WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

 

Minutes from Board of Trustees Meeting

March 17, 2017

Vancouver, Washington

 

 

Board Members Participating:  Jim Kemp, Dennis Mathews, Berl Colley, Michelle Farrell, Keri Clark, Yang-su Cho, Cindy Bennett, Lorna Walsh and Nancy McDaniel.

 

Board Members Absent:  Ed Snook

 

Ex-Officio Members Participating:  Corey Grandstaff (Washington Federation of State Employees Local #1225), Joleen Ferguson (Washington Council of the Blind), Vaughn Brown (Teacher Representative), Marci Carpenter (National Federation of the Blind of Washington), and Lilly Longshore (Parent Representative).

 

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

 

March 17, 2017 – 11:00am – 12:45pm

Dennis called the meeting to order at 11:00am.  Dennis welcomed everyone to the board meeting and asked everyone to introduce themselves.

 

Business Meeting:

 

Department Highlights/Guests:

Darla Helt, Clark County Parent Coalition:  Darla was unable to attend.  Darla will be asked to attend the September Board of Trustees meeting.

 

Corey Grandstaff, JAWS Demonstration: 

Corey explained that JAWS is a screen reading software used by children and adults who are blind and visually impaired (BVI).  Currently, a number of WSSB students use “voice over” which is the Microsoft version.  Keri asked how JAWS handles ads on websites. Corey said it could appear in the middle of the page, however, the latest version of JAWS has started doing descriptions.  Lilly asked what JAWS does with graphs.  Corey said it depends on how it was set up.  Scott remarked that regarding smarter balance assessments, certain items had to be coded such as mathematics (- or minus sign).  Scott asked what percentage of websites were accessible.  Corey feels 75-85% are accessible.  Cindy said that often times people will combine a screen reader with braille and that some schools will just produce the graphics for charts, etc.  Screen reading software programs are used with keyboards only.  Vaughn asked if androids were accessible.  Corey said he has used his for 7 years and they are; in addition, Chromebooks have come a long way.  Scott stated Non Visual Desktop Access (NVDA) is a free screen reader service.  Scott said so much is dependent on who sets up the website so that it is accessible and usable. Lorna asked if technology is offered across the board or if it is individualized to the student’s need.  Corey explained that this year, WSSB provided iPads to middle school students and laptops to high school students with JAWS or screen enlargement software.  Cindy said a simple thing you could do is to try to navigate websites with a keyboard only, i.e. “no mouse challenge”. 

 

Old Business:

*      Approve board meeting minutes of January 18, 2017.  Jim moved to approve the minutes as submitted; Lorna seconded the motion.  The minutes were approved unanimously.

 

New Business:

*      Review/Approve 2017-2018 School Year Calendar:  Jim asked if WSSB got a waiver for the snow days.  Scott stated Center for Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss (CDHL) and WSSB are both within the required amount of instructional hours for students.  Nancy moved to approve the calendar as presented.  Lorna seconded the motion.  The calendar was approved unanimously.

 

Superintendent’s Report

Scott reviewed the following: 

*      Scott presented to the House Education Committee in January and received a few questions from the legislators.  Scott only had 3 minutes to present about the school. 

*      Scott used the same presentation to Special Education Directors at the ESD 101 and ESD 123.  Scott traveled with Rick Hauan from the CDHL, creating awareness about the schools and educating new special education directors. It is Scott’s goal to visit all ESD’s across the state next school year.  Jim encouraged Scott to let the Board member know so that they can attend in their respective area. 

*      Scott said the highlight of the past few months was his trip to Washington DC to attend the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Leadership Conference.  During that same time, two WSSB students and WSSB TVI, Jessica Bolt attended the Close-Up program.  Scott and the students were able to visit with Senator Patty Murray, Senator Maria Cantwell, Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler and staff from Representative Cathy McMorris Rodger’s office.  The legislators were very focused on the students and our students were awesome. 

*      Scott went to Seattle for a Parent Resource night hosted by Michelle Farrell.  This was a very informative meeting and well attended.

*      Scott reported that the WSSB wanted to do something special for former Ex-Officio member, Mike Freeman who had been on the Board since 1992.  Mike was also a former student.  Scott proposed that the WSSB sponsor the “Freeman Project”.  The WSSB has many beautiful and unique trees in the bioswale area.  The plan is to add kiosks that have braille and print on them that are available to students and the community.  WSSB is currently working on the project, getting together the costs and descriptions. 

*      Scott discussed the renaming of the Kennedy Fitness Center to the Stenehjem Fitness Center to honor Dr. Dean Stenehjem who was superintendent at the WSSB for almost 30 years.  Progress is being made in this endeavor.  Along with this project, the WSSB would also like to add signage on the Irwin building.  Scott will work with the Board to determine a time for the dedication of the Stenehjem Fitness Center.  Concurrently, the Vancouver Lions Club is looking into a project for the WSSB.  The Lions Club would like to donate a life-sized lion statue for the campus (this is still in discussion amongst the lions club members).  If this comes to fruition, Scott would like to unveil the statue and the renaming of the building to honor Dr. Stenehjem at the same time. Scott will keep the board updated with the progress.  Cindy asked if we had an idea when this would occur.  Scott felt it would be around the first board meeting of next year (September). 

*      Cindy asked how we are disseminating information to teachers, etc. regarding the WSSB.  Scott said he brings packets of information to special education directors to disseminate.  Scott feels in most cases TVI’s are aware of the WSSB.  Michelle said from a teacher perspective, that informational packets are brought to the IEP’s and placement meetings.  Marci suggested that for those teachers in outlying areas, Emily can send information on the EVE listserv.  Scott reported that Emily hosts WSSB Outreach meetings across the state and in addition, she hosts “forums” for educators (TVI round-ups).  Joleen stated she often times speaks to classrooms about BVI and felt this would also be a good time to bring up and educate people about the WSSB. 

*      Michelle asked about the online TVI program that was discussed at the prior board meeting. Scott said the program is coming to fruition.  A survey will be going out to the special education directors to see where the needs are regarding unfilled TVI positions. Stephen F. Austin University (SFAU) will offer the TVI prep program. Scott reported that representatives from the SFAU program will be at the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of Blind and Visually Impaired (AERBVI) conference in Bellingham in March and will have information.  One of the qualifications of the program is that participants would have to have a teachers certificate in the state of Washington.  Michelle asked if there will be a practicum, Scott said yes and classes start this summer.  Emily is taking the lead on disseminating the information.  At this time, there is a one-year commitment for the program that will hopefully be extended to five years with ten participants in the program each year.  This is an endorsement not a degree.  Nancy asked if there is some assurance that they will stay in the state.  Scott said that WSSB is hoping ESD’s will enforce that. 

 

Ex-Officio’s Reports:

*      WFSE Local #1225 (Corey Grandstaff):

·         Corey stated there was no report this time.

*      Washington Council of the Blind (Joleen Ferguson):

·         Joleen reported the WCB National Convention is coming up (June 30-July 7). 

·         The WCB’s state convention will be held October 26-28 in Pasco.  Joleen stated that $17,500 in scholarships will be granted to nine participants.  More information regarding the scholarships can be located at www.wcbinfo.org.  The WCB also held a Student Summit during the convention last year and plans are in the works to hold one at this year’s convention.  

·         The WCB has many active committees for blind children, families of blind children, aging and blindness, advocacy, independent living, etc. 

·         Vaughn asked if Joleen knew when the scholarship information would be on the WCB website so that we could notify our 2017 graduates.  Joleen suggested that Vaughn check out the website for committee information and contacts. 

·         Dennis asked if the WCB would be interested in forming a partnership or perhaps offering scholarships for the SFAU teacher training program.  Joleen said she could bring that to the WCB.  Berl said there is a grant mechanism and the finance committee has not received request for grants this year.  Berl said there is a mechanism that may be used to explore this. 

*      National Federation of the Blind (Marci Carpenter):

·         Marci thanked Scott for his idea regarding the Freeman Project and felt it aligned with his love of braille and science. 

·         Marci reported that the NFB’s fall convention will be held November 3-5, 2017 at Hotel RL in Olympia.  Marci said that Corey was instrumental in getting the hotel and details worked out.  Since the convention dates and hotel are set, state scholarship information will be out by the end of this month and students will have until September to apply for state scholarships. 

·         The national scholarship program awards grants from $3,000-$12,000 (deadline is March 31).  The NFB national convention will be in Florida from July 10-15.  Marci said that Emily Coleman has been great about forwarding information about scholarships to the EVE listserv. 

·         The NFB of WA has a Washington seminar where members come from all around the country to travel to DC for a week. Marci felt that this year’s seminar was great and a WSSB alumni, Matt Hines attended and that he was a natural and did an excellent job. 

·         Yang-su asked about the NFB’s STEM workshops at their National Convention.  Marci said that this would be offered at the beginning of the National Convention and encouraged Yang-su to contact their national office for details or visit www.nfb.org. Yang-su asked what age group would be targeted.  Marci said she would get the information and send it to Scott, Emily and the Department of Services for the Blind (DSB). 

*      Parent Representative (Lilly Longshore):

·         Lilly reported that she, Scott and Keri met to discuss starting a Parent Support Group.  Discussion was held regarding ways to get parents from out of town to participate (Skype, etc.).  Lilly stated that her last meeting on the Board of Trustees would be June as her son graduates this year, however she would like to participate and assist with getting the group going as she feels this would be a great benefit for those who have raised a BVI child through the education system. Corey asked if this is coordinating with the group of parents that meet at WSSB once per month.  Corey said there are approximately 5-6 parents (mostly local) that meet.  Scott will connect Lilly and Keri to this group. 

*      Teachers Representative (Vaughn Brown):

·         Vaughn reported that the teachers have been very busy this semester.

·         Vaughn commented that the Exercise for Heart event was successful and that almost every teacher brought their students to the fitness center to participate. 

·         The Career Fair was held on March 13 and 14.  WSSB’s high school students attended a career fair that was open to all high schools held at the Portland Expo Center. 

·         Vaughn stated that two high school students spent a week in DC and had the ability to sit in on hearings and meetings with legislators. 

·         WSSB’s track meet is quickly approaching as well as the spring music concert. 

·         Lorna asked if all 15 seniors are slated to graduate this year.  Scott said there are a few that have chosen to “walk” but will be coming back for an additional year. 

·         Vaughn said the teachers are interested in hearing updates regarding the elementary program that is up for discussion.  Scott said that hasn’t happened or been discussed and would have to be brought forth to the Governor’s office.  Scott said these things have to be planned years in advance. 

 

Committee Reports:

*      Education Committee (Michelle Farrell):

·         Michelle stated that it did not work out this time to have the Board come in early to do a walk-through of the classes, etc.  Sean and Michelle will look into this for the next meeting.

*      Buildings and Grounds Committee (Lilly Longshore):

·         Lilly stated that the Buildings and Grounds committee did their annual walk-through before the regular board meeting.  Lilly, Nancy, Dennis, Scott and Rob attended the walk-through.  The main item to note is the sewer line that needs repaired which will cost approximately $75,000.  Scott explained that the sewer line is very old and a hole was discovered in the line.  The Governor’s office has approved the expenditure to repair it.  Lilly said she is amazed at what WSSB’s budget is in this area as she is used to seeing budgets way bigger than what we have.  Yang-su reported that several doors were not working this morning.  Janet reported that there was an issue with the controllers and Rob was in the process of resetting them.  Jim stated that the Kennedy building has several leaks and questioned whether the whole roof might need replaced. Lorna asked if WSSB would qualify for state of emergency funds due to weather.  Scott said he just received the proclamation from the Governor’s office and will review the information.  Nancy said they hold a reserve for situations just like that.  Nancy complimented Rob and his crew for doing such an outstanding job. 

*      Legislative Committee (Berl Colley):

·         Berl said there is no report for the legislative committee.  Scott said to his knowledge there is no legislation that pertains to us.  Scott participates in discussions with the governor’s office on a regular basis regarding legislation that may affect WSSB. 

 

Miscellaneous:

*      Scott said that this is Jim’s last official meeting as he will be out of town for the June meeting.  Scott presented Jim a plaque of appreciation for his 11 years of service to the Board of Trustees. Scott has asked Jim to continue on the Board until a replacement has been found.  Jim said it has been wonderful and he appreciated this opportunity. 

 

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 12:45pm.  The next Board meeting will be held via conference call on May 4, 2017 at 7:30pm.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Dennis Mathews, Chair                                                                Scott McCallum, Superintendent

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Board Reports – March 2017

 

Outreach

It’s been quite a winter statewide, which has presented unique challenges when serving our students who are blind/visually impaired (BVI) within Outreach. However, we have remained very busy meeting many needs statewide.  Here are some highlights:

 

·         On November 17, I presented at the Puget Sound ESD SPED Director meeting and shared unique challenges faced in our field statewide.  I also described Outreach services and the models we use to try and assure equity for our students throughout many districts.

·         December 2 was the Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) Round-up meeting in Spokane, WA sponsored by the Washington Sensory Disability Services (WSDS). Over 20 providers in the Spokane area attended.

·         November and December brought continued visits with Outreach teachers to complete round one of observations for the 2016-2017 school year.

·         January 4 was the WSDS monthly meeting used to plan a combined event being held the end of the month. WSSB remains an important part of this multi-agency team.

·         I attended the January 19 ESD 101 SPED Director meeting to remain a visible resource in the Spokane region.

·         January 26 was a combined Outreach meeting with the Center for Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss (CDHL), WSSB, and the Deaf-Blind project.  We shared information about our programs and spent time learning about each other’s work.  We look forward to future collaborations to support our students.

·         January 27 served as our quarterly Outreach meeting and also the Tumwater VI Round-Up.  We had about 35 educators in attendance and the highlight was learning more about SPED Services from an Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) representative.

·         February 16 was another ESD 101 SPED Director meeting, and this time Scott McCallum attended with Rick Hauan, Director from CDHL. Both of them presented on our agencies.

·         Summer Institute planning picked up speed on February 17 as we met to discuss this summer’s program.  We are making many changes, which will include an increase in hands-on activities to help attendees meaningfully apply their learning.

·         Bruce continues to provide tech support statewide and is collaborating with the Special Ed Tech Center to create ongoing professional development for practitioners in our field.

·         We have added contracts continually over the school year, and recently added a part-time, temporary Outreach position.  Krista Bulger will be additional support for our team.

·         March 2-4 was the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Leadership Conference in Arlington, VA.  What an incredible opportunity to network with leaders in our field and learn from their innovative programs and achievements.

 

Outreach services are always in demand, and we continue to receive referrals weekly.  Two new ones came in this week and we’ve been completing additional evaluations in districts without services as much as we can.  We want BVI students in WA to have appropriate services wherever they live, and I’m proud to say our entire team is committed to that goal.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

On Campus

Enrollment

51 Students On-Campus (35 Residential; 16 Day Students); Grade Levels:  12th=15, 11th=7, 10th=5, 9th=8, 8th=5, 7th=7, 6th=4; Distance Learning Students:  7; Short Course Participants Year to Date (between 5 course offerings):  17; Total Students Served On Campus (YTD): 75.

 

Residential Update

WSSB’s residential program is a component that sets our school apart from others.  Within the residential program, there are countless opportunities to provide learning-rich experiences to help enhance student skills towards independence.  Recently, the older student cottages have stepped up their independent skills by expanding their daily living skills (DLS) cooking program to include their own budgeting and shopping.  In addition to the weekly cooking experience in the cottages, students are planning their meals, budgeting, shopping, and cooking.  This is a step towards greater independence and ownership of WSSB’s independent living skills cooking program in the residential halls. 

 

On top of supporting student growth and independence, staff are working on improving their braille skills.  Residential Life Counselors (RLCs) are currently engaging in training to support increased knowledge and use in the area of braille in order to better support students.  In addition to braille, RLCs participated in a daylong training with WSSB’s School Psychologist on non-violent crisis intervention strategies using the Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI) framework.  The CPI model focuses on care, welfare, safety, and security.    

 

School Culture Update

We are in the 2nd semester of the school year.  There have been many incredible events at WSSB this winter and there are still many more still to come this school year.  Both students and staff participated in a variety of community/culture building activities this winter:

 

·         Exercise for Heart at WSSB: This is a full day event focused on the improvement of heart health through exercise, education, fundraising for the American Heart Association (AHA), and celebration of staff and student accomplishments throughout the day.

·         Washington Regional Braille Challenge:  The Braille Challenge is an event conducted by the Braille Institute and is the only national competition for braille. This event is multi-leveled and incorporates a range of braille reading and writing activities for students to compete against their peers.  Competitors that perform well in the regional contest may qualify for the finals in Los Angeles.  At WSSB, all students celebrated braille and literacy during the event with a variety of contests, activities, and games that promoted the braille code.

·         Downhill skiing at Mt. Hood each Thursday evening in February.

·         Weekly recognition of a PRIDE student of the week recognition.  Staff nominate students and a PRIDE “paw” is submitted for a chance at the weekly drawing. 

·         Staff have been participating in a “Caught You Being Awesome” system for staff nominating staff promoting or modeling PRIDE (Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Diversity, and Empowerment).

·         The Fun Committee conducts a monthly Spotlight on a staff member from various WSSB departments.  Staff Spotlights have provided a wonderful way to get to know staff better and celebrate their contributions to the WSSB.  Spotlights have highlighted Doug Trimble (Education), Joseph Hing (Business), and Julie Raetzman (Residential). 

 

Academics and Experiences in Education

This year, WSSB began administering Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) testing to obtain more data around student growth and academic performance.  Few assessment tools are available and accessible, provide data-rich feedback on the areas in need of growth, and track student growth over time.  The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) is the creator of MAP and is a non-profit located in Portland that has been working with a number of other schools for the blind to improve this assessment.  The data gathered from the December administration was one starting point for collaboration and discussion around providing interventions for students. 

 

Two students attended the Close Up experience in Washington D.C. February 26 – March 3.  During this experience, the students attended workshops, tours, and educational programs with their peers from all over the nation.  WSSB teacher Jessica Bolt was the staff member on this trip and participated in professional development experiences put on by the Close Up organization while the students attended their programs.  Coincidentally, Superintendent McCallum was in D.C. at that time and invited the students to attend a couple of meeting with Washington state legislators. 

 

Professional development for teachers during the month of February focused on weekly training in the area of supporting English Learners (EL). WSSB Director of Curriculum and Instruction provided the training on Friday afternoons.  The focus of the EL training included the rooted elements of language and instruction, proficiency levels according to our state’s English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA), ELPA standards, and the alignment of Common Core standards to the ELPA within lesson planning.  Addressing the needs of the English Learners is included as a component of basic education; however, the strategies used to support students with limited English proficiency are effective principles of special education instruction. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Transition Services

Youth Service Specialist, Transition Services

The WSSB Youth Services Specialist, Marcie Ebarb, facilitated the development of a Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) funded contract with Partners in Careers to provide weekly soft skills training, 8 hours per week supported internships and integrated community workshops and mentor events for 11 WSSB seniors that began February 1, 2017.  She continues to participate in the Center for Change in Transition Services (CCTS) Transition Learning Community leadership team.  The team’s focus is to increase work based learning opportunities for WSSB students.  She is on the WSSB Career Fair planning committee.  WSSB middle school students will attend Junior Achievement’s Biz Town and high school students will attend the Portland WorkForce Alliance NW Youth Career Expo.  The Youth Services Specialist will be involved in the planning of the Youth Employment Solutions (YES) 1 and SKILLS Vancouver summer programs.

 

Marcie attends networking meetings with WorkForce South West Washington’s (WSW) Youth Providers, WSW’s Emerging Workforce Committee and WorkSource’s Business Partner Outreach in order to gain information about local employment services/programs and highlight the importance of making these services accessible.  She also joined a SW Washington Community Human Resources Group meeting to hear a presentation about supported employment services provided by Employers Overload.  The Youth Services Specialist has begun working with the Salvation Army to determine volunteer opportunities they may have for WSSB students.

 

Health Center

The health center continues to be busier than ever this school year.  Several students’ medical conditions have become more complicated, requiring some changes in health center planning, staffing and procedures. Additional staff training has occurred to enable the health center meet student needs and requirements. Both nurses will maintain Oregon nursing licenses in addition to their Washington licensure. The medical administration policy is in the final stages of being updated and will reflect the medication administration changes that are now required.

 

Health Center nurses and fitness teacher Jennifer Butcher are certified to teach students and staff CPR and first aid. Approximately 80% of WSSB staff are certified to perform CPR and first aid.

 

Nurses Robin, Justine and fitness teacher Jen will switch from American Heart Association to American Health and Safety Institute 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.

 

Learning Independence for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT)

LIFTT gained two more students after the winter break, one from Washington and one from Oregon. Through the trial partnership with the Oregon Commission for the Blind (OCB), we now have three participants from OCB in our program. Blending services and support in both programs is providing our students with a good base for successfully proceeding with their adult lives.

 

We are more than halfway through the second term of the program year, and students continue to gain skills and confidence. In addition to the three students working and learning in the OCB program, two students attend Clark College (one full time, one part time). One student has completed a medical certificate program and has been employed part time since October. Others are receiving Pre Employment Training services, participating in a Job Club, working with a Job Developer, and doing volunteer work. All are advancing in their independent living skills; community access, cooking, cleaning, socializing, time and financial management.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Business Office

2015-17 Operating Budget

We closed the month of January with a 4% variance.  Most departments are staying within their allotted budget and we are projecting to end the year on target.

 

In Fund 19B to date, revenues are keeping up with expenditures.  We ended January with a 2% variance.  Balance ending January, 2017 was $1,042,677

 

2015-17 Capital Budget

We have submitted a request to re-appropriate $117,000 of funding from this biennium to 2017-19.  The lack of qualified swimming pool contractors and the timeline necessary for the repairs created delays which caused a domino effect in scheduling other projects. 

 

2017-19 Biennium

The legislature is in session and we have received two fiscal note requests.  HB1717-Biometric Identifiers, deals with how the biometric data is collected and stored.  WSSB is not impacted, as it does not collect eligible data.  5605 S SB-OSPI Background checks, does not impact WSSB as our policies and procedures already comply with the proposed changes. 

 

Safety Net

We are working on the 2016-17 safety net grant application.  The due date is March 17 and the plan is to submit an application for funding for three students.  We don’t have a grand total yet but it should be in the same general area of last year.  Last year we submitted an application for $248,603. Receiving this grant is critical.  These students are receiving services without funding.  If funding is not received, these costs have to be absorbed by fund 19B.

 

Biennium Close-out

This is the last year in the biennium and we will be preparing to close out not just the year but the biennium ending June 30, 2017. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Human Resources

New Hires: 

·         Cook – William Carroll

·         On-call RLC – Matthew Hines

·         On-call RLC – Ashley Woodruff

·         Substitute Teacher – Kendon Kraska

·         Temporary Administrative Assistant – Amanda Pizzo

 

Open Recruitments:

·         Communications Consultant (Braille Proofreader)

·         Short Course Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI)

·         On-call RLC

·         On-call Teacher’s Assistant

·         Substitute Teacher

 

Trainings/Functions Attended:

·         Human Resources (HR) Managers Meeting – Facilitated by Franklin Plaistowe and Marcos Rodriguez

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

·         Safety Committee Meeting

·         Benefits Workshop – Facilitated by Health Care Authority (HCA)

·         Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) Equity and Civil Rights Workshop presented by Civil Rights Office

·         VEBA for 2017 will remain turned “on”

·         Interagency Continuity of Operations (iCOOP) Committee Meeting resented by Department of Labor and Industries

·         ADA & FMLA for Schools presented by Tracy Miller of Kar, Tuttle and Campbell.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Ogden Resource Center (ORC)

Braille Production:

Mike Sivill facilitated a Unified English Braille (UEB) committee meeting on February 24.

 

Adrienne Lattin has joined the ORC team. Adrienne has been doing contract proofreading at the ORC since April of 2016, and just recently joined the team as the newest full-time proofreader. She loves to read, which drew her to proofreading. When she is not reading, Adrienne is captain of a dragon boating team that practices on the Willamette River year-round and races throughout the region during the spring and summer. She also loves playing music, baking, and meeting new people. She is excited to start this new position and get more involved at WSSB.

 

Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) Partnership:

Our prison program is going strong with 15 full-time transcribers, 1 tactile specialist and 3 apprentices. Management of Correctional Industries (our partner for the program) is still waiting for a final approval to extend our current transcribers beyond their expiring 7-year terms, which will impact the program in a few months if not approved.

 

We are very fortunate to have a highly braille-certified group; here is our current count of braille certifications for our transcribers at WCCW and our in-house WSSB staff:

·         16 National Library Service (NLS) Literary Certified (UEB)

·         11 National Braille Association (NBA) Textbook Formatting

·         8 NLS Nemeth Certified

·         7 NLS Associate in Music

·         4 NLS Music Certified

·         4 NLS Literary Proofreading

 

Total of 50 national certifications between all our team members! And we have more certifications that are being worked on at this time. Our Nemeth and Music transcribers are a rarity and we pleased to have such a robust program that can produce many types of braille including music and foreign language.

 

In addition, we have 24 individuals who have Washington State certification in UEB.

 

WSSB ORC staff Kandi Lukowski and Angela Vargas coordinate the work of our inmate transcribers and work with our proofreaders to assure that our customer receive accurate braille volumes. This past school year, they coordinated over 100 textbooks between them!

 

UEB Exam:

The new UEB Exam (which has now officially replaced the B.L.U.E.) is ready and people are taking the exam. The application is available at https://www.wssb.wa.gov/wp/departments/orc/.

 

Instructional Resource Center (IRC) Update:

Due to high demand using up a significant percentage of our quota funds, the IRC is limiting American Printing House for the Blind (APH) orders to curriculum support, assessment and stock on hand at the ORC. The census, part 1, is complete in thanks to Justin Raner.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Buildings and Grounds

 

Campus:

Exterior repairs to the boiler house are complete. Brian Kindblade, Plant Mechanic, removed a portion of the brick support column and replaced the mortar between the joints. He also reset the brick to eliminate the need for a surface coating. In the summer, we will seal the inside of the exposed brick to stop the water penetration from attacking the mortar.

 

We have replaced a condensate return tank in the tunnel. Once the steam going to the cottage heating systems turns back to water, this unit pumps it back to the boiler house for reheating. This repair was delayed after it was discovered that the insulation consisted of asbestos elbows.  A licensed contractor removed the asbestos and we then replaced the unit.

 

The sewer line problem between the modular cottage and Watson cottage has been evaluated and it has been determined that the best way to correct it is to line the inside of the existing pipe. Lining will not remove the low spots but will increase the line flow because of the smooth inner lining. We are waiting to hear from the city plumbing inspector if they will accept this repair solution.

 

Hall Cottage drainage system developed problems when water started to back up occasionally from the laundry room floor drain. We discovered that a secondary line was bypassed when the new line was installed. This has been corrected and the system is now fully functional.

 

We have chosen the flooring for the cafeteria. Staff and students reviewed the two color choices and decided that the darker one gave better contrast for the low vision students.  It is scheduled to be installed over spring break. This project will also replace the vinyl flooring in three of the third floor bathrooms as well as the entry way carpeting.

 

We have had the gym lighting evaluated and determined that the existing fixtures were installed according to the original design. However, when the design changed during a value engineering process, the lighting fixture layout was not adjusted to compensate. We are now working with Department of Enterprise Services (DES) to have the fixtures relocated and changed to LED lighting.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Birth-3

The WSSB Birth to 3 Program continues to grow! Early identification and early referral continue to be our main goals.

 

We have recently added 1 new contract in the Whatcom County and referrals continue to come in from all over the state.  DeEtte has even received a few referrals directly from pediatric ophthalmologists and neurologists for their clients.

 

The Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) Registry includes 180 children between the ages of birth to 3, as of February 1, which is an increase of 30 babies since the last board meeting. DeEtte continues to work with agencies to complete registry, in addition to the APH registry, and the requirement to register children who are BVI is a part of all local lead agencies contract with the Department of Early Learning (DEL)/Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT).  In February, DeEtte presented, with Kris Ching from the Washington State Center for Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss (CDHL), the registry data to DEL/ESIT local lead agencies.  Training of the purpose and implementation of the registry is ongoing.  

 

The DEL/ESIT program is in the process of a statewide system restructure due to the passage of SB 5879.  A proposal has been presented to the state legislature and is currently waiting for approval for implementation.  However, the WAC establishing DEL/ESIT as lead agency for IDEA Part C services to establish authority is in effect.  This new WAC does have implications for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and school districts as it limits administration withholding.  As mentioned previously, the more coordinated state system should align nicely with WSSB’s view for our Birth to 3 program and consolidate contracts.  DeEtte continues to work very closely with DEL/ESIT in improving supports for our infants with BVI, including embedding the registry within their new data management system as well as participating in the personnel competency workgroup.

 

Parent Infant Playgroup (PIP) Fridays continue two times a month here at WSSB and in Seattle one time a month (PIP Mondays), in collaboration with the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTTBL).

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Superintendent

January and February have been highlighted by ongoing collaborations, establishing relationships, and building awareness of the many programs and services offered through the WSSB. As was mentioned in my last report, I did have the opportunity to present to the House Education Committee.  I was asked to provide an overview of the agency and address how WSSB interacts with the K12 public education system. The brief presentation, they only give us about three minutes, seemed to satisfy their need for information and did spark a couple questions from legislators on the committee. I have provided similar presentations, using the same information, to special education directors at meetings at ESD 101 in Spokane (2/16) and at ESD 123 in Pasco (2/17).  Next year I hope to continue these outreach efforts at special education director meetings hosted by each of the ESDs in Washington. I continue to actively participate in the Washington Sensory Disability Services (WSDS), a State Needs Project through OSPI which includes representatives from OSPI, CDHL, WSSB and the Washington Deaf-Blind Project. On January 26, WSSB hosted the first ever collaborative outreach meeting to connect and learn from outreach departments from each entity who are part of the WSDS umbrella. This meeting was deemed extremely successful by participants. While in Spokane for the special education director meeting, I also spent an entire day with leadership from Spokane Public Schools learning about their efforts to serve students who are blind or visually impaired as well as identify potential future collaboration opportunities. The highlight of the past two months was my trip to DC.  My purpose for the trip was two-fold, attending the American Foundation for the Blind’s annual Leadership Conference and meeting with our state Senators and Representatives during the Advocacy Day on the Hill.  The DC experience began with a series of meetings with staff from Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers office, then coffee with Senator Maria Cantwell, then meeting with Representative Jaime Hererra-Beutler, a meeting with Senator Patty Murray, and finishing up with a meeting with Sam Rickets from the Washington state Governor’s office.  Having the time to represent WSSB in Washington DC was wonderful, but the real highlight was meeting our Senators and Representatives with two of our awesome students, Tanner Deck and Oryann Fitim.  The students were in DC as part of the Close-up program to learn about our federal government along with a fabulous teacher from WSSB, Jessica Bolt. I did my best to represent the school in a positive light, but the students stole the show.  I was beaming with pride as we made our way around the Capitol grounds and each of the students spoke confidently and eloquently about the positive impact that WSSB has made on their lives currently and in preparation for the future. We shared this experience with students and leadership from the Washington School for the Deaf.  I am so proud to be associated with such amazing students, staff, our school and the good work being done in the great state of Washington.

 

Finally, I wanted to provide you with a brief update on a behind-the-scenes effort that we are working on in honor of our late board member, Michael Freeman.  We have come up with a special project on campus that would incorporate braille, service to the community, and an educational opportunity for the students of WSSB.  As you are aware, we have a very beautiful campus thanks to the efforts of Rob Tracey and our wonderful facilities crew. Our campus has several examples of unique and beautiful trees.  We are working on a special project, The Freeman Project, in which we will place print and braille signage near specific examples of some of the unique trees on campus.  Rob has identified ten unique trees that just happen to follow the path along the south side of the track and the bioswale. We are currently identifying a vendor and cost for appropriate signage as well as considering exactly what information should be included about each tree that makes up the Freeman Project.