WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

 

Minutes from Board of Trustees Meeting

November 17, 2017

Vancouver, Washington

 

 

Board Members Participating:  Dennis Mathews, Michelle Farrell, Yang-su Cho, Cindy Bennett, Lorna Walsh, Ed Snook, Jim Kemp, and Berl Colley.

 

Board Members Absent:  Nancy McDaniel and Keri Clark

 

Ex-Officio Members Participating:  Denise Colley (Washington Council of the Blind), Jennifer Butcher (Teacher Representative), Marci Carpenter (National Federation of the Blind of Washington), and Krista Bulger (Parent Representative).

 

WSSB Staff Members Participating:  Mr. Scott McCallum (Superintendent), Jennifer Langley (Director of Curriculum and Instruction), Sean McCormick (Director of On-Campus Programs), and Janet Kurz (recording secretary).

 

Special Guest:  Erma Kemp

 

November 17, 2017 –   11am-1:30pm                                              

Dennis called the meeting to order at 11:00am. 

 

Business Meeting:

 

Department Highlight: 

Jennifer Langley, Director of Curriculum and Instruction (Data)

·         Jennifer reported on the importance of data.  Jennifer believes that without data to know where our students are, we won’t know how to help our students succeed.  Jennifer sent home practice tests with students and involved the parents with this activity.  Jennifer shared information with the Board showing great progress for our students.  The WSSB was able to determine which assessment was appropriate for each student.  In addition, during the state testing week, classes were adjusted and students were given the tests for a maximum of 2.5 hours per day with a 1:1 proctor in their appropriate medium. 

·         During the 2016-2017 school year, students had to create their own business that included a business plan, business cards, etc.  Presentations by the students were done in a “shark tank” style. 

·         Jennifer ended her report by sharing a story regarding a WSSB student who strived to improve his Certificate of Individual Achievement (CIA) upon graduation to a Certificate of Academic Achievement (CAA).  Through hard work and perseverance, the student improved and was able to receive the CAA.  ; Jennifer remarked that WSSB is teaching strategies to succeed in passing the state assessments.  Jim said that the WSSB is lucky to have Jennifer. 

 

Old Business:

*      Approve board meeting minutes of September 22, 2017. Jim moved to approve the minutes as submitted; Lorna seconded the motion.  The minutes were approved unanimously.

 

 

New Business:

 

Superintendent’s Report

Scott reviewed the following:  

*      Scott attended the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and Washington Council of the Blind (WCB) conventions in October and November, respectively.

*      Scott met with our new Policy Advisor, John Flanagan.  Scott and John discussed the possibility of not requiring school districts to have to pay for braille textbooks.  Scott also met with our new Fiscal Analyst, Cynthia Hollimon, and mentioned the same goal.  Scott reported that the cost to braille a textbook could run $20,000-$30,000 if the book has not been brailled before.  Scott is thankful that both policy analyst and fiscal analyst are supportive of the proposal for this. 

*      Scott attended an Executive Cabinet meeting in Olympia.  The meeting focused on sexual harassment and each director was encouraged to be mindful of this topic within their respective agency.

*      Scott and Sean McCormick, Director of On-Campus Programs met with a videographer discuss the creation of a video that could be used to reach out to parents, Special Education Directors and Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVI’s) to build awareness regarding what the school can offer.  The cost for the video will be between $12,000-$15,000.

*      Scott was recently elected as the chair of the Oregon Commission of the Blind Board of Directors.

*      Scott is applying to a doctoral program for education leadership through the Washington State University-Vancouver campus.  Scott plans to focus his program on research on education for blind and visually impaired students.  Scott reported that this will be a 3-5 year process and feels it is the right thing to do for the school. 

 

Committee Reports:

*      Education Committee:

o   Michelle spoke to Sean and learned that the WSSB Short Courses that have been offered have been filled to capacity.  Michelle and Sean discussed the challenges of having a student from a school district miss school for a week.  Discussion was held regarding the possibility of taking the Short Course to different regions of the state and/or offer the Short Course after school at the school district.  Scott said he is a big fan of the short courses and they are gaining traction.  Scott stated that Short Course TVI Jeff Bowler is doing a fantastic job.  Jennifer Butcher reported that there is time set aside each day for the students to complete their homework.

o   Sean felt that on a case-by-case basis, that the para-educator could attend the short course with the student and stay in the WSSB modular.  Michelle felt that would be very valuable.  Scott felt this would be a great option so that the para-educator would receive a very rich experience and could benefit from working with other students. 

*      Buildings and Grounds Committee:

o   Jim reported that he did a walk-through of the campus and said things look very good.  Jim felt that the dedication of the Stenehjem Fitness Center held in September went very well. 

*      Management Committee:

o   Lorna said Ed would be doing the superintendent’s evaluation since this will be Lorna’s last meeting. 

o   Ed said there are no issues that have come up so he has no report at this time.   

*      Legislative Committee

o   Berl stated that the legislature will be in a short session this year that begins on January 8.  Berl feels that the legislature will be focused on the McCleary issue.  Berl stated because of that, the schools request is primarily for the schools budget and WSSB has received a favorable response from the Governor’s office.  Scott feels that WSSB has been very well supported. 

 

Ex-Officio’s Reports:

*      WFSE Local #1225 (N/A):

*      Washington Council of the Blind (Denise Colley):

o   Denise reported the WCB convention was held in October at the Red Lion in Pasco. Denise was unable to attend as she and Berl were attending the American Council of the Blind board meeting.  DeEtte Snyder, Birth-3 Statewide Coordinator and Emily Coleman, Director of Outreach/Statewide Vision Consultant presented about outreach services and programs and Denise heard nothing but high praise about their presentation.  Denise was elected President of the WCB.  Denise will officially take over in January 2018.  The WCB is working towards having their next fall convention in Vancouver at the Hilton Hotel. 

o   Scott asked if the two consumer groups would consider having an information table at the upcoming track meet for information for parents and families.  The track meet will be held on May 17, 2018 from 10am-2pm.  Jennifer reported there are usually around 130 students in attendance. 

*      National Federation of the Blind (Marci Carpenter):

·         The NFB of Washington held their convention in November at the Hotel RL in Olympia.  Marci reported that Scott attended the convention and assisted in several areas including door prizes. Marci remarked that Scott is truly a part of the blind community and feels he is blind at heart.  During the convention, two scholarships were awarded.  Marci stated that this was the first fall convention without Mike Freeman, who passed away last December and he was missed.  Marci feels that their convention will likely be held at the Hotel RL in Olympia again as they received a lot of positive feedback about the hotel. 

·         The NFB of Washington and Oregon are going to cohost the BELL Program (Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning) at the WSSB in August 2018, for children ages 4-12.  This will be a day camp for 10-12 students that will last two weeks.  There are a number of activities including an introduction to braille, using learning/sleep shades, decorating canes, field trips, etc. Krista remarked that her oldest son attended the first BELL program in Baltimore, MD. Marci hopes that this program grows and expands in coming years.

*      Parent Representative (Krista Bulger):

·         Krista said that she reaches out to parents via email in an attempt to connect with them and provide them information regarding events and activities.  Emily Coleman and Krista both post information on a Facebook sight called “Blindsided in WA”.

·         Krista stated that she has provided information to parents of students she serves regarding Short Courses and they have asked if the courses could be completed in a shorter length of time. 

·         Krista would like to assist in disseminating information regarding the BELL program when it is published. 

·         Michelle reported that the Seattle School District is hosting an event on January 25, 2018 at 6pm.  The event is geared for families of BVI students and will focus on independence, fostering self-sufficiency, letting go, etc.  Cindy Bennett will be on a panel with relatively younger adults who are in varying degrees of blindness and some parents who have raised VI children.  At the same time, Jack Straw Recording Studio will be running a kids event in another room. Michelle will forward the information to Krista to disseminate.  Dennis suggested that Michelle invite the Seattle Superintendent to the event. 

*      Teachers Representative (Jennifer Butcher):

·         Jennifer said the teachers are working hard on collecting data and to educate students to meet their individual needs.  There is an Iron Man competition occurring with students, staff and parents to encourage them to help them and help them along the way.  The competition includes swimming (2.4 miles), biking (112 miles) and a marathon.  This can be completed over 8 weeks and every time a student completes a mile, they put a sticker on their sheet.  Jennifer also provides awards for progress and completion.  WSSB math classes are assessing the logs each week and do stats on the progress. 

 

Miscellaneous:

*      Marci attended an event (bowling and pizza) with the local NFB and WSSB students.  The local chapter is doing social events with students a couple of times per quarter and the next event will be a talent show at the WSSB. 

*      Scott reported that before Dean Stenehjem retired, the school had a 10-year strategic plan that spanned from 2015-2025.  Scott has learned that best practice in state government is to do a strategic plan every 2-3 years.  Because Scott is new and wants to embrace and have ownership in the strategic plan, the next planning session will be held this spring.  Scott would like to have a wide range of representation of stakeholders.  Scott stated we are looking at a date around the March, 2018 Board meeting.  Scott would like a statewide perspective, not just on-campus programs.  Dennis would like to be involved in the process and would like to ask two more board members to be included.  If there is an interest in participating, let Janet know. 

*      Yang-su asked what the enrollment was in the Learning Independence for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT) program; Scott said there are three enrollees this year.  Scott stated all LIFTT students are placed in the program through the Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) and they have to be high school graduates.  Yang-su felt information can be shared with DSB counselors to assist with this. 

 

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 1:30pm.  The next Board meeting will be held on January 17 at 7:30pm via conference call.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Dennis Mathews, Chair                                                                Scott McCallum, Superintendent

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Board Reports – November 2017

 

Outreach

We continue to enjoy working with our Outreach students every day. It has been a great year so far!  Here are some of the best parts:

 

·         Our Outreach providers are serving students in 53 school districts.

·         We have three (3) braillists, 10 Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVI), one (1) Orientation and Mobility specialist (O&M), and five (5) dual certified (TVI/ O&M) staff.

·         Pam Parker continues in her role as half-time mentor. She has been observing TVI candidates throughout the state and assisting our Outreach staff with complicated evaluations. She will be attending a mentor training at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in December, which will continue to strengthen her mentoring skills.

·         On September 20, I attended the SPED Director meeting at ESD 105 discussing the needs of our students and caseload management tools.

·         September 21 was the first Unified English Braille (UEB) committee meeting of the year. We continue to evaluate our statewide test and the implementation of UEB in WA.

·         On October 10, Sean McCormick, Director of On-Campus Programs, and I visited the Ohio School for the Blind in Columbus.  We met with administration, toured the campus, and researched their programs and services.

·         October 11–14 was the Annual Meeting at the American Printing House for the Blind (APH). This included the Council of Schools and Services for the Blind (COSB) leadership institute, which encouraged networking and mentoring among leaders in our field.

·         I continue to be the Washington Sensory Disabilities Services (WSDS) liaison within my role as State Vision Consultant.  This included WSDS meetings on October 18 and November 1.

·         On October 19, we had our quarterly Outreach department meeting in Tacoma.  Topics included leadership, APH updates, tech updates from Bruce McClanahan, evaluation templates from Pam Parker, and introduction of new products we have acquired to provide functional vision assessments.

·         October 20 provided an opportunity to meet again with the Outreach from the Center for Deafness and Hearing Loss (CDHL).  We had a half-day presentation from Greg Abell at Sound Options about partnering with teams and conflict resolution. Participant evaluations proved this was valuable and well received.

·         I continue to visit Outreach teachers for their fall observations and am met with exciting lessons and engaged students. I will be continuing this through the first week of December.

·         On October 27, I attended the Washington Council of the Blind (WCB) convention in Pasco.  DeEtte Snyder, State Coordinator, Birth to 3, Blind/Visual Impairment (BVI), and I were together on a panel discussing the education of students in our state through our Outreach programs.

·         October 30 was this year’s first regional “Round-Up Meeting” for vision professionals in Yakima. We had about twenty-two participants and much meaningful discussion.

·         I attended the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) convention on November 4, which was beneficial to connect with NFB members and learn about their advocacy efforts.

·         Finally, I have been working closely with Mike Sivill, WSSB Braille Proofreader, and the Ogden Resource Center (ORC) to coordinate our statewide online braille course.  We have about 50 people signed up and look forward to their successful certification this spring.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

On Campus

Enrollment

Total on-campus enrollment September – November: 62

Comprehensive programs: 44

Short Course: 9 (2 short courses year to date)

Distance Learning: 6

Part-time Vancouver School District: 3

WSSB’s on-campus programs will be focusing on gathering input, creating awareness, and ensuring the enrollment process is accessible to students that may qualify and benefit.   

 

Celebrations

Two WSSB staff members were honored at the annual COSB awards banquet.  This awards banquet includes awards given by the Principals of Schools for the Blind (POSB).  Jennifer Butcher received recognition for Outstanding TVI, and Catherine Orr was recognized in the category of Outstanding Residential Staff.  This is one of the few national awards for the work of incredible professionals at schools for the blind.

 

WSSB’s girls goalball team competed at the USABA High school National Championships in Austin, Texas. The WSSB Lionesses placed 5th place overall and received the Sportsmanship Award. 

 

Supporting the Whole WSSB Student

Academics and independence are the core elements that make up the educational program at WSSB.  There is a range of activities that contribute to student growth in these areas such as the word of the day, classroom instruction, specially designed skill training, enrichment classes, and increase in the focus of independent living skills in the cottage.  These areas are critical to the current and future success of students.  Instruction is only viable for students when they are ready to learn and in a place that they can truly trust.   

 

WSSB has been focusing on improving the support for students and ensuring that staff have the tools and a consistent philosophy to providing trauma informed care in our practice in the classroom and the cottages.  The residential staff and para-educators at WSSB continue to receive training through the Culture of Care framework.  Students have also been exposed to this framework through bi-weekly activities and discussions derived from the Culture of Care curriculum.  Separately, residential life staff will be participating in Mental Health First Aid; an 8-hour training that focuses on how to help youth in crisis and non-crisis situations. 

 

WSSB welcomes the opportunity to work with Sandi McQueen from Real Life Counseling to provide additional therapeutic supports for students that need it.  Sandi is a certified as a social worker, child health mental health specialist, and several other areas, including horticulture therapy.  Sandi currently meets with students 2 days per week at WSSB. 

 

Technology

Students are accessing their coursework and materials more and more through digital means.  Most middle school students use an iPad for access and most high school students are using a Windows based laptop.  There are many variations to student technology setup, but we are utilizing a 1 to 1 model to increase the mobility and access for students to anywhere learning.  The school recently acquired a number of 40 cell braille displays to increase the availability of braille to students while they are accessing materials digitally.  With technology changing so quickly, continue to learn the skills with devices that area readily available and use the most current adaptive software and tools to build their skills for digital access and communication to enhance their learning now and in their future. 

 

Community Partnerships

Students recently participated in a fire safety training from the Vancouver Fire Department at WSSB’s campus.  Deputy Fire Marshall Mike Lackey taught students about the fundamentals on fire safety and then a practical session.  The hands on experience included climbing out of the cottage windows, and then students participated in using fire extinguishers to put out a real fire staged in the Watson Cottage parking lot.   

 

Like this new partnership with Vancouver Fire Department, WSSB partnered in activities this fall with support from:

Northwest Association for Blind Athletes

National Federation of the Blind

Vancouver Lion’s Club

Northwest Children’s Theater

And many other community volunteers

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Transition Services

Health Center

We have had a good start to the new 2017-18 school year. We continue to have students with complicated medical conditions, requiring health center nurses to provide additional staff training.

 

Nurses recently performed hearing exams on new WSSB students.

 

Nurses will begin the Self Directed Medication Program soon; we have several new students we hope to have participate this year.

 

We currently have four on call nurses in addition to two (2) full time nurses. Because all the on-calls have full time jobs elsewhere and are not always available when needed, another on-call nurse will likely need to be hired in the next few months.

 

An updated medication administration policy has been approved. The Health Center staff have a goal to review and update all other policies and procedures by the end of the school year. All other medical policies are currently being reviewed and re-written if needed.

 

Health center nurses will both maintain registration as nurses in both Oregon and Washington to meet the needs of students.

 

The Health Center is hosting a nursing student from Washington State University (WSU)-Vancouver this term. The student will be given a specific project to complete that will benefit the health center.

 

Nurses Robin, Justine and fitness TVI Jennifer Butcher have switched from American Heart Association to American Health and Safety Institute (ASHI) for CPR instruction. ASHI is less expensive for the school.

 

The Health Center Nurses are partnered with Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency as a “Point of Distribution” or POD in the event of a health crisis that required medication be delivered to large numbers of people in a short time period. WSSB Nurses have agreed to distribute emergency medication to students, student’s families, staff, staff families and local blind and visually impaired community members.

 

Nurses are actively preparing emergency care plan information for students with special health care needs in a more accessible format for our BVI staff.

 

The current medical directors are Dr. Katherine Vaughn and Dr. Laurie Metzger from the Vancouver Clinic.

 

Youth Service Specialist (YSS)

The WSSB YSS, Marcie Ebarb, continues to coordinate the Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) funded contract with Partners in Careers (PIC) to provide weekly soft skills training, supported internships/job shadows and integrated community career focused events for WSSB students.  Four (4) juniors and five (5) seniors will participate in the program during the 2017/18 academic year.  YSS will meet regularly with other WSSB and PIC staff to coordinate activities.  She continues to participate in the Center for Change in Transition Services (CCTS) Transition Learning Community (TLC) leadership team.  Increasing community work based learning opportunities and preparing students for 21st century work will be the focus of this year’s TLC.  

 

The WSSB YSS regularly attends networking meetings with WorkForce South West Washington’s Emerging Workforce Committee and WorkSource’s Business Partner Outreach Group in order to gain information about local employment services/programs and highlight the importance of making these services accessible. She meets at least quarterly with DSB youth services and DSB south region staff, at least monthly with DSB YSS staff for planning and reporting.  She updates DSB’s business management database with pre-ETS activity documentation as required.  She made a presentation to the State Rehabilitation Council about the 2017 YES 1 program on September 15.

 

The WSSB YSS accompanied a student to a volunteer appreciation lunch at the Salvation Army on September 7.  While there, Salvation Army staff proposed additional volunteer opportunities for WSSB students teaching musical instruments in their afterschool program.  She is working 1:1 with students referred by the WSSB transition coordinator, to assist in job search and volunteer job placement goals.  She began working 1:1 with students in the WSSB GOALS class 2 days per week on October 11, to establish Career Cruising program accounts and facilitate work readiness activities.

 

The WSSB YSS attended the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL) conference with a WSSB student, four (4) other DSB participants and the DSB YSS staff from October 19-23 in Spokane, WA. The youth were able to participate in an all-day youth conference and multiple youth focused breakout sessions with youth who have a variety of disabilities from around the country.  The focus of the conference was self-advocacy and independent living.  Interaction with staff from Centers for Independent Living and State Independent Living Councils from around the country was informative for both the YSS and the youth who attended.  The WSSB student who attended had the opportunity to meet with his DSB counselor in person for the first time during this trip.

 

WSSB YSS attended the first of six Washington Initiative for Supported Employment (WISE) trainings on October 24.  Presentations were made by Vancouver SD middle school, high school and GATE program teachers about their transition programs and job placement activities. These teachers, and the Partnership for Action Voices for Empowerment (PAVE) southwest office representative who she met at the event, will be potential community resources.  Future training topics include adult systems, building independence, Social Security, guardianship and employment.

 

Learning Independence for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT)/Transition services

There are three students in LIFTT currently. One received his BS from WSU-V in May and has a paid internship doing accessibility testing. Two are attending Clark College. One of those is seeking part time employment and working with Goodwill Job Connections program, and one is seeking volunteer work. We continue to seek new/additional students for the program.

 

Students have settled in and are through the assessment phase, and goals are in place for each. Besides their vocational pursuits, they are focused in general on mastering independence in basic household care, meal planning, shopping and cooking skills, as well as community access skills.

 

Steve Lowry, WSSB TVI, and I recently returned from a trip to Boston to visit the transition programs at Perkins School for the Blind. This trip was funded through a grant from the Pacific Foundation for Blind Children (PFBC). We gathered a lot of great information about how they approach providing transition services to their students, and we look forward to using this information to strengthen our transition services. We engaged in great conversation with Perkins staff about the root causes of continued low employment rates for BVI adults in spite of our efforts in providing transition services to our students, and plan to further explore the issue as a national community.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Business Office

1.           2016-17 Operating & Capital Budget

September books did not close in time for this report. 

 

2.           2017 Supplemental Budget Requests

Operating:  Following is the summary text on each of the submittals: 

 

Digital Braille Literacy Access - $78,079

Funding is requested to enable the WSSB to provide electronic braille display technology.  Electronic braille technology will provide 100% of braille readers with computer access to classroom materials and assessments supporting greater independence and digital literacy skills comparable to their sighted peers.  Curriculum and assessments have begun shifting to digital formats, and without access to assistive technology for braille readers, a distinct opportunity gap will negatively affect the education of BVI learners.

 

Reasonable Accommodation - $48,900

Funding is requested to enable WSSB to provide reasonable accommodation to allow employees with disabilities to do their jobs as mandated by ADA and in support of the Governor’s Executive Order 13-02 Improving Employment Opportunities and Outcomes for People with Disabilities in State Employment.  Currently, 20% of WSSB employees require some form of reasonable accommodation. This request is based off historical data.  In FY17, WSSB spent $36,087 to provide reasonable accommodation to allow employees with disabilities to do their jobs. 

 

Transportation - $104,737

Per chapter 28A.160 RCW and the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (currently enacted as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the WSSB transports students with disabilities as mandated by both state and federal law.  Most states have a method to address transportation funding based on changes in student population.  In Washington, this system exists within the local public schools, and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) covers the costs. WSSB is not included in OSPI’s transportation system. 

 

The funding the state provides is not sufficient to keep up with costs. WSSB’s costs in 2015-17 biennium were $575,825.  When 2017-19 proposed budgets were due, transportation contracts for school year 2017-18 were not in place.  The contract increased by 18%.  WSSB cannot continue to absorb unfunded transportation costs without affecting the quality of services necessary for students to succeed.

 

Technical Correction-WFSE General Government - $82,000

A technical glitch occurred in the system when the final version was created.  G09 WFSE General Government compensation for the first year was inadvertently dropped off the schedule.  Therefore, a correction of $82,000 to WFSE General Government funding is being requested. 

 

Capital

As you are aware, the legislature did not pass a 2017-19 capital budget.  In the last legislative session they only approved re-appropriation requests.  Ours was approved for $123,553.  We re-submitted our entire original capital request as a supplemental as follows:

 

Roof Replacement and Rejuvenation                                         $250,000

Security (cameras, card locks, fencing, etc.)                           $  50,000

Safety (Fire protection, health & safety)                                  $100,000

Minor Campus Buildings Remodeling (interior)                     $140,000

Campus Preservation (sidewalks, paving, bldg. ext.)          $  30,000                             

                                                                                                                     $570,000

                                               

3.           Performance Measures.  We reported on the following measures for quarter ending September 2017:

 

#1585 Percent of WSSB high school students enrolled in online classes: 5%

#1586 Braille Distributed on time:  85%

#1590 Pages of Braille Transcription:  57,884

#1591 Training opportunities accessed by individuals:  10,826

#1592 Number of teachers/paraprofessionals taking Braille exams:  37

#1593 Number of students on campus:  75

#1594 Off-Campus Services:  811

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Human Resources

New Hires:  

·         Angie Sheron – On-call Teacher’s Aide (TA)

·         Rachel Blanco – On-call Residential Life Counselor (RLC)

·         Emily Owens – Substitute Teacher

 

Open Recruitments:

·         TVI – Math

·         School Psychologist

·         On-call RLC

·         On-call Teacher’s Assistant

·         On-call Custodian

·         On-call Cook

·         Substitute Teacher

 

Trainings/Functions Attended:

·         HR Managers Meeting – Facilitated by Franklin Plaistowe and Marcos Rodriguez

·         Labor Relations Roundtable – Facilitated by Office of Financial Management (OFM)

·         Safe Schools Task Force

·         State Whistleblower

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Ogden Resource Center (ORC)

 

Jennifer Fenton attended the APH Annual Meeting in Kentucky and learned a lot about what’s happening nationwide and changes to Quota Registration.

 

Here are some things that learned at APH:

·         There are now 42 Prison Braille Programs around the nation.

·         The focus on electronic tactiles is growing nation-wide.

·         Accessible media for low-vision students is moving away from traditional large print towards digital.

·         Over 1,500 families are receiving free braille books for preschoolers through the Braille Tales program.

·         Braille Blaster is now available! It is a free braille transcription program available for download at http://brailleblaster.org/.

·         APH and many other vendors now offer UEB Math.

·         APH has a FREE Tactile Graphics Library that has images for the Tiger embosser as well as 3-D images for APH product replacement parts.

·         APH released 44 new products last year!

 

The biggest news at APH for the ORC is that Parent Permission is now required for students to be counted in the annual census. The ORC is working on procedures for gathering and tracking parent permission.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Buildings and Grounds

Campus:

·         The legislature in Olympia is trying to put something together for capital projects to proceed. The timing on this is important as we will need time to draft and bid projects so that work can begin as soon as school is out. Priority for the projects will be replacing the cottage roofs and rerouting the sewer line behind Watson and Clarke Cottages.

·         The company we are working with to make the tree identification signs for the Freeman project sent its first mockup of what they will look like. We are waiting for their actual print outs for the Braille before we proceed further.

·         We currently have a cracked circulation line from one of the pool circulating pumps and a failed salt cell chlorine generator. Both items require outside help and we are waiting for parts and scheduling to correct these problems. We are able to maintain operations with these issues due to some redundancies in the system.

 

Capital:

·         We are moving forward with relocating the middle array of lights in the gym. The center banks of eight will split in half with the outside banks remaining at the top of the basketball key and the center ones moved closer to the basket. These lights will be replaced with LED fixtures.

·         Our Department of Enterprise Services (DES) project contact person was reassigned due to no capital budget and the resultant reduction by 50% of that department. We still were able to get the sealcoating of the southeast parking lots signed off and will now just need to coordinate between the contractor, the weather and campus activities.

·         We were able to finish replacing the lawn behind Hall and Chapman cottages. This area was dug up when the sewer lines to the North West were replaced. WSSB staff rototilled, raked and rolled the 1700 square foot areas and then had it hydro seeded. The grass is still filling in but it will look very nice by spring.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Birth-3

Updates since September 2017:

·         Referrals for new infants/toddlers continue to come in!  We have procured a contract with South Sound Parent to Parent Program who serves a tri county area of Grays Harbor, Thurston, and Mason counties.  Previously school districts were providing Early Intervention (EI) services, but are not since July except for North Thurston and Olympia School Districts. Since we now have an EI Visual Impairment Specialist (EIVIS) in the eastern side of the state, her caseload is growing with new contracts in Spokane county.  She also provides the vision services to ESD 123 who serves Benton, Franklin, Columbia and Walla Walla counties in addition to Whitman and Garfield counties.  We will be presenting at the Spokane county ICC meeting this month on vision services so we hope to increase our services to all five early intervention agencies, as currently we serve two (2).

·         Currently the B-3 Program has 18 contracts serving 15 counties for a total of 48 kids. 

·         The redesign of the Department of Early Learning (DEL) and Early Supports for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) has been a positive process for us as it has allowed us to centralize and coordinate our services.  We have begun to discuss additional and expanded partnerships with ESIT in order to create equitable services to children with visual impairments across the state and are excited for the future!

·         DeEtte continues to work statewide to provide support for the state's Part C agency Early Support for Infants & Toddlers (ESIT) through the Department of Early Learning (DEL), especially with the new move to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).  She was appointed to a subcommittee of the State Interagency Coordinating Council (SICC) called Personnel & Training Committee. She also participated in a small workgroup to create the state’s personnel competencies for all EI providers, including TVI’s or EIVIS.

·         The Parent Infant Playgroup (PIP) has seen an increase in participation with about seven (7) families attending the playgroup every other Friday at the Irwin Library.  Also, a group of parents went on a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch and fun was had by all.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Superintendent

I am trying something new with my board reports this year.  I will provide, in bulleted format, a list of the more significant activities of the Superintendent’s office.  For each month, I will describe a highlight or two in more detail. If at any point you would like more information or have questions, please do not hesitate to call, email, or schedule a time to meet in person.  I want to make sure that you have the information that you need to advise and guide what we do to meet the needs of students who are BVI throughout Washington State.

 

September

September 25:  Meeting with the Center for Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss (CDHL)/WSSB and Kate Davis/Cynthia Hollimon, OFM Budget Analysts regarding budget needs

September 28:  Featured speaker at annual NWABA fundraising breakfast

 

Highlight

We have a new budget analyst from the Office of Financial Management (OFM).  Her name is Cynthia Hollimon.  Kate Davis, our previous OFM budget analyst, will continue to provide guidance and mentorship to Cynthia.  Cynthia is new to the state of Washington, but was in a similar role in the Montana Governor’s Office.  Rick Hauan (Executive Director, CDHL) and I had the opportunity to sit down with Kate and Cynthia to provide an overview of our agencies, discuss our anticipated supplemental requests, and review future needs and/or ongoing concerns for each agency. We are excited to work with Cynthia.

 

October

October 2:  Final Piano Hospital Board meeting

October 4:  Attended Camp Magruder

October 6:  Oregon Commission for the Blind (OCB) meeting (Voted as board chair)

October 23:  Access for All conference call (Computer Science grant with University of Washington, UNLV, other partners)

October 24:  UMCC meeting with WFSE

October 24:  Executive Cabinet/Small Agency Cabinet meeting

October 26:  UMCC meeting with WPEA

October 26-28:  WCB convention in Pasco

October 30:  Meeting with Johnathan Flanagan, new Policy Advisor

October 30:  Tour with Guide Dogs for the Blind interns

October 31:  AWSP (Principal evaluation) training in Yakima

 

Highlight

October was a very busy month that included a long awaited personal vacation.  Just before I left for vacation, I had the opportunity to visit Camp Magruder to spend time with WSSB students and faculty on the Oregon Coast.  We were fortunate to have beautiful weather that did not discourage those who were interested in the polar plunge.  I witnessed several students and staff taking a late-fall plunge into the lake near Camp Magruder.  I had the opportunity to enjoy lunch with the kids and participate in teaching several students to rowboat and eventually challenge each other in rowboat races.  Any opportunity that I get to spend time with our wonderful students is highlight worthy.  I spent the next two weeks on a long-planned vacation.  After returning from my vacation, I immediately hit the road for meetings, trainings, and consumer group conventions.  Near the end of October, I enjoyed spending time with members of the WCB at their Annual Convention in Pasco.  Emily Coleman and DeEtte Snyder both presented to the WCB membership about student services, programs, and opportunities facilitated by WSSB.  I had the opportunity to present an overall update on the agency.  I presented on a panel with my peers from the DSB and the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library.  Together, we are known as “The Big Three”.  I always appreciate an opportunity to get to know our stakeholders.  The stakeholder conventions allow me the opportunity to hear from Washingtonians who are blind, listen to their challenges and success stories, and get to know many people once associated with WSSB. 

 

November

November 1:  WSDS meeting in Renton

November 2:  Tour with Executive Assistants’ Group members (Accessibility Workshop)

November 3:  Clark County Superintendents Meeting/ESD 112 Regional Superintendents meeting

November 3-5:  National Federation of the Blind (NFB) convention in Olympia

November 6:  Results Washington Meeting (World Class Education)

November 7:  WSSB Video Project meeting with Sean McCormick and WATech

 

Highlight

Each year I have the wonderful opportunity to spend time with both the WCB and the NFB of Washington. The first Friday in November marked the start of the NFB of Washington’s Annual Convention in Olympia.  I spent the weekend with NFB and had the opportunity to speak about educational options for students who are BVI in Washington. During my address to both the WCB and the NFB, I had an opportunity to request the assistance of their members in providing feedback about the accessibility and usability of our WSSB website.  I remain hopeful that WCB and NFB members will take the time to provide feedback so that we can continue our quest for a state agency website that serves as a model of accessibility for other state agencies.  Thank you to both WCB and NFB for inviting me to participate in their annual conventions.  I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity and look forward to ongoing collaboration and partnership.

 

Ongoing

Meetings with department managers and administration team

PFBC meetings

Executive Cabinet meetings

Goal Council meetings

Clark County Superintendent meetings

NWABA Board meetings

UEB committee meetings

Oregon Commission for the Blind Board meetings

 

Highlight

As you may be aware, I serve on several boards and commissions.  Currently I am the vice president of the board of directors for the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes (NWABA).  I have been serving in this capacity for quite some time now and have been a member of the board since 2010.  I am also on my second term, appointed by Oregon Governor Kate Brown, as a commissioner for the Oregon Commission for the Blind (OCB).  At our October OCB board meeting, I was elected by the board to serve as the board chair.  I am honored to serve in this capacity for the OCB.  OCB is very similar to Washington State’s DSB.  My role on the board provides me valuable insight into the workings of a state agency to provide services, supports, and opportunities to adults who are BVI.