WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

 

Minutes from Board of Trustees Meeting

January 18, 2017

Conference Call

 

 

Board Members Participating:  Berl Colley, Michelle Farrell, Keri Clark, Yang-su Cho, Cindy Bennett, Nancy McDaniel, Ed Snook, and Jim Kemp.

 

Board Members Absent:  Dennis Mathews and Lorna Walsh.

 

Ex-Officio Members Participating:  Joleen Ferguson (Washington Council of the Blind), Vaughn Brown (Teachers Association), Marci Carpenter (National Federation of the Blind of Washington), and Lilly Longshore (Parent Representative).

 

Ex-Officio Members Absent:  Corey Grandstaff (Washington Federation of State Employees Local #1225).

 

WSSB Staff Members Participating:  Scott McCallum (Superintendent) and Janet Kurz (recording secretary).

 

January 18, 2017 – 7:30pm

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

 

Business Meeting:

Old Business:

*      Approve board meeting minutes of November 18, 2016.  Jim Kemp moved to approve the minutes as submitted; Berl Colley seconded the motion.  The minutes were approved unanimously.

 

New Business:

 

Superintendent’s Report

Scott reviewed the following: 

*      Scott, Sean McCormick (Director of On-Campus Programs), and Emily Coleman (Director of Outreach/State Vision Consultant) met with Dorinda Rife from the American Printing House for the Blind (APH).  Dorinda toured the campus and learned more about the programs and services that the WSSB provides.

*      Scott had dinner in Hall Cottage (middle school girls’ cottage).  They made a wonderful meal and had a lot of fun. 

*      Scott presented information regarding the WSSB at a recent Results Washington meeting in Olympia.  Results Washington is a Governor’s initiative and one of the goal areas focuses on “World Class Education”.  Other members in this group are representatives from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Department of Early Learning (DEL), Arts Commission, etc.  Most agencies in this group are connected to education.  In general, smaller agencies within this group do not have an opportunity to present regarding their agencies. 

*      Scott traveled to Seattle to attend a reception for the new state librarian.  Scott also met with LouOma Durand, Director of the Department of Services for the Blind (DSB), and Michael MacKillop from DSB to tour their facility and to discuss partnerships and programs we share with DSB.  The conversation went well and Scott is hoping to meet with DSB on at least a quarterly basis.

*      Recently, WSSB has experienced some challenges with the inclement weather.  Students were sent home one day early on January 12 due to the weather.  This decision had a financial impact on some employees.  Scott sent a survey to all staff regarding communication during the inclement weather and is looking forward to receiving the feedback from staff.  Scott will then share the results with the leadership team.  Scott stated that he was very proud of WSSB staff for their dedication and commitment to coming to work during the inclement weather to ensure that students’ were their priority.  Jim asked how many days students missed due to the weather.  Scott stated that the residential students missed one day; however, local/day students missed up to seven days.  Rick Hauan, Director of the Center for Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss (CDHL) and Scott will be meeting to discuss the possibility of extending the school year.  Jim asked that Scott let the Board know if the school year will be extended.  Scott said that there are many factors with this decision including graduation and that Governor Inslee is scheduled to be our commencement speaker this year.  Jim stated that he will not be attending the June 2 Board meeting/commencement because he will be at his 60th high school reunion in Kansas. 

*      On January 19, Scott will be presenting to the house education committee regarding how WSSB integrates and partners with the K-12 education system. 

 

Committee Reports:

*      Management Committee (Ed Snook):

·         Ed stated there is nothing to report at this time.

*      Education Committee (Michelle Farrell):

·         Michelle spoke to Sean this week and received positive feedback for the Board’s visits to the classrooms and assembly during the November meeting.  Michelle and Sean also talked about the possibility of the Board joining the students for dinner on a Thursday evening before a Friday board meeting or participating in a recreation activity.  Sean also discussed the possibility of Board members getting involved with WSSB seniors.  Nancy mentioned that she attended a Career Fair at WSSB and was able to interview some students as part of this activity.  Michelle will send an email to the Board to obtain their ideas regarding involvement with students.  Cindy remarked that she likes the idea of a variety of options for interactions with students and that she also participated in WSSB’s Career Fair and felt it was very worthwhile. Yang-su stated he also appreciates the involvement with students and plans to come to WSSB on a Thursday so he can participate in a ski trip with the students.  Lilly said she has connected with Mr. Face who works with the students in woodshop.

·         Vaughn shared that some of his colleagues were inquiring about the possibility of bringing the elementary program back to WSSB.  Keri stated she could see the importance of having an elementary program at WSSB as she has an elementary aged child.  Lilly agreed as well.  Nancy asked if this could be an agenda item at the March Board meeting.  Scott stated that at this time there is no funding for that program and that all of the decision packages for the next biennium were submitted.  Jim stated it would have to be a biennium in advance.  The issue of sending elementary aged students to a residential program is also a factor.  Michelle said that there might be some interest in having older elementary aged students attend WSSB (4th to 5th grades).  Lilly stated that having her son enrolled in the WSSB for middle school gave him exactly what he needed and taught him how to advocate for what he needs. Keri discussed the importance of parent outreach regarding education for their blind and visually impaired children. 

*      Buildings and Grounds Committee (Lilly Longshore):

·         Lilly stated she would be interested to know how the campus weathered the recent snow and ice storms.  Jim said that the WSSB posted pictures on the website and it showed how well WSSB did with clearing sidewalks, etc.  Scott said there was a significant amount of snow and wanted to give kudos to staff for their dedication to getting to work and their commitment was great.  Rob and his staff did a great job keeping the campus safe.

*      Legislative Committee (Berl Colley):

·         Berl stated that at this time the only focus for the legislative committee is obtaining full funding for the Birth-3 program.  Scott reported that the Governor has funded our request as submitted in his version of the budget for our Birth-3 program. 

 

Ex-Officio’s Reports:

*      Teachers Association (Vaughn Brown):

·         Vaughn reported that the WSSB winter holiday concert, volunteer orientation and open house will take place on January 19.  This is an opportunity for parents and volunteers to talk to the teachers, look at the classrooms, etc.  The students are very excited to show what they have learned during the concert.  The concert will be streamed on the internet through the school’s YouTube account.   

*      Washington Council of the Blind (Joleen Ferguson):

·         Joleen reported that the WCB President, Steve Fiksdal, worked with their membership to establish committee members for their various committees.  More information can be located on the WCB’s website. 

·         The WCB winter board meeting will be held the first weekend in February 2017.

*      National Federation of the Blind (Marci Carpenter):

·         Marci stated that it was a shock for everyone when former Board member Mike Freeman passed away on Christmas Eve.  Marci and Scott have been discussing ways to honor Mike.  Mike was adamant that he did not want a service or memorial; however, the NFB’s Clark County Chapter meets the fourth Saturday of each month and plan to meet after for a get together to honor Mike. 

·         Marci and four other members from the NFB of WA will travel to Washington DC in a couple of weeks to meet with members of congress and legislators.  Former WSSB student and current intermittent, Matt Hines will also be attending.  Two of the issues that the NFB is currently working on is obtaining accessible instructional materials in higher ed. and the other is asking for a one-time appropriation for the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Handicap to fund and allow a pilot program to make a new braille display available for library patrons.  This braille display costs less than $500 and they are going to ask for a one-time appropriation so they can distribute 10,000 braille displays across the country.   

*      Parent Representative (Lilly Longshore):

·         Lilly discussed some of the struggles that her son has had to endure in local public schools regarding accessibility.  Lilly stated that she starts each new school year with her son by meeting with his teachers and Principal to discuss his vision issues.  Lilly would like to find a way to work with general education teachers to educate them about having a blind or visually impaired student in their class and the unique needs and challenges this can pose.  Lilly stated that some teachers have been very proactive in working with TVI’s and others do not.  Lilly suggested that perhaps WSSB could offer a program relating to this.  Scott remarked that the WSSB has a program called the Summer Institute for teachers, paraprofessionals, etc. who have never had a blind or visually impaired student in their class.  Each summer this workshop has 50+ in attendance.  Discussion was held regarding whom to reach at the school districts for information regarding this workshop.  Michelle remarked that she has sent many teachers and instructional assistants to WSSB’s Summer Institute and it has been beneficial.  Michelle stated that some of the disadvantages of the Summer Institute is that it is held during the summer, is in Vancouver and is cost prohibitive because teachers have to fund this with their own money.  Lilly asked if there is a possibility to bring that training to the school at the request of the principal.  Scott offered to meet separately with Lilly, Keri and Michelle regarding possible trainings and the challenges that they are experiencing with their children’s education.

·         Michelle asked if WSSB was having their website assessed for accessibility. Scott said that Utah State University did an evaluation and we are now in the stages of making those corrections. Michelle reported that three of her blind staff members who use screen readers reported they are unable to manage the student accounts.  Scott will talk to our webmaster about this issue.

 

Miscellaneous:

Janet reported that at the November Board meeting, discussion was held regarding inviting Darla Helt, Parent Coalition to attend the Board meeting and to have a JAWS demonstration.  Janet is in the process of arranging both for the March meeting

 

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:38pm.  The next Board meeting will be held at the WSSB campus on Friday, March 17, 2017 at 11:00am.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Nancy McDaniel, Vice-Chair                                                       Scott McCallum, Superintendent

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Superintendent Report – January 2017

 

Happy New Year! While the overall theme for most people in the agency over the last two months may be inclement weather and winter break, the superintendent’s office has been busy as usual.  Dorinda Rife, Vice President of the American Printing House for the Blind, visited WSSB on November 29, 2016.  Dorinda met with Sean McCormick (Director of On-Campus Programs), Emily Coleman (Director of Outreach/State Vision Consultant-WSDS), and I to discuss programs offered through WSSB and take a tour of our beautiful campus. The next day’s evening was highlighted by dinner with Hall Cottage with the students. The following evening, on December 1, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak to the Vancouver Lion’s Club about the school and my professional journey that led me here. The following week began with another presentation about the school, this time to the Results Washington, which focuses on the Governor’s initiative for a “World-Class Education”. While this is a group that I participate in regularly, I typically do not have the opportunity to present.  The presentation seemed to be well received by members of the group. Later that same week, on December 8, I travelled to Seattle to meet with LouOma Durand and Michael MacKillop of Department of Services for the Blind (DSB).  We discussed current collaborations such as our Learning Independence for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT) program and our new Transition Support Specialist, Marcy Ebarb. The visit to DSB also provided me with an opportunity to tour the main DSB facility in Seattle. Future meetings will be set with DSB to further discuss program improvement and future collaboration opportunities.  Later that same day I traveled to the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTBBL) in Seattle, for the welcome reception for the new State Librarian, Cindy Aden.

 

As mentioned previously, the last two months have not been without interruption. As planned, we had our winter break.  Additional days off for some students have been dealt by the hand of Mother Nature. Our local districts, which provide transportation to our local students, have delayed or cancelled school several times now due to the extreme weather in this area. On one occasion, we decided to send our residential students home one day early, effectively cancelling school entirely for both resident and day students around noon on Thursday, January 12.  Because of the consistent disruption to the education of students attending WSSB, we will discuss and consider the addition of school day(s) at the end of the year and/or altering our school calendar. 

 

Finally, the 2017 Legislative session has begun. I will be presenting to the House Education Committee on Thursday, January 19, 2017. The presentation will provide a brief overview of the agency as well as address the question of how WSSB relates to and interacts with the K-12 education system.