WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

 

Minutes from Board of Trustees Meeting Conference Call

January 15, 2014

 

 

Board Members Participating:  Ed Snook, Cindy Bennett, Denise Colley, Nancy McDaniel, Jim Kemp and Yang-su Cho.

 

Board Members Absent:  John Glenn, Steve Rainey and Lorna Walsh.

 

Ex-Officio Members Participating: Michael Freeman (National Federation of the Blind of Washington), Berl Colley (Washington Council of the Blind) and Doug Trimble (WSSB Teachers Association).

 

Ex-Officio Members Absent:  Denise Vestman (Parent Representative) and Scott Hone (Washington Federation of State Employees Local #1225)

 

Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB) Staff Members Participating:  Dr. Dean Stenehjem (Superintendent) and Janet Kurz (recording secretary).

 

January 15, 2014 – 7:30 pm

Ed called the meeting to order at 7:30pm. 

 

Business Meeting

Old Business

*      Approve board meeting minutes of November 14-15, 2013. 

o   Jim moved to approve the meeting minutes as submitted.  Jim also seconded the motion.  The minutes were approved unanimously.

 

New Business

*      Superintendent’s Report.  Dr. Stenehjem reviewed his report that was emailed to the Board.  Discussion was held regarding:

o   Ed asked if there was any progress on the School Psychologist position.  Dr. Stenehjem stated that School Psychologists are very difficult to locate; WSSB has contacted universities and colleges in the area and has offered to pay an intern this fall with the intent of training them in the field of blind and visually impaired (BVI) education.  WSSB is able to do this because our Principal, Hans Michielsen also has his Ph.D. in Psychology.  WSSB believes it will be important to help home-grow this position so the school has a solid person that can also receive training on education of the blind and visually impaired (BVI) in order to meet the on-campus needs and serve as a consultant to school psychologists from throughout the Pacific Northwest.

o   Sherry Hahn, Digital Learning and Research Development Coordinator is retiring at the end of June and her position will be posted very soon.  Candidates with experience in curriculum and accessible online learning will be sought.  Cindy asked if ideally candidates will have experience in both education and IT?  Dr. Stenehjem said both would be ideal however he is not sure if we will find someone with that type of background. If the Board has ideas of where this position can be posted, i.e. university programs, blind consumer groups, etc. send him a message.  WSSB will make sure the posting is well circulated in trying to reach the best candidates.

o   This year, a vacancy is being filled on an interim basis for an English Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) due to staff changes last fall.  This position needs to be filled by a teacher that meets federal definition as highly qualified in this specific discipline. Interviews have been held and WSSB feels it has a great candidate.  More information will be shared soon.

o   Outreach positions also being sought are TVI’s and Orientation & Mobility (O&M) Instructors for both WSSB and school districts in Washington. 

o   Dr. Stenehjem stated Dr. Jim Bickford from Portland State University (PSU) is retiring this year.  Dr. Stenehjem will be meeting with staff from PSU to review applicants for his replacement.  Mike asked if the position is closed.  Dr. Stenehjem stated the position was posted last fall throughout the country and currently there are seven applicants.  Ed stated there was some concern regarding the program continuing; Dr. Stenehjem stated it appears that PSU is committed to this program continuing and they have posted the position as a tenure track position. PSU has been turning out about 20 TVI’s every two years, however even with this turnout it is not keeping up with the current demand due to TVI retirements, and need to hire additional teachers.  Craig Meador, Director of Outreach has been meeting with several Universities (Eastern, Central, WSU-V, and Western) to look at starting a TVI program or being able to offer courses through an adjunct professor to keep things going.  Unfortunately, this is not a fast moving process; however there does seem to be some interest.

o   Birth-3: Several meetings have been held with Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) and Washington Sensory Disability Services (WSDS) regarding Birth-3 services. There is complete agreement that Birth-3 services for BVI children/families need huge amount of work in our state as currently Washington has somewhat of a patchwork system.  Last fall it was stated by other agencies that one agency needs to take the lead in this important area. WSSB is in a position, due to the availability of some private/local funds, to be able to hire a Birth-3 Coordinator.  Dr. Stenehjem also met with Director of the Department of Early Learning and they would like to move forward on this important initiative. Denise C. asked what components this position would have; Dr. Stenehjem stated every county in Washington operates differently so part of this would be pulling all of the information together to determine demographics, students, students being served, in addition to providing training, etc.  This person would focus on locating gaps in service delivery and make recommendations in filling these gaps (much like what we have successfully done in the area of K-12 education through outreach services).  Nancy asked where this person would be based.  Dr. Stenehjem stated this person would be a WSSB staff working in coordination with a number of state agencies and organizations and physical location could be at WSSB, but WSSB is flexible based upon finding the right person with the right skills. A draft of the job description will be developed after a B-3 meeting on January 21 with stakeholders from various state agencies. 

 

*      Budget Status:

o   Dr. Stenehjem stated WSSB submitted four Supplemental Budget requests and only two of the requests moved forward (details are listed below in the Superintendent’s report).  The two requests that did not move forward were an interpreter/intervener for a Deaf/Blind student and also a one-on-one teacher’s aide for a medically fragile student.  Both students are anticipated to stay at WSSB for the next 3-6 years.  Both positions are paramount in students being able to access Basic Education. Dr. Stenehjem feels that WSSB is a victim of our own success as we are generating a fair amount of private/local funds at this time.  If Olympia is looking at those funds it can appear WSSB doesn’t need funding to provide those positions; Dr. Stenehjem stated that in local school districts, mill levy dollars are not supposed to be used to Basic Education for students,  and he feels private/local funds are similar to mill levy dollars. The funds that WSSB has generated need to be viewed as one time funding sources without any guarantee of these funds being available in the future.  Dr. Stenehjem will be meeting with the Office of Financial Management (OFM) in Olympia to discuss this in more detail next week.  WSSB would like to know how we as a school could have done a better job of preparing these two decision packages, which to us seem to fall under the protection for students as "Basic Education”. Ed felt that parents may argue that WSSB must provide this.  Dr. Stenehjem stated that this time, WSSB is funding these positions with private/local funds so it is somewhat invisible to parents that it is not being financed through general state funds. 

o   Dr. Stenehjem stated WSSB is still trying to unravel our financial situation due to the moving of our Business Office to the Department of Enterprise Services (DES).   WSSB is getting closer, and Mary Sarate, Director of Business and Finance has been digging through information to straighten this out.  At this time Mary estimates that WSSB has as $140,000 positive cash flow (state funds); and in private/local funds WSSB has a $1,000,000 positive balance (WSSB was able to carry forward $400,000 in this account the first year and approximately $500,000 has been generated from Oregon state students). 

o   Capital Budget/Projects: 

§  Between now and next fall, WSSB will be replacing our 23-year old phone system.  The goal is to have this system in place and operational by August 1 so staff can be trained before the start of school.  The system WSSB is looking at is a Lync style phone system; IP tied into our computer system and is 100% accessible. Mike expressed his concern with a UPS phone system.  Dr. Stenehjem stated a comprehensive battery back-up system will be in place and for emergency purposes WSSB has dial phones available so WSSB can get line signal in case of a power failure.

§  WSSB continues to have problems with the swimming pool liner and is exploring the possibility of shutting down pool during summer for repairs.  Jim asked if the leak is getting worse.  Dr. Stenehjem stated there is water between the liner and concrete, and we don't believe it is getting worse, but it does need to be repaired.

§  WSSB also will be working on the trim (efis) of Old Main (roofing related project).  Work will commence in the spring when the weather is better. 

§  Private/local funds will be used to secure a modular home that will be placed on campus.  WSSB used to be able to house student teachers from across the US, but due to program expansion, i.e. the Learning Independence for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT) program, WSSB no longer has housing available. The cost will be approximately $100,000. WSSB believes that having housing available will result in increases in student teachers from throughout the US/Canada, which will assist both WSSB and LEAs in securing trained teachers.

o   Teacher/Principal Evaluation System (TPEP):  WSSB went through the training process with teachers last year; the plan is to use the new evaluation process with five-six teachers this year; then next year bring in the next 1/3 of the teachers and the final 1/3 in the third year. WSSB feels that if teachers are planning to retire within the next three years, we would not change the evaluation process for them.  A new Principal evaluation process is also mandated by state law and will start this fall.  Additional training will be held January-March of this year. 

o   Strategic Plan Update:  Every two years, WSSB updates our Strategic Plan.  In the past, WSSB went through a major process for updating the plan, using data, surveys, and input from stakeholders from throughout the state, etc. to determine future directions.  WSSB has not done this since 2008 due to economic constraints.  Dr. Stenehjem stated we can do this again this year due to our financial situation and would like to know if the Board would be willing to participate during the next scheduled Board meeting (March 14-15). This would entail hiring a facilitator, providing data, and participate in a day long strategic planning process (9am-3pm).  That evening WSSB would then hold our regularly scheduled Board meeting.  Board members would have the option of arriving in Vancouver on March 13 for travel time. Dr. Stenehjem stated WSSB would bring in special ed. directors and TVI’s from throughout the state.  Cindy felt it is a great idea however she would like to have the Board meeting Friday evening and Saturday as planned.  At the end of the session, an updated Strategic Plan will be drafted and sent to the Board.  The final document will be utilized to build the 2015-2017 biennial budget and will also be used for the preparation of our next National Accreditation.  This process entails a comprehensive site study and WSSB will bring in people from across the country for this.  Ed would like to invite board members who are interested to attend the March 14 Strategic Plan meeting, then to participate in the Board meeting that evening and on Saturday.  Cindy stated she would be available to come in on Friday and is happy to hear that the Board is being included in this process.  Berl would like the Buildings and Grounds committee to arrive at WSSB early on March 13 to discuss some issues with Rob.  Ed feels this is an excellent suggestion. 

 

*      Committee Updates:

o   Legislative Committee:  Denise asked if Dr. Stenehjem decided to attend the WASA/WSSDA Legislative Conference.  Dr. Stenehjem stated he has mixed feelings regarding this conference and feels that setting up individual meetings outside of this conference is more beneficial as there are so many people who are trying to meet with legislators at that time. 

 

Miscellaneous

*      Ed stated that since March, 2010 WSSB Board meetings have been averaging less than 4 hours per meeting, and raised the question if the Board would be better served holding meetings on Friday’s during the day.  Ed asked if this would impose a difficulty on Board members and asked for opinions.  Mike suggested holding meetings all day Saturday’s.  Jim stated this would not work.  Cindy said it is a good idea and feels that options should be looked into.  Janet proposed that the Board meetings be held on Friday’s from 11am-4pm to accommodate Board members who travel; Berl stated that timeframe would be ideal for the train schedules.  Denise asked how this would affect staff participation on Friday’s. Dr. Stenehjem stated this could be worked around and that school gets out at 12:00pm on Friday’s.  Ed stated this would also be positive for staff who work on Friday evenings and Saturday’s for Board meetings.  Dr. Stenehjem also welcomed the board to come in early on Friday’s to visit classrooms.  Ed asked if there are any other issues to consider, i.e. work or hardships.  Yang-su doesn’t see any problem and felt condensing to one day would be great.  Nancy felt it was great to have meetings on one day. Janet will send out the proposed dates. Yang-su stated Board members can join via conference call if they are unable to attend. 

*      Yang-su stated if WSSB uses “Window Eyes”, a program that is similar to JAWS.  Window Eyes is a Microsoft program whereby when you purchase “Office”, this program is included. Yang-su asked what percentage of students use screen readers, etc.   Dr. Stenehjem stated WSSB just received this information today.  Mike reported there is no SMA and no support.  Dr. Stenehjem thinks some of this might change.  Dr. Stenehjem stated WSSB won’t jump onto any one thing but is excited and wants to learn more about it. 

*      Nancy stated she enjoyed watching the winter holiday program on the web. 

 

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.  The next Board meeting will be held March 14-15, 2014 at WSSB.    

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

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

                                                                                                                Superintendent

                                                                                                                                                           

 

Superintendent’s Report

 

During the month of December, WSSB provided services to 602 students. The breakdown is as follows:

*      On Campus:  74

*      Low Vision Evaluations: 10

*      Outreach Direct Services: 240

*      Distance Learning Services:

o   Students:  10

o   Adults:  8

*      Technology Evaluation and Direct Services (outreach): 26

*      Technology Support to Local School Districts: 75

*      177 students received 455 pieces of specialized equipment, textbooks, and materials throughout the state

*      YouTube “Video Clips On Blindness Tips” Hits: 2,209

*      Video Clips on Blindness Tips Hits: 393

 

The above doesn’t include production of Braille materials through the Braille Access Center; WCCW inmates work in the production of Braille materials for adults and children.  The above also does not include approximately 400 other vision-related services provided each month.

 

On Campus Program:

*      Winter Holiday Music Program:  WSSB's annual Winter Holiday Music program was held on December 19.  This event was attended by parents, volunteers and several community members.  In addition, the Pacific Foundation for Blind Children (PFBC) once again hosted the annual Soup/Supper event prior to the program.  WSSB provided a live web stream for those who were unable to attend and also the ability for people to watch the concert at a later date.  Stats show that 534 viewers took advantage of this option. 

*      Winter Holiday Break:  WSSB Students were on winter break from December 23-January 3.

*      Adopt a Family:  WSSB staff and volunteers chose to ‘adopt a WSSB family’ for Christmas.  Gifts, gift cards, and cash were gathered for this very deserving family.  The student, who attends WSSB, received an iPad, cover, and keyboard which will also assist in her daily studies.  Before the winter holiday break, staff snuck into her room here at school to place a pile of gifts for her which included a sheet set, new comforter, pillow, and bathroom supplies, as well as a new Caboodle filled with make-up and nail polish.  One of WSSB’s Board of Trustees members, who lives in Yakima (where the student and her family reside), delivered a Christmas tree with a stand to her home.  Our school Principal, Hans Michielsen delivered a car load of new clothes for the family, blankets, coats, toys, and Christmas decorations. The family will also have $150 in Safeway gift cards to buy their holiday meals. 

*      Bake Sale:  WSSB students held a bake sale during the month of December to raise funds for a celebration of Braille Literacy month.

*      Goalball Match:  WSSB staff and students participated in a Goalball match.  The students thoroughly enjoy the staff participating in this event. 

*      Jingle Cottage Mingle: On December 4, WSSB residential students invited staff and volunteers to attend a dinner in two of the cottages on campus. Students planned this event as part of their “Daily Living Skills” curriculum.  The event consisted of decorating the cottages, greeting the staff and volunteers, cooking the meal, playing festive holiday music and then cleaning up after the event.

*      Holiday Shopping:  Students once again had the opportunity to go to the local mall with staff and volunteers to do their holiday shopping for their friends and families.  Feedback from our volunteers is so positive as they see the giving nature of all involved.

*      Annual Christmas tree decorating:  An annual tradition at WSSB is the Christmas tree decorating in the commons area of the Irwin school building.  Music, refreshments and holiday cheer was shared by all.

*      Work Experience:  WSSB is working with a local coffee roaster to create a unique blend of coffee that is sold in WSSB’s Lions Den coffee shop.  This is a great opportunity for our students to work with community members and businesses. 

 

Off Campus Programs:

*      Training:  Our Director of Outreach, Craig Meador, spent several days in December attending TPEP (Teacher/Principal Evaluation Pilot) training.  This new evaluation system for teachers and principals was born out of Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 6696 during the 2010 legislative session.  In addition, Superintendent, Dean Stenehjem, and Associate Principal, Sean McCormick have been attending trainings in preparation for this new evaluation system.  Craig also attended two LEAN trainings in Vancouver.

 

Microsoft – “Partners in Learning:

*      Two WSSB staff Sherry Hahn and Robin Lowell have been asked by Microsoft to attend the Global Forum this year in Spain in their roles as experts educators as winners in last year’ Global Forum. They will also be viewed as mentors for Partners in Learning.  This is something, as an agency, we believe is great for the employees and WSSB and are waiting to receive the ok from the Attorney General’s Office that we are not violating any of the state ethics laws.

*      Recruitment:

o   School Psychologist: WSSB has not been able to fill this position due to shortages, and lack of competitive salary schedule with LEAs.  Thankfully Dr. Hans Michielsen also has a Ph.D. in Psychology so he has been able to keep things moving during this void. Our goal is to work with various university programs and bring in a paid intern next fall with the concept of helping to train our own psychologist who will be able to specialize in education of the blind and visually (BVI) impaired.  At this time it sounds like a number of the university training programs are very interested. Upon completion of the psychologist degree, it would be our goal to hire this person as a full-time psychologist who will help meet the needs on campus and serve as an expert providing assistance to school psychologists throughout the Pacific Northwest.

o   Digital Learning/Research Coordinator:  This is the position being vacated by Ms. Sherry Hahn who is retiring the end of June, 2014. The job will be posted within the next two weeks with a goal of having someone on board to overlap with Sherry for about a week.  We want to continue to expand on online/digital learning opportunities for students and staff. 

o   On-Campus English TVI:  During this year WSSB has been filling this position with an long term sub while we try and find a person that has all the qualifications needed in helping us meet our student’s needs. The goal is to have this position filled beginning next fall. 

o   Outreach TVI/O&M Positions: WSSB continues to search for TVI/O&M positions to help WSSB meet its Outreach goals and to also assist local school districts and Educational Service Districts find trained personnel. 

TVI/O&M Shortages on a National Basis is a huge problem: 

o   Craig Meador, Director of Outreach and State Vision Consultant has been meeting with various universities within Washington with the idea of starting a new program and/or offering coursework required to provide services to BVI children.  Eastern, Central and WSU-V have been approached at this time with some interest expressed by each university. This is more of a long term solution, but we needed to get this started.

§  Portland State University (PSU), which has a TVI teacher training program, announced the retirement of Dr. Jim Bickford and there was concern whether the program would continue.  They have posted for Dr. Bickford’s replacement with the goal of filling this before next fall.  Even with this program producing 20 trained TVI’s every two years, we do not come close to meeting our statewide needs when looking at positions that need to be added within our state. This is not even considering that we will be losing approximately 30% of current TVIs due to retirement over the next 5 years.

o   WSSB is also in the process of purchasing a small modular home which would be located on the campus and used to house practicum students from throughout the U.S. and foreign countries. WSSB used to be able to provide housing until our on-campus program needs required that space. This has had a negative impact on receiving practicum students from throughout the U.S. We believe that if we can get folks to WSSB for student teaching and practicum, we have a good chance of keeping them in our state to help fill our void in trained teachers of the BVI.

o   Birth to Three Coordinator:  WSSB has been working with other agencies providing services to BVI and is in agreement that one agency needs to take the lead and help coordinate and guarantee that services and training be put in place for BVI children throughout our state. The school is in a position through the use of private local funds to be able to put this position in place the fall of 2014 with the idea of providing efficacy that hopefully will result in future state funds and/or combined funding from multiple agencies. It is our goal to post this position by the end of February, 2014.

*      Supplemental Budget Requests:  WSSB submitted four requests for supplemental budget to the Office of Financial Management (OFM). Two of the four moved into the Governor’s Budget:

o   Increase in FTEs:  WSSB requested 6 additional FTE not requiring funding, but necessary in order to allow us to continue meet the needs of students throughout our state by the use of private local funds.

o   Authorization for increased spending in the area of private local funds:  This merely provides WSSB with the permission to spend the funds being generated.  These funds come from fees and services, grants and donations.

Request that were denied:

o   Interpreter/Intervener:   This position provides a one-on-one interpreter for a new student who is deaf/blind and requires a one-on-one in order to access Basic Education. WSSB will continue to provide this service through private local funds, but we really felt this should be included under the provisions of Basic Education and access to education. This student will probably be at WSSB for the next 4-5 years and we will need to go back to OFM in the next budget to request that this position be funded.

o   Teacher Aide for Medically Fragile Student:  This position provides a one-on-one for a medically fragile student that cannot be left alone without a person with specialized training tied to medical needs.  This is also crucial in providing a safe environment where the child can access Basic Education. This student will probably be at WSSB for the next 6 years and we will need to resubmit this request to OFM. We can temporarily handle this under private local funds, which are not guaranteed from year to year based upon revenue we have been able to generate.  

*      Teacher/Principal Evaluation Status:  WSSB has participated in the new Teacher/Principal Evaluation Program (TPEP):  Teachers: WSSB is using the Danielson model and we are phasing in the new teacher evaluation system starting with five (on-campus) teachers this year, followed by a second group next year, and the final group year three.  The new principal evaluation system will begin next fall after WSSB administration has completed all of its training.  

*      Strategic Planning Update:  Tentatively scheduled for April, 2014. Date and more information to come in the near future. This will be important in preparation for the development of our next biennial budget and in preparation for our National Re-accreditation which will get under way next fall with a formal onsite review probably happening the spring of 2015. 

*      Budget Update:

o   Capital: 

§  Phone system:  the number one project at this time is the replacement of our 24-year old phone system, which we have put off for the last couple of biennium. Our goal is to have a Lync Phone System in place by August 1, 2014. 

§  Swimming Pool Liner and Gutter issues:  this is being explored to determine options in replacement/repair of a liner system that is leaking and rusting that is occurring in the gutter system. 

§  Roofing Work/Trim on Old Main:  Rework dip cap system on Old Main which should keep the roof/efface system from deteriorating.

§  Additional Projects:  Additional projects are listed within our capital budget, but we will hold on these until we have solid numbers on the highest priority projects. 

o   Construction but not covered under Capital Budget:

§  Installation of a 3 bedroom modular house to facilitate practicum students housing on campus.  Estimated cost ($100,000) for this building would be covered under private local funds.

o   Operating Budget:  Mary Sarate has been reviewing all budgetary documents coming from DES and has been working on trying to establish a solid numbers for our agency.  There had been some huge variation in balances so we had very little confidence in the numbers being presented. Currently is appears that at the end of November 2013 we have a positive number of $140,133 in State General Funds. Private local funds show a positive balance of $1,199.023. We anticipate most of this is due to 19-B carry forward from the last biennium and higher than anticipated out-of-state tuition from Oregon.  Please note: we are still in the review process to determine whether these are solid numbers and/or if something has been missed within the state system. Our goal is to have all reviews done shortly so spending plans based upon our priorities can be made in helping meet the needs of children in our state. It will be important that appropriate plans be developed to sustain needed services over the next 3 years to guarantee that anticipated revenue sources needed to maintain services become institutionalized. 

*      Board of Trustees Vacancies: 

o   Congressional District 3 – SW Washington:  I understand that a number of names have been submitted to the Governor’s office, but have yet to hear.

o   Congressional District 9 – Puget Sound, Tacoma (N), Bellevue:  No applications received as of 1/10/14.