chair                                                                                 Dean O. Stenehjem, Ed.D., Superintendent

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Board Reports – March 2014

 

Outreach

Spring has begun in earnest as the requests for evaluations and assessments have doubled since January.  We’ve had districts on a waiting list since mid-February and expect that this will continue until early April.  While this is not atypical, our delay in response time is.  This is due to increasing demand for services throughout the state and especially in the greater Seattle area. 

 

On the forefront is that it appears that Seattle area ESD and Seattle area Birth-3 centers will be looking to hire full time teachers.  This is a great victory for students and I would like to think that our continued involvement with these programs has helped this along.  I am hoping they are successful in their recruitment and have offered our services to help them in this process.  I will be hosting a recruiting table at the California Transcribers and Educators of the Blind and Visually Impaired (CTEBVI) conference in April.  I have offered to push district positions for the upcoming and current school year.

 

In our world of Outreach we are in the interview process for an Orientation & Mobility (O&M) position in the Seattle/Tacoma area.  This word leaked out and we have already have request for a full contract of services. 

 

Smarter Balance Troubleshooting:  I recently met with the OSPI team on Smarter Balance.  Washington had launched the SBAC field test program for 1/3 of all Washington students; this created a great concern as we move into testing season.  The accommodations had been included in the test but the devices and training had not been provided by OSPI to the staff working with visually impaired students.  Due to this oversight, it was determined that students with visual impairments would be offered the traditional MSP or HSPE assessment this year while the state prepares for next year.  WSSB/WSDS will be taking the lead on this training process and will schedule training during the summer months.

 

Recent and upcoming workshops:

*      January:  WSSB/WSDS hosted a Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) follow up workshop attended by 40+ participants. 

*      February:  WSSB and the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) teamed up to have Dr. Dianne Wormsley present her “I M ABLE” workshop.  This functional approach to Braille Literacy was a sold out workshop of 47 participants.  It was a highly energetic and well received event.

*      March:  Philip Schweigert will be presenting on the Communication Matrix which is a tool for beginning literacy with multiply involved students.  Currently we have 45 participants registered.

*      May:  Lilly Smith, a leader in the field of communication and programming with blind students will present at WSSB in May.  We expect a full house for this two-day event

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Digital/Distance Learning

So it is off to Spain for Robin Lowell (WSSB’s Math Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI)) and me. We have been working hard on our presentation for this competition and feel honored that Microsoft invited us back for a second time. This year we are competing against 250 projects worldwide – not at all intimidating.  As a component we had to have a new project and this year we added Yammer, Microsoft’s version of social networking. So how does that fit into a math class?

 

Within the context of core knowledge instruction, students must also learn the essential skills for success in today’s world. We have implemented the social networking program, Yammer, into our math classes to enhance collaboration, communication, critical thinking, problem solving and overall student engagement. Because 67% of blind and visually impaired (BVI) adults in the United States are unemployed our short term goal is increasing engagement in math but our long term goal is to give students skills for life beyond high school.

 

Our students have big dreams, and we are here to help them reach their goals. By using mainstream business technologies we are giving the students the tools and skills they need to help them be successful beyond high school.

 

Our distance learning classes are conducted using Microsoft Lync in real time during the school day, but Yammer extends that to after school and on weekends. Students have access, on demand from anywhere 24/7, changing the culture of the classroom and mirroring life in the professional world.

Yammer’s multi-dimensional abilities, allows us to have persistent and real-time chats, postings, announcements, and public/private messages. In addition, it also serves as the classroom knowledge base, and can easily be posted to and accessed by teachers, students, and teaching assistants.  

Social networking is a medium that every student is already familiar with.  Businesses are using social media to enhance communication in the work place. Yammer is also highly accessible to BVI users, due in large part to Microsoft’s commitment to accessibility in their products.  But, why social networking in a math class? We have seen an immediate impact on our classes. Math is one of the most challenging subjects to teach as students do not always see the relevance to their daily lives. If we can get students more engaged in the class via a tool like Yammer, then chances are they will retain more information, and perform better. Regardless of what career our students choose, they will need the math skills they learn in our classes. With the dynamic abilities of both Yammer and Lync, we enhance our content with Ted Talks, professional speakers, discussions, field trips (real and virtual) and small group work. These authentic opportunities are key in creating a connection between math and real-world occupations. Students learn collaboration and professional communication in authentic situations through Yammer and Lync.

 

Our classroom environment is highly personalized, encourages communication, and is built upon empathy. We are focused on teaching the whole student, not just the academic subject. Students are learning to take charge of their own learning creating an experience that best fits their lives and needs.

In addition, our classes are collaborating directly with the Yammer accessibility and education teams to give input concerning accessibility and K-12 usage of the product. This gives our students an opportunity to self-advocate and collaborate on a real-world project with Microsoft, and now they see they can affect change.

 

As agents of change we have created a 21st Century math class that celebrates the whole student by weaving together core academics, critical thinking, and career skills.

 

So this is how we are explaining our project to the world. No matter the outcome we are already the winners by just being a part of the WSSB family.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

On Campus

Enrollment

Current school enrollment is 57 students, with ten additional slots in the LIFTT program.  Seventeen students participate in the on-line program.  We have twenty new students.  Ten of our students attend one or more classes at Hudson’s Bay High School, while two students attend Clark Community College.  It is expected that an additional five to seven students will enroll before the end of the school year bringing total expected enrollment for 2013/2014 to 75 to 77. 

 

New Enrollment

We have instituted some new procedures to address new referrals. Part of that is that all enrollment information is digitized and accessible on the shared drive to all members of the admissions review committee.

 

O&M

Due to the new student additions, we are running short of O&M slots.  We had posted for an additional part-time O&M, but were not successful.  We were able to hire some additional paraprofessional time to assist in dealing with the added workload.

 

Expanded Core

We have started work on a more comprehensive data collections system for expanded core topics.  Our current grading system (Skyward) is not very conducive to collection of expanded core data.  Options considered include use of an iPad application that could be used by education staff and resident life alike.  Our main expanded core teachers have revamped their classroom to better meet the needs of our students.

 

Common Core

Our school, like many other schools for the blind and visually impaired, does not currently have a course catalog.  It is imperative that we develop one by the start of the 2014-2015 school year to be able to be accountable for students’ progress toward the common core standards.  We are now in the process of eliminating course codes that are no longer used and to bring existing course codes in line with State Course coded.

 

Job Placements

Our transition coordinator has done a tremendous job developing job placements for our students in the community and on campus.  Our student store is now open on a regular basis and discussion with DSB has taken place to make the student store an OJT placement with possible expansion to the campus of Clark College.  Additional placements include the “Paper Tiger,” the Clark County Courthouse, The Vancouver Pie Company and the Habitat for Humanity Restore Store.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Residential

 

Updates:

Daily Living Skills (DLS) Training: As reported last quarter, we are creating and teaching an enriched DLS program that goes beyond DLS skills on students IEP’s. All residential students participate and day students are encouraged to participate as is appropriate or of interest to them. There is a general theme for the month and activities are created and presented at levels that meet the needs of the students in each cottage, based on gender and age/ability.

 

Following the “Entertaining” unit in December, which culminated in the students planning and hosting a party for the staff, January brought the cleaning theme. Students learned household cleaning skills that go beyond their weekly cottage cleaning requirements.

 

February was Organizational Skills and Time Management where students learned about how they spend their time, ways to be more efficient and organized, using various types of calendars and trip planning.

 

March will bring Hygiene month, followed by Kitchen Skills in April, and then in May, You and Your Community.

 

Staff form committees to plan each month’s activities. Tess Scholl, the Residential Life Dean is heading up this new program and is doing a wonderful job.

 

Residential Staff are all working toward Braille competency, most through the Hadley School for the Blind courses. Others are taking the course through WSSB. We have had two Residential Life Counselor’s (RLC’s) pass the BLUE, and two more that are close. Kudos to our staff.

 

All RLC’s are keeping current with other requirements for safety training.

 

A big commendation goes to Tess Scholl who uses her superpowers of organization and creativity, and keeps us all caught up, moving forward, and making sure the students have the best prepared staff possible to work with.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Business Office

2013-15 Operating Budget

*      We closed the month of January with a positive variance of 2.6% in general fund-state and a 39% surplus in 19B not including carry over balance from last year.  Our GFS surplus, in part, is due to unfilled positions.  We will be reviewing next year’s allotments and making adjustments for FY15. 

 

2014 Supplemental Budget

*      The House committee has passed the 2014 Supplemental.  They did not recommend funding for two of the four decision packages; the two that were asking for funding to hire personnel to work with a medically fragile student and a one-on-one interpreter for a deaf/blind student.  The other two packages; one for 6 FTEs and the other increasing our 19B spending authority to $2.02 million per year passed the House Committee.

*      We have also been responding to various Fiscal Note requests from the legislature.

 

DES Transition

*      We continue to work with DES on some residual processing.  We are still working on balancing a few general ledgers.  We are so very, very close; with that piece, at least.  It has certainly taken longer than we would have liked but we continue to make progress.  It’s a little more time consuming when you have to do the day-to-day work while trying to review/correct as you go; and in addition, re-establishing processes and procedures that had been abandoned.

*      With the creation of 19B fund, came some processing issues.  We have made some changes in processing to streamline and reduce room for error; in addition to eliminating duplication of effort and redundancy.  The next major step is reviewing our allotments for FY14 and making the required adjustments.  This is the second half to determining where we are financially. 

 

Training

*      Another time consumer is training.  Since we have to travel to Olympia for training, staff is out for the day whether it is a full day training or half day.  Dr. Stenehjem continues to advocate for Olympia to jump on board the distance learning train.

 

 Performance Measures

*      Performance measures for quarter ending March 31, 2014 will be due April 22.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Human Resources

New Hires:  

·         English Teacher (on-campus) – Mai Nguyen (Fall 2014)

·         Administrative Assistant 3 (ORC) – Justin Raner – promotion

·         Warehouse Worker 1 – Mitchell Hughes

·         On-call Cook – Melody Pettingill

·         On-call Custodian –Michelle Saddoris and Nathan Gruenberg

·         On- Call Instructional & Classroom Support Tech 1 – Jenna Boyle and Cindy Lowry

 

Open Recruitments:

·         Digital Research and Development Coordinator

·         School Psychologist

·         TVI – Outreach (North Seattle Area)

 

Trainings Attended:

·         Organizational Management,  sponsored by Department of Enterprise Services

·         Investigator Training, sponsored by Department of Enterprise Services

·         HR Manager’s Meeting, facilitated by Lee Strehlow, Department of Retired Systems

·         Tools and Technologies for School Emergency Response, co-hosted with the US Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate’s First Responders Group (FRG)

 

Misc:

·         Hiring Event – Sponsored by WorkSource – Coordinates with the Veteran’s Stand-Down.  WSSB was one of 60 vendors representing both public and private sectors.

·         All major’s Career Fair – Portland State University.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Ogden Resource Center (ORC)

Staffing Changes

The Administrative Assistant 3 position, left vacant by Donna Martino’s November 30 retirement, has been filled. Justin Raner, formerly our Warehouse Operator 2 moved into the position January 1. He knows all of the American Print House for the Blind (APH) products and procedures for supplying the students in the state with the accessible instructional media they need. His previous job experiences before coming to the ORC and his current knowledge have prepared him well for this transition.

 

Mitch Hughes began working in the ORC this fall as an On-Call Warehouse Worker where he helped us receive, repackage and put inventory back on the shelves. February 1, he became a permanent employee. With his previous experience in shipping, receiving and database inventory systems he hit the ground running!

 

Semi-Annual Statistics

·         2846 Accessible Instructional Media (AIM) Items shipped to

·         152 School Districts and Agencies

·         556 BVI students received at least one AIM

·         46 New Large Print titles added

·         68 Large Print Reproductions

·         679 Braille transcription jobs received and delivered 100% on-time

o   31 New Braille book titles transcribed

o   Washington & Georgia State Assessments

o   Many college level mathematics materials

 

WCCW Braille Program

Our Correctional Industries (CI) Braille Supervisor, Rick Flores, has been promoted to a new position, effective February 28, 2013. We anxiously wait while the position is posted, filled and trained. In the meantime, the transcription continues!

               

All 16 women are NLS Literary Certified Transcribers. In addition to their NLS Literary:

·         6 are Nemeth (math & science)

·         2 are certified proofreaders

·         3 are associate of music certified

·         1 has a NBA Textbook Formats certificate

 

In the past 6 months

·         Transcribed 58,220 original braille pages

·         Created 8,887 tactile graphic pages

 

APH Census

We have begun the first phase or the Annual APH Census.  Preliminary numbers show the following:

·         1567 Total Students registered for services with the ORC

·         1172  Meet the Definition or Function at the Definition of Blindness (quota eligible)

 

The results of last year’s Census resulted in 1577 total students with 935 that qualified as MDB or FDB, resulting in annual quota dollars of $295,919 for our state.

 

Future Planning

Braille Authority of North America (BANA) has voted to adopt the Unified English Braille (UEB) code, which most English speaking countries world-wide have adopted. For the United States, we have a lot of work to do in preparation to transition to UEB. Each state must have a plan for implementation.

 

The ORC plans to take the lead in organizing the committee consisting of representatives of National Federation of the Blind (NFB) of WA, Washington Council of the Blind (WCB), AER, WSSB and OSPI to lay out a plan for implementation and training. Changes to the WAC and testing requirements must be addressed. Much of Washington’s plan is dependent on when NLS has new code books published and APH has revised Building on Patterns and other braille related products.

 

In preparation of the braille code changes, ORC staff will be attending CTEBVI and NBA workshops pertaining to the new code changes. With the information gathered at the conferences, ORC staff will prepare workshops for vision professionals in our state.

                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Buildings and Grounds

Capital:

*      We have met several more times with the state Job Order Contractor regarding the efis staining and metal flashing on the exterior of Old Main. After reviewing the situation with a sheet metal contractor, it was agreed that the scope of work would include removing and re-caulking the top flashing adding a drip edge to the lower point and cleaning the existing stained areas. Work should be ready to begin when school is out for the summer.

 

Campus:

*      We are putting the finishing touches on the bid requirements for purchase and placement of a student teachers cottage. This will be a three bedroom manufactured home that will be located on the unused basketball court between Clarke and Hall Cottages. This will allow us to offer housing to practicum students working on their TVI certification and hopefully give us a better advantage at recruiting additional teachers for Washington.

*      With the help of Anne Baker, we have been reworking the Continuation of Operations Plan (COOP). This is a guide to follow in the event of an emergency or disaster as to how we will continue to meet the requirements of the agency should a catastrophic event take place.

*      We have been researching how best to handle the swimming pool liner and rust problem. Recently we received a quote from a company based in Ellensburg to spray the gutter with a urethane sealant similar to the bed liner material used in trucks. It has also been recommended that we consider pulling the liner and using a fiberglass spray method to recoat the entire surface. Both ideas would allow for a seamless transition from the gutter to the pool and thus eliminate any water migration issues. This project is currently on hold until we know what the final costs will be for phone system replacement, efis rework and modular house purchase.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Superintendent

Funding:

Partnerships/State Appropriation:   

I want to emphasize how important the diversification of services has been over the years.  Expansion of needed services since 1990 have mostly been accomplished through what is called private/local funds (which are made up of fees for services, out-of-state tuitions, partnership funds with other agencies/ organizations, grants, federal funds and gifts and donations).  Without these partnerships the following services which provide services to approximately 2,000 students and professionals and over 600,000 transcribed braille pages would not be in place [e.g. Outreach services to local school districts, Instructional Resource Center, Braille Access Center, Birth to 3 services, which will be going into place by this fall, Components of Online Learning, just about all of the in-services that provides training to up to 300 Teachers, paraprofessionals and others working with BVI students, summer school programs for many years and outdoor school, and numerous other functions to many to mention].  I want to provide some emphasis on this because I believe it is important for the Board to realize that a growing part of the services that WSSB provides each year have not been supported by direct state appropriation.  Sustainable systems have been put in place and have proven to be responsive and high quality in meeting student’s needs, but I believe it is time for the state to step up and provide additional support under the current supreme court ruling of McCleary Decision on fully funding Basic Education when it comes to students attending WSSB.  In accordance with two Judge Doran decisions that state: Basic Education for students in Special Education is determined by the IEP.  As of this time, WSSB has not received additional funding due to the Supreme Court Ruling and I believe we have needs tied to the IEP that should have been funded under provisions of “Basic Education” (i.e. recent requests for two para-professional positions that are needed in order for two students to access “Basic Education” (a deaf-blind student in need of a one-one interpreter/intervener, and a medically fragile student needing a one-on-one).  These were requested during the 2014 legislative session and did not move forward.  Sometimes I feel that the entrepreneurial spirit of figuring out how to make things work without direct appropriation has actually hindered us at times, because we have been able to pull together resources.   However, those resources that we pull from are often those that are needed to support students, families, and training that would not be covered under “Basic Education”. This does not mean that WSSB is going to stop being creative and stop forming important partnerships, but at times we almost feel like we are penalized for doing the right thing and being creative. This is very frustrating and I think it is important to you has a board to be aware of this.

 

Private Local Funds:   

About three years ago, staff at the Office of Financial Management (OFM) worked with us in getting a minor change in state law which allowed us to carry forward private local funds from one fiscal year to the next.  This was a tremendous game changer in allowing us to be more efficient with our limited funds, which has resulted in the ability to provide more services in a timely manner.

 

Modular Home: 

WSSB will be installing a modular house on campus, which hopefully will be in place by next fall.  This is being funded by those “private local” funds and will provide housing for student teachers from throughout the U.S. and foreign countries.  We have discussed in past board meetings the concern with the huge shortage of trained TVI’s and O&M instructors and we believe this will give us one more recruiting tool to use in attracting student teachers.  Once we get individuals to the N.W. we can often keep individuals to help meet WSSB program needs and the needs of local school districts throughout our state.  

 

Teacher salaries:

Please note however, that the state of Washington and WSSB is going to have to do something with teacher salaries to be more competitive on a national basis. In years past Washington was more competitive and has lost that edge.  Once again through private local funds we plan on adding additional days to teacher’s schedules for training in an attempt to help make salaries a little more competitive.  However, something will need to happen at the state level in the near future if we are to once again be competitive on a national basis.

 

TPEP – Teacher, Principal Evaluation Program:

WSSB is on board with changes in state law that mandates a change in how teachers and principals are evaluated.   Our teachers have chosen the “Danielson Model” which was one of three approved models and 5 teachers are involved with the new model this year, with the goal of all teachers being on the model over the next 2 ½ years.  Administrative staff,  Craig Meador, Director of Outreach, Hans Michielsen, Director of On-Campus Programs/Principal, Sean McCormick, Associate Principal, and I have received training on the principal evaluation process and will continue to receive support from an individual assigned to WSSB through funding from OSPI to the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA).   Principal evaluations on the new system will begin next year.

 

Staffing changes: 

·         School Psychologist:  This position is still unfilled and we are hoping to fill it through a paid internship which would begin next fall. WSSB would qualify to have a paid intern since Dr. Michielsen has his doctoral degree in School Psychology and could provide oversight.

·         Birth to Three (Early Intervention State Coordinator):  This would be a new position that will begin the fall of 2014. A task force made up of individuals from:  OSPI/WSDS, Department of Services for the Blind (DSB), Department of Early Learning (DEL), Department of Health (DOH), Deaf/Blind Services and WSSB has been meeting since last fall to help determine how we can improve services to families of young BVI students.  As a result of the work the task force has done, WSSB will be hiring a B-3 Coordinator that will work with the above partners in helping to guarantee that appropriate services and training occurs for this population of students.   The first year will be spent surveying the total needs and providing training to improve services.  We know this will take active involvement from all parties and the coordinator will attempt to do this. Our goal would be to start this out with private local funds and request funding during the next biennium.

·         Digital Learning/Research Coordinator:  WSSB will begin interviews for this important position the end of March, 2014. This position is not a new position, but being filled to replace Sherry Hahn who will be retiring the end of this school year.  At this time it appears that we have some good candidates and we are looking forward to this new person to help build upon the work that Sherry and done over the years and open up more options for learning for students, families and those working with the blind.

 

Future Planning Workshop:

On March 14, WSSB will be conducting a future planning workshop where by stakeholders from throughout the state will be asked to help WSSB set direction for the next 5-7 years.  The information gathered from this session will be used to help tweak and rebuild our strategic plan, which will become a driver for the 2015-2017 biennium.