WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

 

Minutes from Board of Trustees Meeting

September 18, 2015

Vancouver, Washington

 

 

Board Members Participating:  Jim Kemp, Nancy McDaniel, Dennis Mathews, Yang-su Cho, John Glenn, Lorna Walsh, Berl Colley, Cindy Bennett and Ed Snook.

 

Board Members Absent:  Michelle Farrell

 

Ex-Officio Members Participating:  JJ Isaacson (Teachers Association), Joleen Ferguson (Washington Council of the Blind), Lilly Longshore (Parent Representative), and Michael Freeman (National Federation of the Blind of Washington).

 

Ex-Officio Members Absent:  Scott Hone (Washington Federation of State Employees Local #1225.

 

WSSB Staff Members Participating:  Dr. Dean Stenehjem (Superintendent), Sean McCormick (Principal), Jennifer Fenton (Director, Ogden Resource Center), and Janet Kurz (recording secretary).

 

Executive Session

An executive session was called to order at 10:45am.

 

September 18 – 11:00am

Jim called the meeting to order at 11:00am.  The group started the meeting by introducing themselves.

 

Department Updates

Jennifer Fenton (Director, Ogden Resource Center (ORC))

*      Jennifer introduced herself to the Board and reviewed the highlights of her report (listed below). 

*      John asked if the ORC checks to see if Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVI) who have a braille student have passed their BLUE exam to ensure they are certified. Dr. Stenehjem said that the ORC provides a report of TVI’s who have passed the BLUE and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is the monitoring component for this. 

 

Sean McCormick (Principal)

*      Sean introduced himself and stated that he has been finding his way as interim Principal this year.  Sean is thrilled to have the opportunity to be Principal and is very excited to work with staff and appreciated the support he has received from Dr. Stenehjem. 

*      Sean noted that his priorities this year will be to improve teaching and learning from staff and students, to build a professional community and to focus on the Teacher/Principal Evaluation Process (TPEP) and re-accreditation. Another area that is very important to Sean is building the school culture for staff and students that is based on trust and collaboration.  WSSB has been working with a representative from the ESD 112 to assist Irwin staff to accomplish this. 

*      Accreditation will be a huge focus this year.  An accreditation leadership team has been established and will be meeting regularly.  Jennifer Langley (former WSSB Music TVI) has returned to WSSB as our Music TVI and will also support IEP development and will lead part of the accreditation.  Sean feels Jennifer is a great asset to WSSB and is extremely valuable to our school.

*      WSSB has a school psychologist intern this fall, Mr. Ryan Chiodo.  Dr. Tony Dunn from the ESD 112 will serve as his supervisor. Ryan will also be contracting for some evaluation services with the Center for Deafness and Hard of Hearing (CDHL).   

*      Another change this fall is that the Irwin building will now have one administrator rather than two. This will force WSSB to do some things differently while evaluating whether or not an additional position will be needed.  The goal will be to determine how to best meet student needs and Sean feels this is a great opportunity to distribute leadership amongst staff.  Sean’s model of leadership is communal. 

*      Sean reviewed the student population: 48 students (k-12 on-campus) are enrolled at WSSB with an additional eight (8) in Distance Learning and four (4) in the Learning Independence for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT) program (5th year program) for a total of:  60 students.  There are several students in the wings that may enroll in the on campus program this fall. Of the 48 (on-campus 6-12) students 24 students’ vision is their primary disability with 20 students being multiply disabled. Four (4) students qualify as deaf/blind.

*      John stated he felt Sean’s graduation speech in June was exceptional and how he has conducted the beginning of the school year is commendable.  John feels that Sean’s approach is student based and that Sean is very organized.  Sean complimented his staff in helping the start of the school year to go so smoothly.

*      Mike asked how many out of state students WSSB has this year.  Sean said there are four (4) Oregon students with the possibility of one more enrolling.    

*      Cindy asked if the 48 enrolled (students) includes LIFTT.  Dr. Stenehjem said that the 48 is on-campus only.  If the Distance Learning students and LIFTT students are included our enrollment is 60.  Dr. Stenehjem said LIFTT enrollment is down at this time and that the biggest change in enrollment figures occurred when WSSB’s elementary program transitioned to local districts. 

*      Ed asked how much our modular home was being used.  Dr. Stenehjem said a practicum student will be coming in October from University of British Columbia.  Currently, an Orientation & Mobility (O&M) staff member from WSSB is residing in the modular home.  This staff person relocated to the Vancouver area due to the lack of contracts in her former county.  Berl asked if Dee Amundsen retired; Dr. Stenehjem said yes.

 

Business Meeting:

Old Business:

*      Approve board meeting minutes of June 5, 2015. Nancy moved to approve the minutes as submitted; Lorna seconded the motion.  The minutes were approved unanimously. 

 

New Business:

Superintendent Search Committee (Dennis Mathews, Ed Snook, John Glenn and Yang-su Cho)

*      The committee met with Kelly Wicker, Governor Inslee’s Deputy Chief of Staff and Dennis Karras, recruiter on September 10.  The committee’s goal was to discuss the following three priorities: 

o   Compensation: Currently, there is a salary cap of $140,000 for the Superintendent’s position, however, there were some indications that it might be bumped up and at this time we are not sure if private/local funds can be used to increase the salary. 

o   Timeline:  Dennis Karras will have a publication ready by October 7 so that Dr. Stenehjem can take the information with him to the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) and Council of Schools and Services for the Blind (COSB) conference. 

o   Target Markets:  Dr. Stenehjem informed Dennis Karras that some of the target markets are:  COSB (Superintendents and Leaders of schools for the Blind and Blind organizations), Principals of Schools for the Blind (POSB) listserv, Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) listserv, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), American Council of the Blind (ACB), American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), as well as the twenty-eight (28) University training programs across the United States.  All job related information will also be produced in braille. 

*      An invitation will be extended to Dennis Karras to attend our November 13 Board of Trustees meeting and we will also have an opportunity for staff, stakeholders, etc. to have a question and answer session with him regarding the search process.  Dennis Mathews (B.T.) encouraged people to submit their questions for Dennis Karras in advance via email to Janet. 

*      Dennis was very impressed with Kelly Wicker and the recruitment company and feels it is vitally important that all stakeholders have input in this process. 

*      Ed shared that he provided the group a salary survey that was comprised of other schools for the blind.  This salary survey notes that the median salary for Superintendent’s is $185,000 of those schools responding, and that WSSB is in the lower 25%. 

*      Berl felt that the consumer organizations and blind community have had an excellent relationship with the Superintendent and his concern is that this is not guaranteed with a new Superintendent.  Berl feels this should be a requirement that the candidate commits to have a good working relationships with consumer groups. 

*      Lilly said from a parent perspective Dr. Stenehjem has done a great job in leadership; i.e. keeping a positive attitude, can-do, etc. 

*      Dr. Stenehjem feels all stakeholders need to be actively involved. 

 

Superintendent’s Report

Dr. Stenehjem reviewed the following: 

*      Dr. Stenehjem said the highlight of the Governor’s visit to WSSB’s campus (August, 2015) was when the Governor met Tom Schaff who was retiring after 35 years of service to WSSB.  The Governor gave Tom a pin and acknowledged his tenure with the state.   

*      Discussion was held regarding Smarter Balance as this is still a concern.  Former Director of Outreach/State Vision Consultant, Craig Meador, began working with OSPI. WSSB will continue to meet with OSPI to address this issue.

*      Budget wise, WSSB is in good shape.  Dr. Stenehjem feels the biggest factor in this is when the state law was changed and WSSB was able to carry forward private/local funds.  This gives us flexibility to begin programs, develop new partnerships, etc.  WSSB will be applying for Safety Net this year for three high-cost students.   Lorna asked who is responsible for submitting the Safety Net applications.  Dr. Stenehjem stated it is the Principal and the Director of Business and Financial.  Dennis reviewed WSSB’s application last year as he was on the Safety Net committee at OSPI Safety Net is a reimbursement model due to when the funds are received.  WSSB will also be applying for Birth-3 funds through the supplemental budget process.  Last year, the position was funded however all operating funds for this important area were eliminated at the last moment. Currently, WSSB is utilizing private/local funds to keep the program going. 

 

Ex-Officio Reports

*      Washington Council of the Blind (WCB) (Joleen Ferguson):

o   Joleen reported that the WCB fall convention is November 5-7 at the SeaTac Marriott and you don’t have to be a WCB member to attend.  All convention related information can be located online at www.wcbinfo.org.  Joleen said one component of the convention will be a talk on distance learning. Dr. Stenehjem will also present at the convention.

*      National Federation of the Blind (NFB) (Michael Freeman):

o   Mike reported that the NFB fall convention will be October 30-November 1 at the Red Lion SeaTac Hotel.  Information regarding the convention can be located at www.nfbw.org. Mike invited folks to register online or print the form and send it in.  The convention rate for the hotel is $99 per night.  Some components of the convention are a student luncheon, parent luncheon, exhibits and one of the speakers will be Mr. Everette Bacon who is the President of the NFB in Utah. 

*      Teachers (JJ Isaacson): 

o   JJ reported that she has been appointed to represent the staff at Irwin and that Sean has definitely set the tone for the school year as he presented earlier at the Board meeting.  JJ stated that there are a lot of changes going on that are very necessary, especially in the area of staff and students relating to trust, repairing relationships, rebuilding foundations and to go forward to teach and learn. 

o   JJ has been in the education field for 24 years and feels there is some reserved optimism and that is what trust and collaboration is all about.  Sean has brought in a dynamic person from ESD and she will be coming on a regular basis to assist.

o   Lorna asked where the Distance Learning students reside. JJ said there are two from Alaska, several from Washington and two from Oregon. JJ said there is one WSSB student who will be transitioning back to their local district and will likely be a Distance Learning student.  JJ feels this seems to be the pattern with students who leave WSSB.  JJ feels this helps to maintain the connection with students, both emotional and social.  JJ teaches two classes of Geometry which involves a lot of talking. Only one of her students is a print user with ten being braille users.

o   Lorna asked if WSSB was still exploring distance learning for Science. JJ said WSSB is willing to explore any aspect and there is a distance learning class being made available for students who are in their senior year that will help prepare them for independent living.  In addition, WSSB’s school counselor will be offering two classes relating to social interactions and college preparedness. 

o   Yang-su asked how students submit homework.  JJ said she does higher level math classes and her philosophy is that students need to be prepared to submit their homework as they would in post-secondary situations, i.e. students have to do it twice, Perkins brailler and submit it in text via email.  Students can take photo images and they also have a document camera.  Yang-su thinks this is a great way of teaching students. Yang-su asked if there are editing tools or programs they use. JJ said they use several but depends on what’s available in their district. 

o   Ed asked how many online math students JJ could accommodate. JJ has up to 3 distance learning students in one class with 5-7 students in the classroom. JJ often forgets that the distance learning students are not in the classroom. 

o   Joleen asked if all students hear each other during the class; JJ said yes the software and connection is like being in a conference call and if they have usable vision they can see screens. 

o   JJ asked what superintendent search committee.

*      Parent Representative

o   Lilly attended WSSB’s student registration. Lilly had a table and spoke to new parents and students. There were many new comers this year and this was a great opportunity to reassure them.

o   Lilly participates in the Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment (GCDE).  Each year people can nominate businesses, etc. for different categories. This year Lilly nominated the WSSB. In addition, the GCDE holds outreach programs. Lilly asked who she could contact at WSSB regarding services that WSSB provides to communities. Dr. Stenehjem said he could give Lilly information and in addition, DeEtte Snyder (Birth-3 Coordinator), Emily Coleman (Director of Outreach/State Vision Consultant) and Jennifer Fenton could also provide information.

 

Committee Reports

*      Education Committee: 

o   John said he has not set up an education committee meeting yet. 

o   John would like to have an Assistive Technology staff come to a Board meeting so that the Board can see all of the items that are used.  John is interested in the dictation platform that WSSB is using with students with dyslexia. 

o   John would like to visit classes at a future board meeting.  Janet also offered Board members to tour classes on Friday morning prior to the Board meetings.

*      Buildings and Grounds Committee. 

o   Nancy asked about the progress with the Pool liner repair. Dr. Stenehjem said WSSB hoped to replace the liner this fall with a quartz-type finish.  When the bid was received it was over $50,000 over the max budget.  WSSB delayed the project to this winter or spring.  Nancy asked what the cost would be; Dr. Stenehjem said with the gutter and liner repair it was close to $300,000.  Dr. Stenehjem said there are a number of small projects that will occur but WSSB needs to get the pool repaired to determine how much is left in the budget.  There is also an issue with the heating and cooling in the Kennedy building (north side).  WSSB is also looking to fix that problem. 

*      Management Committee: 

o   Ed has been working with the Superintendent Search committee.  This will be the major focus this school year.

*      Legislative Committee: 

o   Berl would like to set up a conference call for the legislative committee.  Berl will submit some dates and times that he is available.  Berl would like to discuss the upcoming legislative session and start addressing topics such as the capital expenditure for the LIFTT building, etc.

 

Miscellaneous

*      Jim reiterated that the November board meeting will be as follows:

o   November 13 – 10am-12pm Business meeting; 12-12:45pm lunch with Karras consulting; 1-3pm open forum for staff, stakeholders, etc. with Karras consulting. 

 

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 1:05pm.  The next Board meeting will be held in Vancouver on November 13, 2015 at 10am. 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

James Kemp, Chair                                                                          Dean O. Stenehjem, Ed.D.

                                                                                                                Superintendent

                                                                                                                                                           

 

 

 

 

 

 

Board Reports – September 2015

 

Outreach

It has been a very busy first few months on the job and I’ve been spending quality time with not only our outstanding Outreach staff, but also with professionals in our field from around the state. There were multiple professional development opportunities this summer provided by WSSB and Washington Sensory Disability Services (WSDS), and the “turn-outs” were substantial.

 

·         Unified English Braille (UEB) Trainings took place in Seattle, Spokane, and specifically for WSSB staff in Vancouver. I signed up for the Seattle training myself, and was impressed with the caliber of professionals in attendance. An average of 30 people attended each session.

·         The Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) Mentor Workshop hosted about 60 people in early August. Dr. Roman continues to keep our state on the front edge of education for children who have a CVI.

·         The Summer Institute had nearly 50 attendees, which is the largest group we’ve had in recent years. We shortened the training to 4 days this year, and I believe this allowed more educators to attend.  Those that attended were enthusiastic about education for children who are blind and visually impaired (BVI) and the level of participation was excellent.

·         Finally, the back-to-school meetings were attended by all of our Outreach staff and we had our work cut-out for us as many caseloads were adjusted due to employee changes.

·         Staff changes included saying good-bye to a long-time educator and supporter of our Outreach department, Dee Amundsen, who retired. We welcomed Danielle King into our department.  Danielle had been working as a substitute for WSSB, and we were excited to extend her a full-time position.

·         Cindy McAlexander, Outreach Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI), moved into the Birth-3 program and will be working with DeEtte Snyder, Birth-3 Statewide Coordinator.

 

The year is off to a great start and the Outreach department greeted the new school year with open arms. Every day we have an opportunity to positively impact the future of children who are BVI throughout the state…and we continue to meet that challenge.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Digital/Distance Learning

New Distance Learning Classes and Group Listings

We reorganized our webpages regarding our distance learning classes and groups. Please check it out: http://www.wssb.wa.gov/Content/offcampus/DistanceLearning.asp

 

WSSB is teaching math via distance learning once again. This year we have students online from Washington, Oregon, and Alaska for Middle School Math, Pre-Algebra, Foundations of Algebra, Geometry, Foundations of Career and College Math, and Pre-Calculus. WSSB TVI Lisa Hodge teaches Middle School, while WSSB TVI Jeanette “JJ” Isaacson and Sonja Steinbach teach high school.

 

One idea that we are exploring is the concept of a class that helps students who are in high school, yet are unprepared for high school math. The Foundations of Algebra class will be tailored to fit individual student needs. Often students leave elementary and middle school with “Swiss cheese” for mathematical concepts and skills. We hope that our highly qualified TVI math instructors can help students fill in the gaps to attain grade level proficiency and the confidence to keep learning.

 

On the flipside of the entry level math class is the exit class, the transition to career or to college. We recognize that some students who successfully complete Algebra 2 will not wish to dive into Statistics or Pre-Calculus; however, they might wish to keep their math skills sharp. Keeping this in mind, we are also developing a transition course for students, who wish to enter the workforce or college, to keep their skills sharp for the road ahead.

 

WSSB Counselor Kim Curry is also preparing to offer two different kinds of online groups for students: “College Bound 2016” is for seniors preparing to enter college next year and various age appropriate “Social Groups” will allow students who are BVI or deafblind to meet online in a safe environment to discuss issues related to blindness, such as social skills, transition, and more. The power of these groups is similar to one benefit of our distance learning classes: students will have the chance to make friends and to pick up a few skills along the way.

 

New Digital Learning Initiatives

The Digital Learning Department is working with Interim Principal Sean McCormick to design a new approach to educational technology and IT management for the school. Teaching Assistant Mike Face will now be the first line of defense for IT issues in Irwin. Mr. Face and I will also support teachers with any educational technology projects they wish to pursue. In this day and age it’s not enough to use computing devices simply to take notes, write papers, and to perform online searches. Laptop computers and mobile devices are used in high schools, colleges, and places of work to collaborate, innovate, and create. Students need to be skilled not only in core coursework, but in mastery of technology, including mainstream plat-forms and devices, such as learning management systems, instructional video sites, laptops, and tablets.

 

In other news, my office is now based in the Irwin Main Office. Please stop by to ask questions or to learn about our new digital initiatives. I would be happy to see you.

 

Digital Research & Development

Experience Programming in Quorum (EPIQ) Summer Camp

This summer WSSB ran a weeklong workshop (up to 30 CEUs) for teachers, who wanted to learn how to teach computer science to students using Quorum. This year we attracted many teachers from Washington due to our modules on Legos robotics and gaming. Prior to the workshop, Professor Stefik worked for 3 days with an advanced group who refined the curriculum for attendees.

 

Leading the workshop was Assistant Professor Andreas Stefik, Ph.D., and 6 of his students. They are from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). Professor Stefik is originally from Vancouver, WA.

 

Attendees included:

·         15 instructors (3 from WSSB) from 11 blind schools and 1 developer from the American Printing House for the Blind (APH)

·         3 Computer Science graduate students

·         14 teachers from Washington state school districts

·         5 teachers from other school districts around the U.S.

 

WSSB TVI Lisa Hodge is taking this training forward by teaching 6 middle school students how to program using Quorum and Legos robotics. The ability to program Legos robotics was the result of Ms. Hodge’s request for such a feature. WSSB funded the grant that enabled a UNLV student to develop the Legos libraries necessary for programming in Quorum.

 

Perkins

I met with administrators at Perkins this summer to help persuade this flagship school to start a distance-learning program for academic students, similar to the one run by WSSB. While Perkins has many online offerings in the professional development realm, they do not yet teach classes or groups online for students. We hope that Perkins continues internal discussions and look forward to future online initiatives for students from them.

 

Campus IT

New Phone System: Microsoft Lync Voice-Over IP (VOIP)

IT Network Administrator Ed Lukowski has headed a project for the past two years to upgrade our phone system from old copper wire phones to new VOIP phones. We made a smooth transition to the new system this summer. Mr. Lukowski has much to celebrate, as this was a huge project that required many adjustments and additions to our local network and servers.

 

Updated Database for the Ogden Resource Center (ORC) and more

IT Systems Administrator Danya Borowski has coordinated efforts with a contractor to finish up the new online database for the ORC. We expect the database to go completely online soon. Ms. Borowski has also done a fine job working with Birth-3, Outreach, and Irwin with their online database and form needs. For instance, students and staff can now search the Irwin Library online while on campus.

 

Macs for Staff Accessibility and for Outreach

We are becoming a dual platform school that supports both Macs and Windows-based computers and devices. On campus, we have started to support Macs for select students and for staff, who prefer to use Apple’s integrated accessibility features--VoiceOver and Zoom. Students also make use of the Dictation feature in the laptops, which is particularly helpful for learning disabilities such as dyslexia. The Outreach department is also now mostly full of Mac laptop users who have the ability to boot to Windows, if needed or desired. 

 

Contact

For questions or concerns regarding this report or the Digital Learning and IT Department, please contact me at 360-947-3331 or mike.bicknell@wssb.wa.gov. Thank you.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

On Campus

Enrollment

Our current total school program enrollment is 63.  This includes 49 on campus students, 2 half-time students from local school districts, 8 distance learning, and 4 LIFTT. 

 

Change is Afoot

The on campus school programs are experiencing several changes that help grow our programs and support student needs.  The obvious change for students is that there is only 1 school bell to start the day.  The rest of the day is based on their program's schedule.  This means that students and staff have more responsibility, but also more flexibility.  Middle school has 7 periods in their day, while high school has 6 longer periods per day over 4 days per week. On Friday's, high school students participate in a flexible learning schedule to address their expanded core development and areas in need of more specific instruction. 
               

In addition to the schedule change, the students are also being supported for positive behavior through a campus-wide positive behavior intervention and supports model. Students are taught expectations and reinforced for positive behaviors, while misbehaviors are re-taught and supported for learning rather than through punitive measures. 

               

With student programs developing, we're also developing as staff. The leadership of the school is becoming more distributed through leadership teams and professional learning communities. There's more work to be done, but we're definitely on the right track to empowering teachers and support staff to help lead the positive change needed to best support the growth of WSSB into the best school possible.

 

New, but familiar in Irwin

The school program is glad to welcome back Jennifer Langley-- a new, but familiar face. Jennifer's primary role as music instructor will continue to support wonderful programs to build students music skills and self-esteem supporting a well-rounded school based program.  In addition to her work in music, Jennifer has jumped right in with some instructional coaching and will be a key team member in preparing for our school's accreditation process.  She brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to the campus team and has already been a great resource supporting continuous improvement for educational programs. 

 

Summer Programs

This summer was extremely busy with students attending our Summer School (camp) and the Youth Employment Solutions (YES) 1 program partnered with Department of Services for the Blind (DSB).  There were 33 campers that attended the expanded core curriculum focused camp and additional 23 participants that attended the YES 1 program.  Both groups were fantastic to have on campus, had experiences that ranged from classroom based activities, recreation and leisure, and community based experiences.  This was one of the largest summer camps WSSB has hosted, and it was the first time that all registered participants showed up, too. 

 

Events

Open House (October, 22)

Open house this year will begin with a family dinner.  The classrooms will be open to roam for parents and will be one of the many opportunities available for parents to participate in the school based programs

 

First Lego League

WSSB is proud to have its first robotics team that will compete against other schools in the First Lego League competition.  This competition includes student-driven components of computer programming, building Lego robots, conducting research, and delivering an oral argument.  WSSB will compete against teams in SW Washington during the competition in mid-November this fall. Only middle school students can participate in the First Lego League. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Residential

Though I am not retiring, I am beginning a slow and thoughtful process of succession planning and my major focus at this point is looking at discovering what makes sense and is sustainable for the long term strength and growth of residential services, as well as the other departments I manage (Health Center, Learning Independence for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT) and weekend transportation). Considerations are how do all these programs fit into the current organizational structure, as well as the organizational plans/visions of our current and future superintendents, how do we make sure programs are well managed at a sustainable level that allows growth, and what are the roles and responsibilities of staff involved.

 

The first change in the Residential department this fall is the addition of a second Dean position. Libby Pitts will be in the on campus role in the afternoon/evenings when there are the most staff and during the busiest times for our department. Tess Scholl, who is returned from her maternity leave on a part time basis this year, will take on management of the weekend transportation duties as well as other day to day operational duties. It is planned that whatever overall organizational structure is in place, having two Dean positions (both full time in the future) will be an asset.  More to come as the process evolves. Suggestions are welcome!

 

The Health Center was named Team of the Year for the last school year. They are a hard working crew that keeps everyone safe and healthy. Robin and Justine are involved in the health incentives programs to keep staff and students healthy. There will be future blood drives, and a flu shot clinic coming soon.

 

Jo-Anne Fink, Residential Life Counselor (RLC), has won an award “Outstanding Residential Life Staff Member”, sponsored by Council of Schools/Services for the Blind (COSB), and will be heading to the APH conference in October to accept her award. Jo-Anne is an excellent professional, and a wonderful representative of our school.

 

The Residential Department had quite a few staff changes this summer. Bonda Albers retired after 25 years as an RLC, and Jeff Cole resigned to pursue other interests. After bidding on open shifts, some staff moved to new shifts, then we hired two of our on call staff who are now full time staff members. We are in the process of recruiting a few new on calls to replenish our pool.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Business Office

1.       2014-15 Budget

Operating:  Phase 2 of our year end close was completed September 4. Our final disclosure forms were due September 16 and submitted ahead of schedule. Closing this year was very smooth; thanks to all the hard work of staff. We have received kudos from our accounting analyst in Olympia on several occasions recognizing our participation at trainings despite the distance and on our efforts to clean General Ledgers (GL) and on a “much easier and cleaner” closing.  A contributing factor was that we began the year in a good place with only two or three GLs that we were not able to clear up from the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) before the year ended last year. We can finally put more focus on other areas instead of playing catch-up. 

 

General Fund (GF) ended the year with a zero balance. The carry forward balance in 19B fund was $1,508,502; a $259,459 increase from last year.

 

Capital:  We ended the biennium with a balance of $65,038 which will be re-appropriated to be used for swimming pool restoration.

 

2.       2015-17 Operating Budget

After the legislature passes the budget, we have to prepare allotments according to the funding. Our allotments were completed ahead of schedule this year. The next step after allotments is to recast our 2015-17 budget according to activity. It is due September 15, and our recast has already been submitted.  Below is a summary of how the budget was allotted by activity: 

 

2015-16                                     General Fund                                           19B 

Administration                      $    441,283                                          $1,225,051                          

Braille Production                                                                                       52,100

Intensive Training                   1,941,398                                               115,736                           

(Residential, Rec, Health,

Food Service, LIFTT)

Off-Campus                                  617,466                                             1,776,863

(Outreach, Birth-3)

On-Campus                                 3,086,747                                               121,535

Student Transportation        322,107                                                        3,716

     Total                                      $ 6,409,000                                          $ 2,075,000

 

 

2016-17                                     General Fund                                           19B 

Administration                      $    361,183                                          $     4,210

Braille Production                      172,559                                                  64,735                                

Intensive Training                    1,942,114                                              116,153

(Residential, Rec, Health,

Food Service, LIFTT)

Off-Campus                                   609,379                                          1,808,472

(Outreach, Birth-3)

On-Campus                                  3,127,044                                            112,303

Student Transportation          322,722                                                   3,127

     Total                                          $6,535,000                                       $2,109,000

 

The books for August do not close until September 15.  Month ending July, we were in the black by approximately 13%.

 

3.       2015-17 Activity Inventory: August was the deadline for making changes to our activity inventory. We submitted a proposal to make minor revisions to some of our expected results to better clarify them.  We also added measures for Birth-3 and LIFTT programs.

 

4.       2016 Supplemental Budget Requests: Supplemental requests are due October 5. As always, the Office of Financial Management (OFM) discourages supplemental requests other than for technical correction or increases in mandatory caseload. Dr. Stenehjem has had communication with our budget analyst regarding submitting a request for the portion of Birth-3 they didn’t fund.  She indicated it would be a long shot and would need to be a very detailed request with specific cost estimates to support it.  Dr. Stenehjem and DeEtte Snyder, Birth-3 Statewide Coordinator will put the request together.

 

5.       Procurement Training:  Legislation was passed (state procurement reform law) requiring anyone who is responsible for developing, executing, or managing procurements or contracts to take new training courses by July 1, 2015. With approximately 9,000 state employees needing training, the deadline was extended to October.  We had approximately 50 staff that needed to take the training.  The majority of staff has already completed it. 

 

6.       2015-17 Capital Budget:  Our capital appropriation was allotted as follows:

Roof Replacement and Rejuvenation                                             $  70,000

Technology/Phone System Upgrades                                             $  80,000

Sidewalk/Parking Lot Rejuvenation                                 $    7,000

General Campus-wide Energy Management                               $  83,000

Minor Campus Buildings Remodeling                                              $100,000

Swimming Pool Preservation                                                              $300,000

                                                                                                                        $640,000

 

7.       2017-19 Budget:  Human Resources will be working on compensation data for 2017-19 collective bargaining and budget development which is due in early October.

 

8.       Contracts:  We have prepared and sent out contracts for the various services we provide and contract for, i.e. Facility rental, Tuition, Outreach, Therapists, coaching.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Human Resources

New Hires:  

·         ORC Director – Jennifer Fenton

·         TVI Outreach – Danielle King

·         TVI Outreach – Marshal Givens

·         Birth-3 TVI – Cindy McAlexander (Transferred from Outreach)

·         Music TVI – Jennifer Hervey-Langley

·         Residential Life Counselor – Andy Hansen

·         School Psychologist (Intern) – Ryan Chiodo

·         Warehouse Worker 1 – Tyler Peterson (promotion)

·         Custodian – Tosha Patton

·         Custodian – Michelle Saddoris

 

Open Recruitments:

·         Substitute Teacher                 

·         On-Call Teacher’s Assistant

·         On-Call RLC

·         On-Call Custodian

·         On-Call Nurse

 

Trainings/Functions Attended:

·         Emergency Training Summit – Sponsored by ESD 112 Risk Management Insurance Cooperative and Clear Risk Solutions

·         Southwest Washington Education Job Fair- sponsored by ESD 112

·         2015-2017 WPEA CBA Training, facilitated by Office of Financial Management (OFM)

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

 

 

Ogden Resource Center (ORC)

I am the new ORC Director. My name is Jennifer Fenton and I come to the ORC from a long career in libraries. My library career included working in a variety of capacities from youth services to management and training. I worked for public libraries as well as at the Washington State Library. I collaborated with colleagues around the state and nationally. I am very excited about my career at WSSB. I look forward to the many opportunities that working at the ORC present.

 

Summer at ORC:

Never Fear: UEB is Here!: ORC staff Zach Lattin, Michael Sivill and Angela Vargas were on the road this summer introducing people to UEB. The intensive 2 to 3 day class was designed to help those certified in literary braille gain insight into UEB and the class cumulated with a UEB exam. Classes were held in Seattle, Spokane and Vancouver. 124 individuals passed the UEB exam at the end of the class.

 

Braille Production: Braille production continued to thrive and with turn-over at the Women’s Correctional Center, we had the opportunity to hire two new transcribers. Kandi Lukowski kept up with the demand for braille while her colleagues helped teachers, paras and others transition to UEB.

 

We repaired on Everest embosser (business card machine.) We repaired 2 thermoform machines and purchased a brand new one in order to keep up with the demand for tactiles.

 

May to August Braille Statistics:

Braille re-production:  139 books, 2 to 118 volumes each

 

Original braille transcription:

·         May: 5,886 braille pages; 1,716 tactiles

·         June: 6,160 braille pages; 640 tactiles

·         July: 9,506 braille pages; 1,171 tactiles

·         August: 9,278 braille pages; 1,598 tactiles

 

Large Print Production: Large Print demand has increased and Angela Vargas has been busy producing new large print textbooks for the kids. 50 textbooks have shipped over summer and others are in process. One textbook alone was over 4,400 pages!

 

Census: Justin Raner finished the census work for American Printing House for the Blind (APH). Here are the final numbers:

·         Account 214 (WSSB on-campus) quota allocation $11,938.06 based on the registration of 40 eligible students at the adjusted per capita rate of $298.45.

·         Account 216 (Statewide–5-12+) quota allocation $262,637.28 based on the registration of 880 eligible students at the adjusted per capita rate of $298.45.

·         Account 217 (Early Intervention) quota allocation $17,310.18 based on the registration of 58 eligible students at the adjusted per capita rate of $298.45.

 

Staffing: With Colleen’s retirement, I joined the ORC on June 16. However, I am not the only new person at the ORC. Mitch Hughes left his position in the warehouse and we hired Tyler Peterson. In addition to his warehouse duties, Tyler helps out around campus including filling in at the front desk.

 

Current happenings:

·         We are updating the TVI Directory on the ORC site and asking TVIs and others to submit up to date information.

·         ORC Online Update: The ORC Online catalog is still a work in progress. We are making steps towards the all new, user-friendly revamp of the database. Once the new system is live, training materials will be shared widely.

·         Braille Class for Beginners: Zach Lattin will be teaching a braille class.

 

I am working with my staff at the ORC and taking a strategic look at our processes and working on ways to create a sustainable and successful future. We will be seeking input from our stakeholders throughout this process.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Buildings and Grounds

Capital

·         Rework of the pool did not happen as we had hoped. We are going through the state job order contractor and only received one bid which was more than we had been led to believe the work should cost. We are now in the process of trying to get at least one more bid so we have a better cost comparison.

·         We are also calling for an energy audit of the gym and the boiler house through the state energy service contractor. An initial survey by the company we rely on for controls and larger heating issues feels the units serving the north side rooms are undersized and resulting in the equipment running nonstop until they turn off for self-protection. The energy service company feels that the boiler house is grossly inefficient and by changing to a satellite system for the remaining five buildings on steam, we can save tens of thousands of dollars on our natural gas bill. This evaluation should begin in the next two to four weeks.

·         Coupled with the energy evaluation will be an upgrade to the computer based controls. The current operating system is no longer supported and has been greatly enhanced in the newer version.

 

Campus

·         After thirty five years of service, Tom Schaff, the groundskeeper has retired. We were fortunate enough to have a qualified replacement among our custodial crew to replace him with. John Fleming is a licensed plumber and recently completed a community college certification program in heating and air conditioning repair. He will be a very good addition to the maintenance department.

·         Over the summer months, we upgraded several of the security cameras and added two with high definition cameras. This will allow for better night coverage.

·         The custodial crew was busy keeping up with the summer programs. At the same time we replaced two of the crew with new people. The two new hires have been working in an on call position so transition was relatively seamless.

·         The unusually hot summer has put a strain on our air conditioning system with several units, including the main chiller requiring differing degrees of repair. Currently all but one small unit, and the gym system, are back to operating correctly.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Birth-3

Annual Report 2014-15

The Birth-3 Program is now a year old (started in Aug 2014) and the following activities have been completed this year:

 

Professional Development

·         Nationwide live and recorded webinar with Perkins School for the Blind titled “Routine Based Early Intervention for TVIs”. Webinar is currently available on perkinselearning.com at no cost.

·         5 live webinar/video conferences with statewide Early Intervention (EI) TVI taskforce.

·         2 live webinar/video conferences with Snohomish County EI Service Providers as follow ups to their all day in-person training. They have requested them on a quarterly basis.

·         Infants and Early Childhood Conference (IECC) all day workshop on “Impact of Visual Impairment on Early Learning” and 1 hour session on “Babies Count Project”. 

·         Training and In-services throughout state in the following counties (ESIT and ECEAP Programs): Clark, Pierce, King, Kitsap, Snohomish, Whatcom, Adams, Grant, and Spokane.  Topics included: 1) 3 Prong Approach to VI Screen, 2) Cortical Visual Impairment, 3) Impact of VI on Early Learning

·         Presentations at State and National Conferences:

o   WSDS Combined Summer Institute: Optic Nerve Hypoplasia

o   Pacific Northwest Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of Blind and Visually Impaired (PNWAER): 1) Baby Basics: Intro to Part C Services for TVIs and 2) Babies Count Project

o   AFBLC:  Babies Count Project

o   DEC: Babies Count

               

Program Supports

·         Technical Assistance and Consultations have occurred in the following counties: Whatcom, Snohomish, Clark, Skagit, Asotin, Pierce, Grant, Yakima, and Thurston. 

·         Evaluations (Functional Vision Assessments) have occurred in the following counties: Clark, Whatcom, Asotin, and Thurston.

·         Transition to Preschool Assistance occurred in Thurston County

·         As of August 2015 the following counties have a designated Birth-3 TVI due to the assistance of WSSB Birth-3 program leadership: King (started as the same time as WSSB), Snohomish, Pierce, Kitsap, and Whatcom. More counties to follow as LLA are acknowledging the need in the next year.

 

Professional Projects

·         The following “special projects” were started this year:

o   EITVI statewide Functional Vision Assessment (FVA) Procedure (completed and available on WSSB website for TVI’s throughout state).

o   ESIT Practice Guide for Services for BVI (completed) and now training webinars are being created.  First introduction to guide is scheduled for 9/30/15.

o   WSSB/UNC “Research to Practice Partnership” Grant for Tele-Intervention Project (submitted and will know in October of award).

o   Portland State University (PSU) EITVI Teacher Preparation-Graduate Certificate Program (in-process).

o   Babies Count-National Registry for Birth-3 BVI (partnership with NMSBVI, in development).

 

Registry Forms

ESIT programs around the state are now able to submit demographic information on children in their programs with BVI through an online submission process. Registry forms are a part of the ESIT Practice Guide for Services for Children with BVI and required by ESIT of all programs.  Training webinar will be conducted on 9/30/15 live and recorded for later viewing.

 

As of June 30, 2015 a total of 96 forms had been submitted by FRCs and others in 10 counties:  Asotin (1), Benton (1), Clark (6), Grant (3), King (65), Pierce (4), Skagit (4), Snohomish (5), Thurston (1), and Whatcom (6).

 

Next Year’s Goals

·         Identification of children aged Birth-3 with BVI will increase from 96 to 300 as measured by the Washington State Birth-3 BVI Registry by the end of June 2016.

·         Trainings and in-services provided by WSSB Birth-3 Program will have an overall 4.5 favorable rating or higher (training/in-service was useful and beneficial to the participant), as measured on a 1 to 5 Likert scale.

o   ESIT Practice Guide including the BVI Registry Forms (all component parts)

o   3-Prong Approach to VI Screening

o   Appropriate assessments for children with BVI

·         90% of children aged Birth-3 with BVI will be referred to Birth-3 Program within 4 months of their diagnosis, as measured by the Washington State Birth-3 BVI Registry. (The national average gap between diagnosis and referral for services as indicated by Babies Count, The National Registry of Infants and Toddlers, with BVI is from 7.5 months.) 

·         New staff:  Ms. Cindy McAlexander, formerly part of the Outreach team has joined the Birth-3 department and will be assisting in building networks and capacity to serve the Birth-3 BVI infant/toddlers and families.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Superintendent

2015 is WSSB’s 129th year of service to Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) Children and Families

 

The start of the school year has begun smoothly and below is an update:  

    

Retirements since the end of the school year:    

·         Bonda Albers, RLC – 25 years of service

·         Colleen Lines, Director-ORC – 30 years of service

·         Tom Schaff, Grounds Keeper/General Maintenance – 35 years of service

·         Dee Amundsen, TVI Outreach – 25 years of service

 

These folks represent a total of 115 years of service to BVI children/families and the state.

 

Team of the Year (Robin Williams, RN and Justine Mings, RN):

Nursing Team:  Our nurses are always behind the scenes making sure our students are healthy and able to participate in as many activities as possible. They are always on call and ready to help out when we need them.  We appreciate their excellent level of care for our students (and staff), support and training provided to staff, and wonderful personalities. They are always looking for a better way of doing things and try to make everything positive and fun.

 

Employee of the Year (Jennifer Butcher, Physical Education/Fitness Instructor):

Jennifer is a solid employee that does amazing things in a quiet way. She is always willing to jump in and help and not afraid to take on some leadership. Projects are always well done. She is an amazing teacher who is always positive, proactive and presents a great image for WSSB.   What a great employee!

 

Other News:

Solid Leadership in key positions:

Sean McCormick – New (fall 2015) Interim Principal (Director of On-Campus Programs). Note: Sean was Assist. Principal for the past two years.

Lori Pulliam – Director of Transition Services (Residential, LIFTT, Health Center and weekend transportation).  Note: We are piloting the use of two Deans in the residential area this year.

Emily Coleman – New (spring, 2015) Director of Outreach/State Vision Consultant (WSDS)

DeEtte Snyder – New (fall 2014) Statewide Coordinator BVI – Birth-3

Jennifer Fenton – New (summer 2015) – Director-ORC

Mike Bicknell – Second year in position as Digital Learning Coordinator

Anne Baker - Starting her 3rd year in Human Resources

Mary Sarate – Starting her 3rd year after returning to WSSB after two years of absence due to changes that were made with requirements to have the business operation under DES. Mary began working for WSSB again in 2003.  It has taken almost two years to get everything straightened out, but our books are in great shape thanks to Mary and her team!  We are so pleased to have Mary back at WSSB.

Rob Tracey – 2003 – Facility Manager – good job in keeping the campus in great shape.

Janet Kurz - 2000 – Executive Assistant to the Supt. and Board (wears many hats in helping Supt. and Board)

 

·         These folks are key in helping to coordinate services to over 2,000 students/individuals

·         Providing in-service training to over 300 individuals per year

·         Over 50,000 people use WSSB’s facilities each year

·         Over 60,000 people per year using WSSB online video clips, etc. 

·         Production of approximately 600,000 pages of braille per year

·         Birth-3 – Goal:   (New area during the 2014-2015 school year)

o   Move from 11 BVI infants and toddlers registered with APH to 300 by this next year and 400 the year after. 

o   Training provided statewide to all ESIT (Early Support for Infants and Toddlers).  

Major change statewide in this important area: conducting systemic change.

o   Grant Development work and Research with Northern Colorado - potential Online Intervention Federal Research Grant.  Note: Just found out we did not receive the grant, however, we will continue our work with online intervention.

o   Medicaid (3rd party billing) will be moving forward on process for Medicaid billing for BVI – early intervention services and Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Services.  

·         Working with research universities on:

o   Computer programming for the Blind – UNLV

o   Expanding TVI training programs - PSU, Potentially Central Washington University (and always exploring additional options to help combat shortages of TVI and O&M Programs

 

Above is a sample of some of what has been going on at WSSB.

 

Psychologist Position which has been vacant for two years has been filled by intern Mr. Ryan Chiodo who will be supervised by Dr. Tony Dunn, ESD #112. WSSB partnered with the ESD to make this happen. WSSB has also established a contract with the Center for Deaf and Hearing Loss (CDHL) for some psychologist hours for evaluation up through December of 2015. We will see how this works, but it is our goal to home grow this person if this looks like it is a good match for Ryan and WSSB. 

 

Accreditation:

       Gearing up for re-accreditation–2015-2016. Lead person: Sean McCormick with strong support from Ms. Jennifer Langley – returning music teacher who has also served as Principal at the Colorado School for the Blind and Special Education Director for the Hockinson School District (Jennifer will teach music and will help out with this important process).

       Self-study–completed by December-January 2016

       On-site review–Spring of 2016:

o   Accreditation team will be on Campus to Validate self-study:

       AdvancEd will be looking at mostly the on-campus programs, however we want to have team members review and make recommendations on all programs to assist WSSB with:

o   Future Planning

o   Strategic Planning process, etc.

 

TVI and O&M Instructor Shortage:

·         WSSB has been meeting with PSU and also with Central Washington to explore new partnerships that could result in greater number of trained TVIs and O&M Instructors.

o   Alternative Certification Grant through PESB (Professional Educator Standards Board):  PSU, WSSB, possibly WSDS and an ESD may be submitting a letter of intent to OSPI for grant dollars to help people in non-traditional educational roles move into certificated TVI/O&M programs by providing options within universities while providing financial support. 

o   Shortage to increase due to increased emphasis in the area of Birth-3. DeEtte is working with Dr. Holly Lawson at PSU in adding additional coursework to TVIs background to better support Birth-3 infant/toddlers and families, and also exploring options for Birth-3 providers to gain TVI/O&M skills.

 

Statewide-National Assessment:  (Smarter Balance)

·         WSSB staff and others will be working with OSPI to help determine how smarter balance can be made accessible and usable. Currently blind students are taking this exam in a hard copy form which means the computerized advantage of the test adjusting to right or wrong answers is not an option and some of the testing practice materials are not available. Craig Meador, former Director of Outreach, started meeting with OSPI before he left and this needs to become a high priority.  I will be setting up a meeting initially with OSPI and include Emily Coleman (state vision consultant) and Sean McCormick who has been the test coordinator for WSSB on-campus and has hands on experience with smarter balance.  

 

Superintendent Retirement/Transition:

·         Board of Trustees Committee met with the Governor’s office on September 10 to begin the recruitment process. They will be working with a company that the Governor’s office uses for executive recruitment.

 

Superintendent’s Goals:

·         Have solid leadership in all key departments before retirement to assist with a smooth transition and assist the new superintendent in taking WSSB and statewide regional services to BVI to the next level.

·         Update policy and procedures and review processes to assist in a smooth transition.

·         Accessible testing – solution before retirement.

·         University teacher training program (TVI) establish a partnership with an in-state program to assist in expanding programs and services.

·         Sustainability: Evaluate all programs to guarantee that they are either self-supported through state/ federal funding and/or partnerships are developed to maintain services through collaborative efforts.

o   Supplemental Budget Request: Secure the other half of the Birth-3 funding. Half of the funding was cut the last hours of this past legislative session; this allowed for the funding of the position, but not the operating funds. WSSB will continue to operate on private funds, but this is not sustainable and this supplemental budget request is paramount in improving the lives of BVI Infant/Toddlers and their families.

o   Safety Net Request:  WSSB will once again be applying for safety net to help cover the cost of three high cost students. We did receive funding this past spring to help cover some of our costs for the prior school year and this will once again be necessary.

·         Medicaid (3rd party billing): Work with OSPI, DEL and other state agencies to put in place the options for 3rd party billing for O&M and BVI Early Intervention Services.

·         Complete accreditation process – spring of 2016.

·         Recruitment of Superintendent: Assist the Governor’s office and Board in any way I can during the recruitment process.

·         WSSB will be left in excellent condition both programmatically and financially.

 

It has been my privilege to serve BVI children from the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest and I want to make sure that there are no loose ends by the time I leave office.  I hope that I have helped build a system that is sustainable, provides quality services and one that through careful strategic planning will continue to serve children and families for many years to come. During my last year, I want to receive input from the board and stakeholders on important issues that may need to be addressed before my retirement.