WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
September 16, 2016
Vancouver, Washington
Board Members Participating: Jim Kemp, Dennis Mathews, Yang-su Cho, Berl Colley, Michelle Farrell, Keri Clark and Ed Snook.
Board Members Absent: Cindy Bennett, Nancy McDaniel, and Lorna Walsh.
Ex-Officio Members Participating: Corey Grandstaff (Teachers Association), Joleen Ferguson (Washington Council of the Blind), Michael Freeman (National Federation of the Blind of Washington), and Lilly Longshore (Parent Representative).
Ex-Officio Members Absent: Scott Hone (Washington Federation of State Employees Local #1225)
WSSB Staff Members Participating: Mr. Scott McCallum (Superintendent), Jennifer Langley (Director of Curriculum and Instruction), Emily Coleman (Director of Outreach/State Vision Consultant), Carrie Tanner (Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI)-Outreach) and Janet Kurz (recording secretary).
September 16, 2016 – 11am-1:45pm
Dennis called the meeting to order at 11:00am. The Board started the meeting by introducing themselves.
Dennis asked if there were any additions or corrections to the agenda. Jim would like to request that future Board of Trustees meetings be moved up by one hour (begin at 10:00am). Jim also wanted the Board to discuss changing the name of the Kennedy Fitness Center to the Stenehjem Fitness Center in honor of Dr. Stenehjem who retired as Superintendent of the WSSB this year after 30 years of service. Dennis stated these would be addressed later in the meeting.
Business Meeting:
Old Business:
Approve
board meeting minutes of June 3, 2016. Ed moved to approve the minutes as
submitted; Michelle seconded the motion. The minutes were approved
unanimously. Dennis remarked that there is a correction to the minutes as
submitted on the signature page; Scott McCallum’s name was added as
Superintendent and Dr. Stenehjem’s name was removed.
New Business:
Department Updates:
Emily Coleman, Director of Outreach Services/Statewide Vision
Consultant
· Emily invited Carrie Tanner, WSSB Outreach TVI to the Board meeting.
· Emily’s job consists of two parts. One is supervising WSSB TVI’s in the Outreach department (16 TVI’s who serve approximately 300 students at 40 school districts). This year, four new TVI’s were hired (two new positions and two who are replacing TVI’s who moved to other states). The two new positions are located in the Moses Lake and Olympia areas. The other part of Emily’s job is funded by the Washington Sensory Disability Services (WSDS) as the Statewide Vision Consultant. This part of Emily’s position entails locating TVI’s for open positions across the state as well as keeping an eye on what the needs are in the state of Washington, etc.
· Emily’s department attended the back to school trainings this fall and also held their department meeting. Corey Grandstaff, WSSB Short Course TVI, spoke to the Outreach staff about short course offerings. Emily feels that this program could be the gap between Outreach and the On-Campus program. Emily has been promoting the short course programs are special education meetings across the state.
· This summer WSSB hosted another Summer Institute and there were over 40 people in attendance. The Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) workshop was also held in August. Emily’s plan is to not hold the CVI workshop again this summer, however other workshops are being considered. Emily is on the board of the Pacific Northwest Association of the Education and Rehabilitation of Blind and Visually Impaired (PNWAER) and they are currently discussing the possibility of offering a CVI workshop.
· Emily will be coordinating a Blind Youth Consortium meeting at WSSB on September 21. This will include the Department of Services for the Blind (DSB), Lighthouse, and the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTBBL). The focus will be discussion surrounding transition age students, technology needed, etc.
· Ed asked about the shortage of TVI’s over the next several years. Emily reported that there were 20 positions open in June (statewide) and when she followed up in August, all but two of the positions had been filled. The positions are being filled creatively, which is disconcerting however understandable; one example is people who are enrolled in the Portland State University (PSU) TVI program; the majority of the enrollees have already been offered positions even though they have just begin their programs. Other schools districts are employing private agencies to find TVI’s.
· Keri said when she was looking for a TVI in Bellingham last spring for her daughter, she was informed that there were over 1,400 openings nationwide.
· Yang-su wanted to thank Emily and DeEtte Snyder (Birth-3 Statewide Coordinator) for hosting Professor Nattarin, who was visiting from Thailand. Professor Nattarin attended the summer workshops hosted by WSSB and also shadowed DeEtte as she visited families.
Carrie Tanner, Teacher of the Visually Impaired (Outreach
Department)
· Carrie stated one of the biggest parts of her job is educating the teaching staff in school districts regarding BVI students. Generally, Carrie starts by working with the elementary teacher and extends to the whole staff who work with the student. Carrie reviewed what a typical day looks like for her in her position. Emily stated that Carrie’s caseload is unique as she has a number of academic students who use braille. The average Outreach TVI has 20 students on their caseload.
· Dennis asked how a student being dyslexic impacts a student, Carrie explained how challenging it can be specifically when teaching braille. Carrie stated that braille may not be the best medium, audio may be. Discussion was held regarding different options for teaching a student who struggles with braille.
Jennifer Langley, Director of Curriculum and Instruction
o Last year, WSSB did not have an Associate Principal in the school program. A position opened, and the official title is Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. This position also includes the residential component of WSSB. Jennifer works with the residential staff in the Daily Living Skills area. Jennifer enjoys working with students in every aspect of their day from morning to evening, including recreation.
o Jennifer provides training for staff regarding writing rigorous and mindful IEP goals in addition to many other areas.
o Jennifer feels that mentoring the two new TVI staff in Irwin is very important. She started an induction program linking with local ESD 112. Steve Lowry, on-campus TVI is mentoring our two new TVI’s.
o One big role that Jennifer has been focusing on is the student’s schedule. After this is complete, Jennifer plans to start focusing on assessment; focusing on results of the Smarter Balance (SBAC) and will be working on providing curriculum to align with that.
o Another piece of Jennifer’s job is providing a lot of behavioral supports which includes developing a lot of check in’s and check out’s with students. Jennifer carries stars with her to hand out as rewards for students and also to staff.
o Starting next week, Jennifer will be incorporating parental input so parents can send messages to their children that will be delivered to them throughout the week. Mike said when he attended WSSB it was not unknown for some parents to never interact with their child. Mike asked if we still get kids whose parents are not that involved. Jennifer said that she contacts three parents per week and feels that other staff does the same and that we are fortunate in that our parents are very involved.
Superintendent’s Report
Scott reviewed the following:
Scott
said he is really happy to be here and asked for feedback for future superintendent
reports.
Scott
said Dr. Stenehjem hired great admin. staff and that his first three months
were very busy. Dr. Stenehjem connected Scott with major contacts in the state
and nationally during the first 30 days. Scott is looking forward to
establishing relationships with those folks.
The
state had a number of trainings that were required of the superintendent during
the first 30 days and all are complete. Most recently, Scott attended training
for Safe Schools and the Principal Evaluation Training (TPEP).
WSSB’s
Fall Workshop was held a couple of weeks ago and Scott’s primary focus was to
start the year out on a positive note. Dr. Robert Barr was the keynote speaker
and focused on a “Culture of Hope”. Scott feels it is a very positive start to
the school year. John Fleming, WSSB Maintenance and Grounds staff, was awarded
employee of the year. The Team of the Year was the “Summer Support Team”.
These WSSB staff were critical in making all of the summer programs run
efficiently and effectively.
Scott
said part of his position includes participation in the Governor’s Results
Washington team. Scott is on the Goal 1 Council which focuses on “World Class
Education”. Most recently, Scott met with Dr. Doug Gill, Assistant
Superintendent for Special Education at the Office of the Superintendent of
Public Instruction (OSPI), Mr. Rick Hauan, Director of the Center for Deafness
and Hearing Loss (CDHL) and staff from Results Washington to work on a specific
goal for this group. Scott feels this is an excellent opportunity to work with
and collaborate.
Scott
recently met with staff from the WSDS. Scott feels this is a fantastic group.
The WSDS focuses on students who are deaf, blind, and deaf/blind. The group
meets to discuss how they can partner to provide better services to all
populations.
Scott
has been meeting with staff from the Office of Financial Management (OFM), OSPI
and CDHL to discuss the implications and implementation of Memo 003-16M. This
memo was issued to WSSB back in January of 2016 and the intent was to provide
clarification regarding transportation relating to day and residential
students. This would pose a significant change to how WSSB operates and has
for the last 30 years. This could impact school districts transportation
budgets. Michelle asked what qualifies as local student; Scott said it is the
students who are transported daily. Joleen asked who provides day-student
transportation currently. Scott reported that the ESD 112 provides this
contracted service.
WSSB
recently received an Office of Civil Rights complaint relating to our website’s
accessibility (primarily YouTube videos-closed captioning). WSSB agreed to the
terms that OCR submitted. WSSB’s new website went live today. Part of the
stipulations is that WSSB will hire a company to do an accessibility audit
(company has to be approved by the OCR). A lot of state agencies have received
this OCR complaint. Scott stated that the OCR has been great to work with
throughout this process and encouraged the board to check out the website to
check for accessibility and provide us with the feedback. Jim commented that
the new website looks very good.
The
WSSB submitted several decision packages. One of the decision packages
requested was full funding for Birth-3. Through DeEtte’s efforts statewide,
WSSB has helped to identify 245 BVI children (up from 88). DeEtte has done a
fantastic job and the funding requested would assist in getting proper staff
assistance to meet the needs of students identified. Keri asked how information
can be disseminated to health care and others so that they can refer parents to
the proper services. Scott said having a central point of contact is critical
and that is one DeEtte’s goal. Currently there is a fragmented system. Joleen
asked if these volunteers could assist with this. Scott said our goal is to
get the word out and increase awareness regarding whom to contact.
Lilly
stated that she is on the committee for the Washington State Governor’s
Committee on Disability Issues and Employment. She attends outreach meetings twice
per year. Lilly feels this is a great place to distribute information regarding
the WSSB. Lilly is on the committee until December.
Ex-Officio’s Reports:
Washington
Council of the Blind (Joleen Ferguson):
· Joleen reported that the WCB’s Fall Convention will be held at the SeaTac Marriot, November 3-5. Registration is now available on their website at wcbinfo.org. Joleen invited everyone to join.
National
Federation of the Blind (Michael Freeman):
· Mike reported that the NFB’s Fall Convention will be held at the Best Western-Tacoma Dome, October 14-16. Registration is not on the website yet, but when it is, the link will be available at www.nfbw.org. The NFB will be awarding two scholarships and will have a lot of workshops and breakout sessions. Danielle King from the WTBBL will be there. There will also be a representative from their student division.
Teachers
(Corey Grandstaff):
· Corey reported that the residential and education departments are now under one umbrella.
· Three new TVI’s were hired this year in the education department. Vaughn Brown, former WSSB student is now the Music TVI.
· Over the summer, classrooms were moved for more collaboration.
· Corey’s short course program started on September 12, focusing on JAWS. One student attended and gained a great deal of knowledge. Emily spoke to this student’s TVI who reported that the student made great progress. The next short course will be in October.
Parent
Representative (Lilly Longshore):
· Lilly was present last year for the new student registration; this year she was not able to do so.
· Scott reported that Sean McCormick is starting some semblance of a Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO) and he will be reaching out to Lilly.
Committee Reports:
Education
Committee
· Michelle had a lengthy conference call with Sean McCormick this week. Sean let Michelle know that the school, as a whole, would like to see the board bridge the gap and interact more with staff and students. Some options that were discussed were: a tour of Irwin before a Board meeting (break into smaller groups and visit classrooms), attend a student assembly on a Friday and the Board could be included for 15-20 minutes to introduce themselves, etc. Joleen remarked that she recently connected with a 2016 WSSB graduate who resides in Walla Walla and Joleen has thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her.
· Mike stated that Michael Sivill, WSSB Ogden Resource Center staff, has come up with a validated set of tests for the course to certify people for UEB in the state. The UEB committee has been active in that regard and the NFB approves of what is going on.
· Lilly said she has volunteered in WSSB’s math classes as a tutor and it was a great opportunity to get to know the students. Scott said he highly encourages the Board to interact with the students.
· Jim suggested that the Board start the November meeting at 9:30am so that they can attend the student assembly which begins at 11:00am.
Buildings
and Grounds Committee (Lilly Longshore):
· Lilly reported she did not tour the campus prior to the Board meeting. The annual walk-through is in March of every year. Jim stated that he did a campus tour before the meeting and Jim feels it looks good. Scott said the pool was a significant project over the summer costing approximately $250,000. The liner that was chosen is the type where it won’t have the same issues.
Management
Committee (Ed Snook):
· Ed said the management committee was very busy last school year as they oversaw the nationwide search for a new superintendent. Ed felt that WSSB got the best candidate available and complimented Scott’s expertise, wonderful credentials, and his references.
· The superintendent’s annual evaluation is also under the responsibility of the management committee. Ed will need from Scott a list of all of the activities that he has been involved in so they can incorporate that into their report to the Governor’s office.
Legislative
Committee (Berl Colley):
· Berl would like to get a hold of Scott in November to discuss an additional legislative item regarding the pool (chlorine levels, etc.). Discussion was held regarding the differences in regulations between Oregon and Washington. Rob will be obtaining information from the state of Oregon and work with the Department of Health. This impacts all pools in the state of Washington.
· Birth-3 funding is something the legislative committee could help to promote, if needed.
· Mike stated that the NFB will be introducing a bill that would eliminate disability as a criterion for paying less than minimum wage.
Miscellaneous
Jim
stated he spoke to Rob yesterday and the Kennedy Fitness Center is the only
building on campus that is not named after someone who was influential to the
school. Jim would like to make a motion to change the name of the Kennedy
Fitness Center to the Stenehjem Fitness Center. Dennis asked what the authority
is to change the name of a building. Ed reviewed the bylaws relating to this. Ed
suggested the Board make the suggestion and motion to the superintendent and
then the superintendent can bring this to the Governor’s office. Yang-su Cho
seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Berl
stated that WSSB has had an alumni association for 40-50 years. Every 4-5
years an alumni gathering has been held at the WSSB. The nature of the
students have changed and therefore there is not a lot of alumni associated
with WSSB. On September 15, the alumni group decided to disband and the money
that has been collected over the years will be donated to the Pacific
Foundation for Blind Children (PFBC).
Scott
presented Jim Kemp a plaque to recognize his tenure as Board chairman for the
2015-2016 school year.
Executive Session
An executive session was called to order at 1:30pm.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 1:45 pm. The next Board meeting will be held in Vancouver on November 18, 2016 at 9:30am.
Dennis Mathews, Chair Scott McCallum, Superintendent
Board Reports – September 2016
The start to the 2016-2017 school year has been busy with the addition of new students, new teachers, and new district contracts. Our department continues to work collaboratively to educate students who are blind/visually impaired (BVI) throughout Washington State. Here are just a few ways we meet the needs of kids:
- June 10 was our “end of year” Outreach meeting at WSSB. Teachers considered their expectations for students and ways to improve services. We welcomed guests including Corey Grandstaff (WSSB Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI)), to share the short course program, Sean McCormick (WSSB Director of On-Campus Programs) to give an on-campus update, and DeEtte Snyder (WSSB Statewide B-Three Coordinator), who highlighted the monumental work she is doing for B-3 students.
- June 16 was the Blind Youth Consortium meeting held in Seattle, WA. This was a great opportunity to meet with leaders in our field to discuss ways we can build off each other’s strengths and work together to provide new opportunities and resources for students and families. Our next meeting will be held later this month and will focus on technology evaluations and post-school employment.
- Portland State University invited Brent Stark from Washington Sensory Disability Services (WSDS) and myself to discuss the TVI shortage and employment opportunities in WA with their new cohort on July 6. They have 9 students from Washington State!
- As the President of Pacific Northwest Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (PNW AER), I attended the AER International conference in Jacksonville, Florida July 20-23. It was a great opportunity to network with other states, and to visit the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind.
- July 25-28 was our annual Summer Institute and we had over 40 attendees this year! Our end-of-course surveys gave us high marks and we continue to increase the quality of our program each year.
- August 1-5 brought the Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) Mentor Workshop back to WA with the sponsorship of WSDS. The second part of the week was spent providing evaluations for children and their families in teams with the guidance of Dr. Roman-Lantzy. The variation in program this year provided hands-on opportunities that exceeded professional development expectations.
- Staff came back to work the week of August 23 and attended on-campus trainings. Our department meeting was a great opportunity to introduce new staff and set the bar high for the upcoming school year. New staff include:
o Crystal Hurst – Serving the Moses Lake area and coming to us with 14 years in the San Diego Unified School District. (New position!)
o Annie Stockton – Serving Lewis County and returning to us after working for another agency for the past 5 years. (New position!)
o Ron Jasmer – Serving Yelm and Tahoma School Districts after working for the past 2 years in Puyallup. (Replacing Elizabeth Asher who relocated to Oregon.)
o Kathy Michielsen – Serving Rural Spokane after working for 6 years in Yakima as a TVI and over 30 years total in special education. (Replacing Marshal Givens who relocated to Utah.)
o Jeff Bowler – Providing substitute work for a teacher’s maternity leave while working towards certification in TVI and Orientation & Mobility (O&M). He’ll be student teaching with Joe Dlugo.
- August 29 marked the arrival of our newest honorary Outreach member. Joe and Kirsten Dlugo welcomed their second child, Andrea June, who now joins big sister Lillian. She even waited so her parents could make the back-to-school workshop!
This year proves to be one of growth and excitement as we add new staff, 1 baby, and 10 new contracts (with more to come). We ended the year serving about 265 students statewide and that number will now be over 300. The caliber of our staff and the support WSSB provides to our Outreach team sets up our kids for greater independence and success. In collaboration with vision professionals statewide and WSDS we will continue to be an exceptional resource.
On Campus
Enrollment
Student enrollment has increased from last school year. The total enrollment for students attending on campus programs is 52. Enrollment for education programs currently include 12 new students, 8 distance learning students, and 5 Oregon students (for a total enrollment of 60). It is expected that a few additional new students will join WSSB this fall for comprehensive programs.
Welcome Back
WSSB began the school year with several in-service days for certificated and classified staff. The all staff in-service included WSSB workshops on variety of professional topics including safety, professional communication, and a keynote presentation from Dr. Robert Barr on creating a culture of hope to support students overcoming challenging life circumstances. Education and residential staff continued further professional development in the areas of writing effective IEPs, Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), C-Tran public transit travel training, and other department specific trainings.
Education and Residential Together
The joint efforts of the education department began this August as a start for developing a more seamless partnership across programs to support students attending WSSB. The residential department will be supervised under the direction of the Director of On-Campus Education and will be supported through the lens that all activities for students can be considered essential education at WSSB. Coordinated programs between services provided to students while in residential will be partnered with the day programs to help enhance students overall experience and learning potential while attending the school. The record of success both programs have providing an excellent immersive learning experience will provide an opportunity for building WSSB on campus program capacity.
Looking Back at Summer Programs
This summer was a very busy season for WSSB on campus. 23 campers attended the Olympic Summer Camp for 10 – 14-year-old students that celebrated the summer games through a variety of education and recreation opportunities during a week long experience. At the same time, outreach teachers Karen Mowry, Carrie Tanner, and Colleen Johnson ran Summer Camp for Independent Living Skills (SCILS) with Department of Services for the Blind for student 6 – 9 years old. In July, 21 students attended the Youth Employment Solutions 1 (YES 1) camp at WSSB for an almost 2-week period where they developed prevocational and independent living skills supporting stronger post-secondary readiness skills.
New Teaching Staff
Towards the end of last school year, several teaching positions opened and provided additional opportunities for new faces to join the WSSB community. During this summer, we hired 3 teachers for the on campus instructional programs. Jessica Bolt is the new high school social studies and language arts teacher. Jessica joins us from North Dakota School for the Blind. Amanda Rodd-Tyler joined WSSB’s math department. Amanda has attended WSSB’s summer (EPIQ) computer programming camp for several years, and has been a math instructor at Illinois School for the Visually Impaired. Vaughn Brown, WSSB alumni and Berklee College of Music graduate, is WSSB’s music teacher for this school year.
Student Success and Leadership
Within the expanded core curriculum, the common thread for students is developing greater independence and skills for success. As an umbrella theme for all students at WSSB, students will be receiving support and training in character and leadership. Each month will be themed, and every school day will include 5 – 15 minutes of instruction around success skills. Student development in their character and increased leadership skills are an excellent pairing for greater independence while building a positive and supportive community of learners. The first Friday at WSSB included a half day of school activities that brought education staff and students together with team building activities and promoting WSSB PRIDE. Prior to the start of the school year, teaching staff also spent some time collaborating on the key values that WSSB embraces to support the current and future success of students and staff. Those values are Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Diversity, and Empowerment. These form the acronym PRIDE, which was unintentional, yet a refreshing revamp of our schools PRIDE positive support program theme.
Transition Services
Learning Independence for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT)
Students will begin the 2016-2017 LIFTT year on September 11. We will have five students from Washington and are beginning a pilot program with the Oregon Commission for the Blind to provide LIFTT services to two of their transition age participants.
All staff are back and with the addition of the Marcie, the Youth Services Specialist who can provide employment readiness services to our LIFTT students, we are looking forward to a great year. We also have a new R.A – Resident Advisor this year. Tristian Gallegos was a LIFTT student last year and was chosen for the RA position. The RA covers the night shifts on the weekends in exchange for a room. This is similar to a college dorm model. He is attending the East West College of Healing Arts in Portland to become a licensed Massage Therapist.
Transition Services
Marcie Ebarb, who joined our staff in May through a partnership with Dept. of Services for the Blind as a Youth Service Specialist, has had a busy summer learning about services for transition age BVI youth in our state. She participated in all of our summer programs – SCILS, Summer Camp, YES 1, YES 2 and BRIDGE. She travelled the state and also met and worked with the other three Youth Service Specialists located regionally in the state. Marcie has been busy getting referrals and planning programming services for students.
We are very excited to start the school year with plans and programs to provide pre-employment training services to our transition age youth in Southwest Washington. This partnership with DSB will allow us to better prepare our students and young adults for successful employment.
Health Center
Information provided by Robin Williams, WSSB Nurse Supervisor:
We currently have five on call nurses in addition to 2 full time regular nurses. One of our on-call nurses just celebrated 10 years with WSSB.
The Health Center is currently precepting two student nurses from Clark College.
In addition to medication education for students, nurses teach various topics to students as needs arise, such as hand hygiene, eye hygiene, how to apply a band aid, sexual education and nutrition topics to name just a few.
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. Two courses are offered to staff each year. The most recent one was August 22.
The Health Center provided nursing services for the WSSB summer camp and the DSB sponsored YES camp this summer. The Health Center will provide services to Short Course Students this year.
Business Office
1. 2015-16 Budget
a. Operating
Phase 2 of our year end close was completed September 2. Our final disclosure forms were due today and submitted ahead of schedule. Closing this year went smoother than last; thanks to all the hard work of staff.
General Fund ended the year with a $2 balance. The total expenditures in General Fund were $6,406,998. The carry forward balance in 19B fund was $1,404,412; a decrease of $108,209 from last year. The total expenditures in 19B were $1,779,935. The Braille Access Center generated $417,428 in revenue and had $418,725 in expenditures.
The state funded approximately 74% of our operations with 26% coming from private local funds.
b. Capital
We ended the year with a balance of $487,368 which is earmarked for several campus preservation projects this year. We expect to expend all funds by biennium end.
2. 2017-19 Operating Budget
Our budget was due September 9, 2016 and was submitted on September 2. In addition to our carry forward base funding of $13,153,000 for the biennium, we submitted the following decision packages:
Maintenance Level Revenue: $1,840,000
The state requires that we submit a decision package for the revenue they have authorized us to generate.
Increase in Private/Local Authority: $2,000,000
The authority schedule the legislature issued only authorized us for $1,840,000 and that will only give us authority for the 1st year, therefore, the request for additional authority.
Increase in Attorney General Appropriation: $70,000
During the 2016 Supplemental budget cycle, our appropriation was cut from $72,000 to $8,000. At the end of the first year, we were in the red by $18,321. As you may be aware, we had some legal expense last year related to Due Process.
Merit System Increments: $134,506
By Collective Bargaining Agreement we are required to give staff merit increment increases, if eligible. We do not automatically get funded for it. We have not received funding for a few years.
Birth to Three Services: $219,542
We are seeking funding to expand the program to hire an additional staff to provide services and fund the goods and benefits and travel portion of the program. Last year, the state only covered the salary of one position.
3. 2017-19 Capital Budget: Our capital budget request was 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
4. 2017-19 Activity Inventory: We submitted a proposal to make minor revisions to some of our expected results to better clarify them. We also added measures for Birth-3 and LIFTT programs.
5. Safety Net: The application submitted was for $248,603 and were awarded $66,970 (just under 27%). Our request was definitely impacted by a new ruling OSPI has issued regarding day student application requests and who can apply. Basically, we are not able to apply for day students, only residential students. Scott will provide more info on the issue(s).
6. Contracts: We have prepared and sent out contracts for the various services we provide and contract for, i.e. Facility rental, Tuition, Outreach, Therapists, coaching.
Human Resources
New Hires:
· Jennifer Langley, Curriculum & Instruction Program Coordinator
· Amanda Rodda-Tyler, Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI)
· Jessica Bolt, TVI
· Vaughn Brown, TVI (Music Department)
· Crystal Hurst, TVI
· Ron Jasmer, TVI (Outreach)
· Annie Stockton, TVI (Outreach)
· Kathleen Michielsen, TVI (Outreach)
· Jeff Bowler, Part-time, Temp. TVI (Outreach)
· Toni Castaldo, On-Call Teacher’s Aide (TA) and On-Call Office Assistant 1
· Paula Achter, On-Call TA and On-Call Residential Life Counselor (RLC)
Open Recruitments:
· On-Call RLC
· On-Call Cook
Trainings/Functions Attended:
· HR Managers Meeting – facilitated by Franklin Plaistowe and Marcos Rodriguez
· Safety Meeting
· 2016 School Administrators’ Emergency Training Summit
· Labor Negotiations
Ogden Resource Center (ORC)
Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) Update:
One of our transcribers was released in May and went to Kentucky as an American Printing House for the Blind (APH) Apprentice Transcriber. Another transcriber elected to leave the program to seek opportunities elsewhere at WCCW so we recruited and hired new transcribers. There were already a couple of vacancies so we now have 7 new transcribers and apprentices. We also hired a temporary tactile specialist to help with the heavy tactile load. At the moment we are fully staffed with 16 full-time transcribers, 1 tactile specialist and 3 part-time apprentices.
This is the 2nd year of offering an apprenticeship and it is coordinated by ORC staff, Angela Vargas and Michael Sivill. The program was extended due to popular demand and input from WCCW management.
The program continues to be subject to the Department of Corrections (DOC) mandatory 7-year rotation and we are actively seeking solutions to keep the program viable while meeting DOC requirements.
Braille Production:
Braille production is at an all-time high with new customers including several out of state colleges, universities and schools. In order to keep the Braille Access Center (BAC) solvent, prices were increased and we now charge Washington schools for consumable braille and large print items produced by the BAC.
Unified English Braille (UEB) Update:
Transitioning to UEB continues to be a vital activity for the ORC. Michael Sivill is the chair of the UEB Committee and took over the task of creating the new state braille proficiency exam due to the departure of previous committee members assigned this task. The pilot exam was given to transcribers at the prison and students of the 2015-1016 braille class. The UEB Committee met to determine who passed the exam and make decisions on editing the exam. Michael has revised the exam based on committee input and it is now available to everyone.
All three ORC braille staff members received their UEB National Certification.
Instructional Resource Center (IRC) Update:
The census for APH is complete for this year and thanks to strong collaboration with DeEtte Snyder, Birth to 3 Coordinator, and Emily Coleman, Director of Outreach; we increased qualifying student counts from 1,011 in 2015 to 1,220 in 2016 (209 more kids!)
APH materials have been re-stocked for the school year and we are getting ready to start the census process all over again.
Buildings and Grounds
Capital:
· The swimming pool resurfacing is now complete and we are in the process of reintroducing salt to the system.
· Approximately 155’ of sidewalks have been replaced around campus. The areas replaced were selected based on potential tripping hazards, cracking and separations. Two drywells were also added to remove the areas where standing water had been an ongoing problem.
· The warehouse was repainted including all doors and exterior trim. This is the first new coat of paint since it was built in 1997.
· The new sewer connection to Hall and Chapman Cottages was completed just prior to school starting. One problem that is still being worked on is that the laundry room and custodial sink both had separate sewer connections that did not appear on the prints. The contractors are now working to tie those lines into the system.
· The Old Main courtyard was resurfaced and the front gate painted.
Campus:
· We are working with NW Natural Gas and Clark County PUD to explore ways to save on energy costs. LED lighting replacement of the standard fluorescent tubes is probably the largest potential reduction source. Separation of the cottages from the main steam boilers and then reducing the boiler size is also being investigated. This could allow for expanded air conditioning in the cottages while still realizing energy savings.
Birth-3
The WSSB Birth to 3 Program had a very busy summer!
We currently have contracts for ongoing services for 10 agencies; including 2 ESDs, 3 individual school districts, 1 county health department, and 4 non-profit Early Intervention (EI) agencies, providing EI Visual Impairment Specialist (EIVIS) services for about 25 children and their families. An EIVIS is a professional who is a certified Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI), but may also provide EI services to children under the age of 3. New referrals continue to come in weekly and we have entered some new counties such as Pend Orielle, Lewis, San Juan, and Island.
The Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) Registry includes 154 children between the ages of birth to 3, as of September 1. Also, the APH registry at the ORC includes an additional 59 children not on the registry. DeEtte is working with agencies to complete registry, in addition to the APH registry.
The ESIT Practice Guide for Infants and Toddlers with Sensory Disabilities is now online and available on the Department of Early Learning/Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (DEL/ESIT) website. This Practice Guide is comprehensive and provides a framework of early intervention services for children with BVI. It was available in June and may be the reason for the busy summer of new referrals, additional contracts, and the increase of children on the BVI registry. The DEL/ESIT program is in the process of a statewide system restructure due to the passage of SB 5879. This new more coordinated state system should align nicely with WSSB’s view for our Birth to 3 program.
DeEtte continues to provide leadership and mentorship to EI Vision Impairment Specialists (EIVIS) around the state. Currently there are 5 EIVIS in the state with about 9 other TVIs participating in the EIVIS Team. The EIVIS Team has been working on reading the book “Vision and the Brain” by Amanda Lueck and Gordon Dutton. They have met twice for a book club discussion via Skype for Business, with DeEtte leading the discussion.
Parent Infant Playgroup (PIP) begins for the school year on Friday, September 9. They will occur 2 times a month, from September to June, with seasonal themes to engage children’s learning and assist families in incorporating activities into their home routines. In October we are planning trip to pumpkin patch.
In August we had our first Parent 2 Parent workshop on topic of “Painting a picture of the future for your child” and a focus on transition. Transitions occur through life, though the first is from early intervention to preschool so this first parent workshop shared information about children to new professionals, such as new IEP team or classroom teacher. Emily Coleman was the keynote speaker and encouraged collaboration with educational teams from a parent point of view. Nine families attended from around the state and all report the workshop was very beneficial. Area Lion Clubs and the Pacific Foundation for Blind Children (PFBC) assisted to make this a reality. We would really like to repeat this workshop (and others) in other areas of the state with our local partners, especially Seattle, Spokane and Tri-Cities areas.
Superintendent
General Update
It is hard to believe that I have been the acting Superintendent of WSSB for a full three months. It has been an extremely busy time spent largely on establishing relationships with WSSB staff who work during the summer, as well as local, regional, state, and national stakeholders. I have participated in a myriad of trainings related to my role in State Government, Safe Schools, Principal Evaluation, and more. Also, as you have read in the management reports, we have been busy with budget, facilities, summer programs, and back to school.
The Fall Workshop that involved all staff of WSSB went smoothly and represented a positive start to the school year. Several staff were honored on this day. John Fleming from the Maintenance and Grounds Crew was voted Employee of the Year and honored with this award at the Fall Workshop. Members of John’s family were in attendance when this award was announced. A variety of departments were honored for the “Team of the Year” award. The Team of the Year award goes to the “Behind the Scenes” staff in technology and custodial who made the busy summer schedule run without a hitch. To open the event, I addressed the staff with an introduction of myself, my values and expectations for the school year. My message highlighted the importance of positive relationships built on a foundation of trust and respect; being optimistic and inspiring hope; demonstrating genuine care for one another; demonstrating a commitment to excellence; and celebrating success. Following my initial address of the staff, Dr. Robert Barr provided a keynote speech on building a culture of hope. Dr. Barr is a celebrated author, researcher, speaker, and former Dean of Education at Oregon State University and Boise State University. The remainder of the day was filled with workshops for staff on topics such as disaster preparedness, public records requests and appropriate communications, internet security, and payroll/business office details. I have heard many positive remarks from a variety of staff about the Fall Workshop and the general tone set by this welcome back event for staff.
One of my roles in State Government is to be a part of Goal Council 1 (of 5) for Results Washington. Goal Council 1 focuses on the Governor’s goal of “Providing every Washingtonian a world-class education that prepares him or her for a healthy and productive life, including success in a job or career, in the community and as a lifelong learner.” Thirteen different state agencies are represented on the Goal Council including but not limited to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), Department of Early Learning (DEL), State Board of Education, Center for Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss (CDHL), WSSB, and more. Recently, I began working with Doug Gill (Assistant Superintendent, OSPI), Rick Hauan (Director, CDHL), and Tristan Wise (Senior Performance Officer, Results Washington, Office of the Governor) to revise several objectives currently in place to measure progress towards the overarching goal as it relates to students with disabilities. Our work together will continue with a follow-up meeting on September 21 and a follow up presentation to the Goal Council in October or November.
Most recently, I attended a meeting with a Washington Sensory Disabilities Services (WSDS). WSDS is here to assist children who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, or deaf-blind, by providing assessment services, training and other support to children, districts, families and service providers. Staff members are located state wide. Three separate components support WSDS services. WSDS is a state needs project funded through the OSPI, Special Education Section. Parties at the meeting represented WSSB, CDHL, OSPI, WSDS, and the Washington Deafblind Project. Both DeEtte Snyder and Emily Coleman from WSSB were also in attendance.
Memorandum No. 003-16M
On January 22, 2016, WSSB and the CDHL were issued a memo from OSPI. The memo attempts to provide “guidance to school districts regarding their responsibility for students attending a state school…” However, it is important to note that neither school/agency was consulted during the creation of the memo and the information contained within the memo represents a significant change in practice for both state schools and school districts, particularly local school districts who place students at the state schools as “day students”. In summary, day students will require an interagency agreement between the resident school district and the state school and the resident district will be responsible for transporting day students. Both CDHL and WSSB have sought further clarification on the memo from a variety of parties including the Assistant Attorney General who represents both schools, OSPI, Office of Financial Management (OFM), and representatives of the Governor’s Office. To date, an agreement on how to move forward has not been realized, however, CDHL and WSSB are working together and hope to resolve this matter in the near future. The issue will be brought to the Regional Superintendents as well as local district Special Education Directors for further discussion and planning. Additionally, Safety Net applications from both schools (CDHL and WSSB) were denied by OSPI from the 2015-16 school year based on guidance contained within the memo. Copies of the memo will be made available upon request.
Office of Civil Rights (OCR) Complaint and New Website
A complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, OCR, was recently filed and “alleges that WSSB’s website contains barriers to access for people with disabilities, thereby denying them an equal opportunity to participate in WSSB’s programs, services, and activities, and denying them effective communication necessary for full participation in WSSB’s programs, services, and activities.” Initial documentation of the complaint received from the OCR pointed towards accessibility barriers to accessing YouTube videos linked and commonly accessed through the school’s website. Further examination of the YouTube videos accessible through the WSSB website revealed that many of the linked videos were not close captioned. The WSSB and the Office of Civil Rights have negotiated an agreement to resolve the issue. Initially unrelated, a new school website is being developed and was scheduled to launch this fall. Per the agreement with the OCR, the new website will go through an accessibility audit within the next thirty days. The accessibility audit will be performed by WebAim out of Utah State University, one of a list of possible options obtained through the Office of Civil Rights. WebAim will provide WSSB with a report of the findings of the audit, a process which will reportedly take about 3-4 weeks. As previously mentioned, as planned and per our agreement with the OCR, WSSB will be launching a new website which is expected to go live on Friday, September 16, the day of our September Board meeting. We would love to have positive and constructive feedback; please send that information to Danya Borowski, danya.borowski@wssb.wa.gov or at 360.947.3332.
Decision Packages, Birth to Three, and Pacific Foundation for Blind Children (PFBC)
As mentioned in the Business office report, WSSB will be submitting several decision packages to the legislature for funding consideration. While a majority of the package requests represent a corrective action, the request to further fund the birth to three program represents an opportunity that we feel cannot wait. Since 2014, the number of students in state who are age birth to three and are suspected of having a visual impairment has gone from 88 to 245. We believe, based on prevalence rates of students who are BVI, that another 200-300 students are yet to be identified. Additionally, one of our school performance measures is to begin serving these students within four months of their diagnosis. This creates a significant challenge for one person to provide the initial contact, evaluation, and ongoing services for new students, especially when those students may be located in more rural or distant parts of Washington. We are requesting funds to support another birth to three staff member to help us work towards our goal of identifying and serving students who are BVI and under age three within four months of the diagnosis.
At this time, it is also appropriate to recognize and celebrate the ongoing commitment from the PFBC to support our efforts with these students (B-3 and BVI) and their families. Over the last two years, PFBC have provided over $23,000 to support our efforts on behalf of these children and families. This includes but is not limited to attendance for two families at a birth to three conference, appropriate toys for children who are BVI, supporting the creation of a database for identified children, parent support events and more. The PFBC Board of Directors have expressed a particular interest in providing ongoing support for the efforts of WSSB to support services to identified students and families. Thank you, PFBC!
Also, please mark your calendars for the PFBC “Feel the Music” annual event. This event will be held on October 16, 2016 in Fries Auditorium at WSSB. Contact JaReda Webb (jareda.webb@pfbc1.org) to RSVP if you are interested in attending or sponsoring a table.