WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Minutes from Board of Trustees Meeting
March 12, 2021
Conference Call/Zoom
Board
Members Participating: Greg Szabo, Reg George, Brent Stark, Keri Clark, Nancy
McDaniel, Dennis Mathews and Lily Clifton.
Ex-Officio
Members Participating: Jim Eccles (Washington
Federation of State Employees Local #1225), Marci Carpenter (National
Federation of the Blind of Washington), and Stephanie Face (Teacher
Representative).
Ex-Officio Members
Absent: Joleen Ferguson (Washington Council of the
Blind) and Krista Bulger (Parent Representative).
WSSB
Staff Members Participating: Mr.
Scott McCallum (Superintendent), Sean McCormick (Director of On-Campus Programs)
and Janet Kurz (recording secretary).
March 12, 2021 – 11am-12:15pm
Greg
called the meeting to order at 11am. The
meeting started with a roll call.
Business
Meeting:
Old
Business:
Approve
board meeting minutes of January 13, 2021. Keri moved to approve the minutes as
submitted; Dennis seconded the motion.
The minutes were approved unanimously.
Department
Highlight (Sean McCormick)
Safety and expanding campus programs:
o Currently, we have 36 students on campus who are joining their core
classes via remote learning from their bedrooms in their cottages or other
places on campus. Students have the opportunity to join some classes in person
(Orientation & Mobility (O&M), Daily Living Skills (DLS), Braille,
recreation, etc.).
o There was a brief in-person services closure between Thanksgiving and two
weeks after our winter holiday break.
Approximately 23 students returned to onsite programs after that time.
Since that time, every remaining family was personally contacted regarding
sending their child back to in-person services to determine their comfort level.
A number of families indicated that they were ready
when we were, some families felt it was better to wait until all teachers
returned to campus, and some wanted to wait until vaccinations were received.
The next step forward in getting students back on campus was March 1, where all
students who were ready to return were invited back. The final step will be on
April 12 where we are hopeful that all students will be back.
o Safety protocols are in place such as daily screening questions regarding
Covid, taking temperatures, etc. In any
situation on campus, student groups are 15 or less which has required
additional modifications to lunches on campus (lunches are being delivered to
three different locations). Due to the
students being in different groups, Sean is seeing some changes in student
behavior, such as fewer students being on their devices in their spare time and
instead, choosing to go outside and interact more with each other.
o Residential Life Counselors (RLC) have been extremely helpful in assisting
with student supervision during the day while students are attending classes
remotely from their cottage bedrooms.
o Several iterations of schedules (synchronous and asynchronous, remote and
in person) have been adjusted as more students return to campus. Sean stated
that this has been stressful for people and he acknowledges that.
o Sean feels that after spring break, all but approximately ten students will
be back on campus. Sean wants to give
kudos to staff for being flexible during this time. Sean stated that Stephanie Face is one of our
teachers who has been on campus and has endured the many service delivery model
changes.
o Brent asked if the students that don’t plan to return to campus feel that
remote learning is a successful model or if their families have some
apprehension regarding Covid. Sean
stated that there is a mix of both and some families don’t feel comfortable
having their child wear a mask. Sean stated
that we have two full-time nurses on site to help with processes and safety and
that in the coming days, we will be offering free Covid testing for staff as
another layer.
o Dennis asked if Sean has received any pushback on IEP services not being
delivered. Sean said the issue we are
facing now is not having students receiving in-person services while on campus
(some teachers are still working remotely).
Sean feels we have solid relationships with families. Dennis asked if we have considered any
continuing services throughout the summer for students (regular and according
to their IEP’s). Sean said extended
school services will be offered; two 2-week sessions for recovery and
regression for students. During the
summer programs, students will stay over the weekends and this will start right
after school ends (June 14). This optional
program will be open to WSSB students only.
Dennis feels this is very prudent and wise.
o Dennis asked if Sean has a checklist for how rooms are to be prepared
(self-report by staff or random checks). Sean followed up with teachers to ensure
classrooms were prepared for students.
o Keri said following up from the last board meeting, Krista mentioned that
students and families were not happy with having to learn from their bedrooms
in their cottages while they were on campus.
Keri asked if these conditions have changed or will change in
April. Sean said April will look like as
close as possible to what a true WSSB experience is. Students will navigate throughout the school
building throughout the day with safety protocols. Sean said the only exception will be two
specific places for students to have study hall or self-directed independent
learning time. The isolation factor
should pretty much be eliminated for students.
o Jim asked if some of our students find asynchronous learning helpful. Sean said there are a few students find this
model to be effective and one of the factors is that there are no
distractions. Scott stated that
academics are one component of coming to the WSSB and where we struggle is with
O&M, DLS, Braille (those things that don’t translate as well via remote
learning). Sean said having independent,
self-directed learning is important for students who are planning to attend
post-secondary programs.
o Greg thanked Sean and leadership of the WSSB for ensuring the safety of
our students.
New
Business:
Review/approve
2021-2022 school year calendar. Scott reported
that the WSSB uses the Vancouver Public Schools calendar as a guide and that
the only remarkable change to this year’s calendar was surrounding the
Thanksgiving holidays as we will plan to shift to remote learning that week, so
students are not required to transport to and from their homes quite so
much. Scott met with both unions
(teachers and classified staff) to review the proposed calendars and there were
no concerns brought forth. Nancy moved to approve the 2021-2022 school year
calendar as submitted; Keri seconded the motion. The calendar was approved unanimously.
Jim thanked Janet for
sending out the accessible calendar version to staff.
Superintendent’s
Report
Scott said in
January, as soon as staff returned following winter holiday break, he and Anne
Baker, HR Director started working on getting early vaccination status for our
staff through the state. At the end of January, WSSB was able to secure some
doses based on the argument that we have communal living. We identified nurses,
cottage staff and custodians to get the vaccines first which amounted to 36
doses. Scott made the executive decision
to extend the invitation for vaccinations to additional staff if the originally
identified staff chose to not receive one.
This extended the eligible groups to teachers and teacher aides. However, the challenge resulted in locating a
vaccine, not eligibility. Several staff worked behind the scenes to try to find
appointments for staff. By early
February, the majority of on-campus education staff
had access to the vaccine. Since the
Governor opened up vaccinations to all educators, they
have been easier to obtain.
The WSSB also applied
for a grant with the Department of Health (DOH) to develop a website for blind
and low vision individuals to obtain resources for vaccinations, testing,
etc. We ran focus groups to help with
this endeavor. Initial feedback
indicated that there is a lot of inaccessible information. Corey Grandstaff, Residential Program Manager
has been creating podcasts to be included on the website. The WSSB also hosts a telephone line for
assistance. The WSSB worked with the ESD 112 to produce an audio described
video for social distancing. Our Learning
Independence for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT) program participants assisted with
the video.
The new proposed LIFTT
building continues to evolve. Tactile drawings and 3-D modeling is
available. Scott is feeling very
confident that the project will receive legislative approval this year. One
issue that arose was that the project was approximately $2.1 million over
budget so a few items had to be eliminated from the proposed building. There is a space for Department of Services
for the Blind programs in that building as well.
In February, we
partnered with Portland State University (PSU), the American Printing House for
the Blind and the Fort Vancouver Historical Site staff for “Mobility Matters.” WSSB students provided a virtual tour of the
Fort Vancouver Historical Site. Over 667 people attended the virtual session. WSSB
worked with PSU to send out physical artifacts and were able to take the
virtual tour with artifacts that were representative of the site. It was great to see our students in this
leadership role.
In March 60% of our
students are back on campus. Scott realizes this has been stressful for a lot
of people. After spring break, all
students will be back on campus that choose to be.
Scott said free Covid
testing will be offered to staff. These will be offered as asymptomatic only as
we do not want any people who feel ill to be on campus. We could get test results
as soon as 1-3 days and the tests can be self-administered with trained
observers. Keri asked if the tests were for teachers who haven’t received the
vaccination yet. Scott said this is for everyone and if you have gotten
vaccinated you still can get sick and spread the virus; the vaccine prevents
significant complications and death and given that we are residential, Scott
wants to be sure that teachers and staff can have that as an extra layer of
protection. Our hope is to expand this to students. This is a pilot program that is state
funded. WSSB may be able to continue
this through the next school year. Camas School District is the only other
school in the area who offers this.
Scott stated that
someone reached out to request a tactile map of the Irwin building. Scott has asked that we create a welcome
packet that would include this information for potential students, enabling them
to become more familiar with our school.
We also plan to include a tactile description of our state logo and lion
logo. Jim felt that this has been an
amazing inclusive process.
Ex-Officio Reports:
National Federation
of the Blind (Marci Carpenter):
o
Marci
reported that the NFB has been busy the past couple of months. The NFB normally
traveled to Washington DC for a week each year with 500-600 blind people on
site to visit congressional members to discuss 3-4 issues. This year, the event
was held virtually and over 1,000 people were in attendance. One of the primary focuses this year is the
proposed Access Technology Affordability Act, which would create a $2,000
refundable tax credit for blind people for the purpose of
purchasing assistive technology. People
would have to purchase the item up front but can then file for that tax credit at
the end of the year. The NFB attempted to pass this legislation last year and
had close to 140 co-sponsors on the bill, however it did not make it through
the process. This year, there are 62 co-sponsors in the House and quite a few
in the Senate. In Washington state, the following legislators are co-sponsors
for the bill: Patty Murray, Jaime Herrera-Beutler, Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, and Suzan
DelBene.
o
The
NFB national convention will be held virtually and registration is now open
at: https://www.nfb.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=432.
There is no cost for the convention and all sessions will be available via zoom
with closed captioning available.
o
The
NFB of Washington is monitoring Senate Bill 5284 which eliminates subminimum
wage certificates for persons with disabilities. This bill is moving through
the legislative process. Self-advocates from the NFB community and other groups
are watching the bill closely.
o
The
NFB of Washington are still trying to determine if the fall convention can be
held in person or if it will be held virtually.
Stay tuned for more information.
o
The
NFB national scholarship applications are open until March 31. There are 30
scholarships available ranging from $3,000-$12,000. NFB of Washington
scholarship applications will be out next month.
Teachers (Stephanie
Face):
o
Stephanie
reported that Sean shared the information regarding how the Irwin
education/on-campus programs are evolving. Stephanie reported that there is a
lot of activity and planning in anticipation of more students returning to
on-campus programs.
WSFE Local #1225 (Jim
Eccles):
o
Jim
reflected on the past year, in light of Covid. Jim
stated that residential staff are working hard to cover changes and shifts in
assisting students. With vaccinations occurring more frequently, the hope is
that more groups and activities can return to normal, however the Covid variant
strains are also concerning. Jim commented
that it is amazing that the school has remained upbeat, working with all
groups, taking all possible considerations with different scenarios into mind,
and keeping them in play. Jim feels
that, as a community, we are all keeping the communication lines open and
discussing concerns and as we can to find solutions and move forward. This is a
tribute to all staff from top to bottom that we are all working together on
this problem and as things change, we sit down to discuss it.
Committee Reports:
Education Committee: (Brent)
o
Brent
visited the WSSB campus and was able to see several groups of students and
teachers. He is very pleased to be back
on campus and is hopeful that we can have meetings back on campus soon. Brent appreciates the work that Stephanie,
staff and Sean has done. Brent said his hat goes off to them. Keri said she seconds that.
Buildings and Grounds
Committee: (Nancy)
o
No
report at this time.
Management Committee: (Greg)
o
Greg
and Nancy will be working on the superintendent’s evaluation.
Legislative Committee: (Marci)
o
No
report at this time.
Miscellaneous:
Keri
would like to discuss possible gardening (horticulture) opportunities for
students and the quality of food in the cafeteria and ways we can improve that
for the students. Keri would like to discuss this at a future board meeting. Greg
offered to meet with Keri regarding this.
There
being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 12:15pm. The next Board meeting will be held virtually
on May 6 at 7:30pm.
Greg Szabo, Chair Scott
McCallum, Superintendent
Board Reports – March 2021
Outreach
WSSB
Outreach team have been rock stars during the pandemic. They have met all the
challenges with creativity and flexibility. These people are truly inspiring!
·
Almost
all Outreach teachers are seeing students in person. Some are seeing all
students in person, some are seeing students both in person and virtually and
some are only seeing students remotely. This all varies depending on the
districts, student and families.
·
We
continue to have monthly “Outreach Check-In” Zooms. We also stay in contact
with each other using Teams and email.
·
Joe
Dlugo continues to provide support as a mentor for the Stephen F. Austin
program around the state. This is the last cohort of the Teacher of the
Visually Impaired (TVI) Grant.
·
The
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has offered to
continue the grant funding to support Orientation & Mobility (O&M)
certifications. We are teaming with Portland State University (PSU)/Washington
Sensory Disability Services (WSDS) to select participants to become O&M
certified in Washington, looking for the areas with the highest need. Joe Dlugo
will continue to mentor.
·
Our
work in the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) Workgroup to review
credentialing for educators of the blind and visually impaired is complete. We
are anticipating appropriate changes to reflect the need of the vison professionals
in our state.
·
Reimagining
Summer Institute (SI) 2021: Sent out a
survey to determine the desire to have SI this year, either in person (with CDC
precautions) or virtually.
On
the horizon:
·
Continue
working group for Strategic Plan Goal #1: Identify statewide need for blind and
low vision services, includes Pam Parker, Jennifer Merry (Director of the Ogden
Resource Center), and Sara Zachariah (TVI).
·
Blind
Youth Consortium meeting set for March 15.
·
Pacific
Northwest Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and
Visually Impaired (PNWAER) Virtual Conference 2021-March 18 and 19.
·
Contracts
will be sent to school districts starting April.
On Campus
Total
enrollment: 66
Learning
Independence for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT): 6
Middle
School: 18
High
School: 42
Number
of students currently accessing in-person instruction:
·
Middle
School: 12
·
High
School: 24
Number
of students currently accessing remote learning:
·
Middle
School: 6
·
High
School: 18
This
winter has provided the opportunity for students to begin to transition back to
in-person learning on WSSB’s campus.
After 6 school weeks of offering only remote learning, a small group of
22 students returned for in-person learning during the week of January 18. On March 1, WSSB phased in an additional 14
students. At the same time, nearly all
education department staff was required to work on-site and provide in-person
services in individualized service areas, small groups, fitness, and learning
support classes. Core subject classes are being offered through remote learning
using Zoom. This means that students
attending on-campus attend remote classes from a cottage bedroom.
Next
steps for returning students to WSSB will occur on April 12, when all students
will be invited to return to campus and attend all their classes in-person.
Preparing for offering in-person classes requires that all classrooms are setup
to accommodate students spaced at 6-foot distances and are equipped with
technology to allow remote students to access live instruction with their
peers. Some classrooms have begun
piloting this simultaneous instruction model, including our choir class, which
met on campus for the first time in-person all year on March 2.
The
direction WSSB is going in to provide more learning in-person for students is
absolutely needed for the benefit of our students, staff, and the entire school
community. During the first week of
March, when a surge of new students joined in-person learning, many of them
shared that being back at school was “awesome,” “exciting,” “weird because of
restrictions, but good,” and “glad to be back with their teachers, because it’s
a lot easier to learn in-person.” The
joy is palpable and can be observed through their day in the school building,
cottage, and during lunch break when students are playing outside, swinging on
the swings, running around the track, and hanging out with their friends
outside during their lunch break. It’s
clear that students benefit most when they are with their friends, having fun,
and learning at school.
Residential
Residential:
More students returned to the residential setting as of February 1, which means
all four cottages have reopened. Students and staff continue to follow Covid
protocols in all aspects of programming including recreation activities. In
addition, all residential staff are working extra shifts to ensure WSSB
students can work from the cottages during the day to zoom into their classes,
as well as attend some of their classes in person. Recreation activities on
campus resumed in mid-January with Covid protocols in place, students are
enjoying being able to access the recreation center and pool. In addition,
students are cooking Wednesday night dinner as a team and are learning various other
skills of independent living.
LIFTT: LIFTT has been operating with full, in-person
service since the beginning of November. There are 6 residents. All residents
have been learning and practicing skills of adult independence in COVID times.
They are doing an excellent job, and everyone has remained safe and healthy. We
have kept the program running continuously since opening in the fall (no
closures for the holidays). Everyone – staff included, are getting ready for a
break, so we may close for a bit during the traditional spring break time.
The
planning for the new LIFTT building remains in process, and Mahlum Architects
meet regularly with us during this design phase. All involved are excited and
hopeful that the project will continue to be funded and we will have a building
for our program and Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) by next year.
Health
Center: Nurses are continuing to go to students to deliver medication and
administer first aid, which is working well. Nurses are observing whether
6-foot distancing is being adhered to, which reports indicate it is. Nurses
will not be hosting any blood drives, dental clinic vans or nursing students at
this time.
The WSSB Youth Services Specialist (YSS): The YSS continues to work with the DSB Youth
Services Specialists team developing remote school year programming. In late December, the decision was made that
all DSB youth service programing would continue to be provided in a remote
format through at least August 2021.
Remote workshops held this quarter include:
Financial Reality Fair: The non-profit Financial Beginnings
Washington facilitated this evening workshop on Nov. 24, 2020. Youth were assigned a career and given a
corresponding “salary” to spend. They
made simulated budget decisions for their family that included an income earing
spouse and one child under age 5. An app
titled “Bite of Reality” was used to track spending and budget decisions. Using zoom polling features, youth made a
series of decisions about how to budget their monthly income for necessities
and optional spending items. The
facilitators intentionally tried to upsell the youth into choosing higher cost
items, so they would have the experience of revising their spending plan if
they ran out of money.
Pilot for Technology Shop: DSB
Assistive Technology staff (ATS) facilitated and produced a 6-week training
course in using JAWS. In the weekly
sessions, the ATS instructed students on topics of JAWS preferences, navigating
the desktop, trouble-shooting, and using the Internet for job search. YSS have plans to offer this remote training
in the spring of 2021.
Youth e-Newsletter: Two positions were created to develop and
produce an e-newsletter for DSB youth services to be written for students, by
students. All applicants submitted a
resume and cover letter and participated in interviews. Those scoring the highest in the interviews
were asked to submit a writing sample and then offered a second interview that
focused on desired skills in writing, journalism, working independently. All 8
applicants received feedback about their interviews and 2 youth were selected
to participate.
Blind and Socially Savvy: A
contract was developed with The International School of Protocol and Blind
Savvy USA to provide a soft skills development and leadership training program
for youth. Employment related nuances
and alternatives are a special focus of the program. Youth receive coaching in the use of social
cues and body language, mingling/networking skills, establishing their image
both in person and the virtual world, asking for and refusing help in public
spaces, navigating low expectations and the opportunity to participate in
informational interviews, virtual tours, etc. Youth meet for 4 hours per month
from January – June 2021.
Step Up to the Plate: DSB vendor and registered
dietician and health coach, Alysse Anderegg, facilitated a 4-session workshop
on food preparation skills and nutrition from Dec. 2020 – March 2021. Youth
learned about different types of nutrients and how to read and use information
on nutrition labels for meal planning. They utilized low tech and high- tech
tools and adaptive techniques for efficient and safe meal preparation.
Good
VIBE Fridays Social Hour: Students with visual impairments
across the state of Washington connect once a month from Dec. 2020 – June 2021
to check in with each other on a variety of topics, learn from each other,
laugh and unwind from the week in a safe and supportive social circle.
Zooming
in on Art: Using art to promote self-expression
and presentation skills are the goals for this 4- session workshop. From January – April 2021 youth will create
art and express their thoughts through sound, colors/textures and words. Projects, including
the creation of a soundscape, a Haiku and a rainstick are completed in between
sessions and presented for the group each month.
4SHOWI
- Hanging Out with Intention: Washington blind and low vision
(BLV) youth will participate in bi-monthly gatherings with the opportunity to
meet and network with BLV youth in Michigan, Idaho and Vermont. The youth from
each state will plan and facilitate one meeting during the year, with coaching
support from youth services staff.
Additional
programs for WSSB students:
Contractor Partners in Careers provides virtual work based
learning and soft skills education 1 time per week for selected WSSB
students. Virtual job shadows are
planned after school twice per month and short term remote internships are
being developed for class participants in their second year of the program.
Contractor Melissa Small has been working with a group of 12 WSSB
students with additional disabilities providing work readiness skills training
services. Resume development, task kits and informational interviews are
examples of the vocational learning experiences provided. Ms. Small is also planning an informational
workshop for parents about the Dept. of Developmental Disabilities
Administration eligibility and application process in April.
Business
Office
1.
2020-21
Operating Budget: We ended the month of
January with a 7% variance which is primarily due to savings from not having
students/staff on campus e.g. food service, transportation, utilities and those
other components affected by the change in service delivery. Moving forward, we
will have increased costs for having students on campus with PPE and social
distancing requirements. We anticipate
consuming any variances.
In Fund 19B, spending is keeping pace
with revenue.
2.
2021
Operating and Capital Budget Supplemental:
We did not submit any supplemental requests to the legislature.
3.
2021
Legislative Session: The legislature is
in session and will end on April 25, 2021.
So far, we have received and responded to 10 fiscal note requests
compared to 29 last year. They have been
regarding: Procurement/Automated
decision systems, Cloud Computing Solutions, Remote Working Reimbursements,
Zero Based Budget Reviews, Equity Task Force, and Schools/Computers and
devices.
4.
E-Commerce: We have been working, for almost two years,
to get the Ogden Resource Center approved for E-Commerce (the ability to make
payments on-line/accepting credit cards).
It’s a very simple process for a regular business to accomplish this but
when you have state agencies trying to implement these programs, it’s not that
simple with all the state requirements.
So, it has been a long process, but we are very hopeful we will be able
to get all the pieces in place to implement this very soon.
5.
ONE
Washington: This is the state’s
initiative to replace its core financial system that is now more than 30 years
old and long due for an overhaul.
Expectations were different three decades ago, not to mention technology
was too. The OneWa project has the opportunity to modernize the state’s core administrative
functions through both innovation and improvements supported by
technology. The administrative business
functions in scope for OneWa are: Finance, Procurement, Budget, Human Resources
and Payroll. Currently these business
functions use various systems as opposed to the proposed system where they will
all reside within the same financial system.
Things are beginning to move
quickly. Weekly and sometimes
semi-weekly meetings along with assigned tasks puts an additional burden on
staff who already have a full load. Small agencies struggle with these type of
projects as opposed to larger agencies.
We are hoping that the legislature will provide some funding so that
small agencies can get some support.
6.
New
Hires: The Business Office, like other
departments, has faced staffing reductions.
We have added programs in the last few years and even though these are
collaborative efforts, they do add to the existing workload and keeping pace is
no longer feasible. Therefore, we are
recruiting for a Fiscal Analyst 1 position with a focus on accounts
receivable.
7.
2021
Fiscal Year/Biennium Close: We will
begin to focus on tasks and processes for closing our books for the fiscal year
as well as the biennium. This is a
process with tasks into September 2021; happening in conjunction with working
in the new biennium.
8.
2021-23
Budget Allotments: Soon after the
legislature ends their session, staff will be expected to provide allotment
information for the next biennium by May 2021.
9.
Performance
Measures: We reported on the following
measures for quarter ending December 2020:
#1585 Percent of WSSB
high school students enrolled in online classes: 8%
#1586 Braille
Distributed on time: 100%
#1590 Pages of
Braille Transcription: 38,903
#1591 Training opportunities
accessed by individuals: 11,742
#1592 Number of
teachers/paraprofessionals taking Braille exams: 30
#1593 Number of
students on campus: 67
#1594 Off-Campus
Services: 1040
The next reporting
period is at the end of March. We will report on those results in the next
report.
Human
Resources
New
Hires:
·
Museum
Intern – On hold
Recruitments:
·
TVI
– Math Teacher
·
Communications
Consultant
·
Substitute
TVI
·
On-call
Teaching Assistant
·
On-call
Residential Life Counselor
Trainings/Functions
Attended:
·
HR
Managers Meeting – Facilitated by Franklin Plaistowe and Marcos Rodriguez
·
Labor
Relations Roundtable – Facilitated by (OFM)
·
COVID
19 – Reopening State HR (On-going)
·
COVID
19 – Risk Management Response (PRIMA)
The
proofreading position is still vacant, so the proofreading is being done by
contractors, our inmate workers and Jim Eccles from LIFTT.
The
prison is moving to a cohort system due to COVID-19. A solution was found to
keep our inmate transcribers working full-time.
So
far in 2021, the ORC has shipped 886 items to 309 students in 97 districts.
a.
Bob
Lonnee, Food Services Manager, has been working closely with Sean McCormick
(Director of On-Campus Programs), Jennifer Langley (Director of Curriculum and
Instruction) and Corey Grandstaff (Residential Program Manager) to provide food
service in such a manner to maintain proper coronavirus safety protocols for
all involved. Adaptations include food delivery to a makeshift lunchroom in the
Irwin Commons, to the cottages, and soon, to a third lunch room in the Old Main
Building cafeteria. The kitchen staff has also been delivering food to some
remote students. Lisa Rachetto, Old Main Front Desk person/Buildings and
Grounds support, has taken over the FDA reporting requirements for the Food
Service program. I have been impressed with the creativity and flexibility of
Bob and his crew both in their work schedules, and in their efforts to provide
whatever is requested for pandemic protocol reasons.
b.
Mickey
Marshall, Custodial Supervisor, has been working with individual staff members
all around campus to make sure they have the right PPE and cleaning supplies
always stocked, and she and her crew have been helping to rearrange furniture
to maintain pandemic protocols. Up to this point the custodial load has been
reduced with the nature of remote teaching. We’ve used this time to perform
some deeper cleaning projects, to go through custodial spaces with a “spring
cleaning” mindset, and to work with custodians interested in learning to
perform more routine maintenance in such areas as lighting, plumbing, ceiling,
and flooring, and casework.
c.
Regarding
HVAC, we have recently changed the air filters, so as students and teachers
return in greater numbers, we will have the cleanest filters possible. During
the remote work pause in full occupation here, I have been checking functionality
on our systems, making sure computer-controlled devices are doing what they are
designed to do. Several times I have been asked if we had adequate airflow to
remove aerosols associated with the transmission of COVID-19. Short answer:
yes, we do. Our systems are designed for a minimum of 5 air changeovers per
hour, so five times per hour the air of a room is cycled through filters while
a varying percentage is replaced with fresh air. This conforms to current
pandemic standards as set by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers). Finally, on request I have
worked with individual staff members to help them feel more comfortable in
their space, either by teaching them about the systems, or by altering things
for their needs.
2.
Old
Main Building Roof project is our last 2019-2021 biennium capital project. We
are first in line when the Spring weather permits a two-week rain-free window.
I anticipate we will be complete before June 30, 2021.
3.
A
few other near-term potential expenditures from Buildings and Grounds:
a.
$11,000
for a Club Car Carryall 300, an electric utility vehicle to replace a
30-year-old diesel Toro mower John modified for use. The Toro is in mid-stages
of dying and can only be serviced in Wilsonville.
b.
The
City of Vancouver is beginning to require storm water drain inspections and
maintenance. Our system, now approaching 20 years old, will need some cartridge
filters replaced and the basins vacuumed out. Bids so far have been about
$8,000, and I am looking into self-performing the cartridge replacement. Our
system link here: https://www.conteches.com/stormwater-management/treatment/stormwater-management-stormfilter
c.
A
new fire marshal finds new issues. We have 34 expired exit signs in Old Main.
These are powered by radioactive material. These signs cost $100 each to
dispose of, and $550 each to procure new. If we went this route the cost is
$22,000. I am seeking bids to hardwire new LED exit signs, or to replace
others, where appropriate, with photoluminescent devices.
d.
Birds
and squirrels have damaged the EIFS (Exterior Insulated Finish System) details
on both Old Main and the Irwin Buildings. We’ve trapped out squirrels and
installed sonic devices and fake owls. A bid to repair the damage is $13,000
and does not include a necessary 60’ boom lift rental. We would rent the lift
(approx. $5,000) and perform other maintenance while we have it, however EIFS is
apparently very difficult to repair. Only one company thus far have I found to
submit an estimate.
4.
In
November 2020 we received a letter from Department of Ecology calling for
review of our pending water rights application to use the water from our well.
The water rights application was made to the Department of Ecology in August of
2008. Many other well owners received this letter. Apparently, Ecology is now
moving on decades-old temporary permits. We do not know where this will lead –
will we be able to use our well water as we do now, strictly to irrigate, or
will need to hook up to city water for irrigation? A requirement of this next
step is a mitigation plan. Not sure what that is, exactly. We are awaiting
further instruction from Ecology.
Birth-3
The
WSSB Birth to 3 Program continues to provide support services to families
virtually. It has been a very positive
addition to our menu of services! We expect virtual home visits will continue
as we will begin to implement a hybrid approach to early intervention services
with a combination of virtual and in person for all families. We are following Washington State’s Early
Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT’s) guidance on re-entry to in-person
visits and also each individual’s agencies re-entry
plans as a contracted service provider. We believe that a hybrid approach is
best as it will not only reduce our travel costs, but also increase our
efficiency and effectiveness of services to families through use of the
coaching model of service delivery. Our
staff has participated in many training opportunities on the coaching model,
which is an evidence based best practice in early intervention programs.
The
enrollment to our Birth to 3 Program fluctuates every month as children are
identified and then move out of program, typically at 3rd birthday
but also for other reasons. Since July
2020 we have an average of 83 children with 91 in August and 67 in
November. Our referrals per month have
an average of 6 with 10 referrals in July and 4 referrals in December.
As
mentioned in the last Board Report, DeEtte is focused this year on targeted
child find activities in collaboration with Washington State Department of
Children, Youth, and Families/ESIT program as well as our partners at WSDS
which includes the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth. We have completed the update to the Three
Prong Approach to Vision and Hearing Screening and it is now with ESIT waiting
for final approval and branding.
Trainings with individual agencies continue as they are requested, and
the latest training was conducted at Children’s Village, the early intervention
agency for both Yakima and Kittitas counties, on March 4. Future activities
include creating a recorded module series that will live in the ESIT training
portal where early intervention providers, such as intake coordinators and
family resource coordinators, can be trained spontaneously without DeEtte doing
it live. DeEtte has proposed this training as a session for this year’s Infants
and Early Childhood Conference (IECC) which is the first week of May of very
year.
Superintendent
Each month I will provide, in bulleted format, a list of the more
significant activities of the Superintendent’s office. For each month, I will describe a highlight
or two in more detail. If at any point you would like more information or have
questions, please do not hesitate to call, email, or schedule a time to meet in
person. I want to make sure that you have
the information that you need to advise and guide what we do to meet the needs
of students who are blind or low vision throughout Washington State.
January
January
14: WSDS meeting
January 15: Educator professional growth workgroup
meeting with the PESB
January 15: ESD 112 Regional superintendents
meeting
January 18: Educator and workforce
subcabinet-legislative meeting
January 19: Meeting with blindcovid.com committee
January 19: Executive and small agency cabinet
meeting
January 20: Meeting with Anne Baker, HR Director
regarding vaccine distribution
January 20: LIFTT schematic design meeting
January 21: Meeting with superintendent of the
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired regarding potential
collaboration
January 22: Martin Luther King Jr. day virtual
assembly with WSSB students
January 26: Meeting with ESD 112 staff regarding
blindcovid.com video
January 27: Small agency cabinet forum
January 27: Monthly disability policy consortium
meetings
January 28: Meeting with WSSB leads regarding Strategic
Plan goals and outcomes
January 28: Meeting with Lighthouse for the Blind
staff regarding collaboration opportunities
January 29: Meeting with staff from Imagination
Video Books regarding accessible children’s books
Highlight
As
planned, about 25 students were welcomed back to campus beginning the week of
Martin Luther King Jr Day. WSSB is not
the same without students and having some students is definitely
a welcomed change. As has been the case since the summer months, I
continue to meet with local health officials and area superintendents weekly.
As predicted, the number of COVID cases rose significantly after the
Thanksgiving holiday and throughout the winter break and began a significant
decline about two weeks after the conclusion of the winter break. WSSB
facilities crew have provided critical supports through altered cleaning
routines, building and installation of barriers, and constantly readjusting
school furniture. They have also helped manage the significant levels and types
of PPE available on campus.
Throughout
the month of January, Human Resources Director, Anne Baker and I met with a
variety of state officials to advocate for WSSB campus education staff to have
priority access to the vaccine. Eventually our efforts proved somewhat
successful, however, a finite number of staff were allowed to
be provided letters stating they would be eligible for the vaccine. The overall
number of staff provided priority access were based on specific duties of those
staff as determined by state officials.
These staff originally included our nurses, cottage staff, custodians,
and one-on-one student supports, totaling 36 individuals. Identified staff were
issued letters stating that they should be allowed to access the vaccine as
soon as appointments were available. While a few staff were able to access the
vaccine in late January, most were not able to make their first appointments
until February. If identified staff declined the opportunity or were able to
access the vaccine another way, letters were extended to our most vulnerable
education staff not included in the original effort (mostly teachers and
general teaching assistants). Ultimately, nearly all on-campus educators were
provided justification for priority access to the vaccine. Securing an actual appointment proved to be
an entirely different challenge for many staff.
February
February 1: Educator and workforce
subcabinet-legislative meeting
February 2: OSPI statewide COVID updates and
collaboration webinar
February 3: Meeting with shop stewards of the
Washington Federation of State Employees regarding draft 2021-2022 school year
calendar
February 4: Meeting with architecture firm
regarding LIFTT building
February 8: Educator and workforce
subcabinet-legislative meeting
February 9: Listening sessions with WSSB staff
February 10: Council of Schools and Services for the
Blind (COSB) national webinar regarding mentorship
February 10: Small agency cabinet forum
February 11: WSDS meeting
February 11: Meeting with staff from the Council of
Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) regarding an upcoming presentation on
remote instruction and assessment for blind and low vision students
February 11: Meeting with Anne Baker and Mary Sarate,
Director of Business and Finance regarding fiscal note reporting and submission
February 11: Meeting with Greg Szabo, board chair,
regarding March board meeting agenda
February 12: Meeting with shop stewards of the
Washington Public Employees Association regarding draft 2021-2022 school year
calendar
February 12: LIFTT project design meeting (room data
discussion)
February 15: Educator and workforce
subcabinet-legislative meeting
February 16: Meeting with the BADIE (Benefits of Audio
Description in Education) committee
February 18: Meeting with Jennifer Merry, Director of the
Ogden Resource Center regarding the Washington Correctional Center for Women
braille program
February 23: CCSSO’s winter collaborative
conference/attend sessions and presentation
February 23: OSPI statewide COVID updates and
collaboration webinar
February 23: Conference call with Kathryn Thrasher
regarding blind hockey
February 24: CCSSO’s winter collaborative conference
February 24: Small agency cabinet forum
February 24: Monthly disability policy consortium
meetings
February 25: CCSSO’s winter collaborative conference
February 25: Meeting with Anne Baker, Sean McCormick
and the education and residential staff regarding reopening plan
February
26: Mobility Matters (collaborative
event with PSU and WSSB)
Highlight
February
featured several highlight-worthy efforts.
With the aid of a small grant through the Washington Department of
Health, WSSB launched BlindCovid in an effort to
provide blind and low vision Washingtonians access to accessible information
related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a variety of focus groups with
blind and low vision adults across the state to inform our efforts. Those efforts included the creation of a
website (www.blindcovid.com)
populated with accessible resources and information, an access phone line, an
ongoing podcast, and a video about the effort and how to maintain appropriate
social distance as an individual who is blind or low vision. The video is still
in production at the time of this writing. The video feature participants from
the LIFTT program and is being produced by our friends ESD 112.
The
LIFFT program building design effort continues.
We have worked with the architects to provide staff and stakeholders
with a variety of tactile architectural drawings and models printed on our 3D
printer at the school. The current state of design is undergoing a
value-engineering evaluation. We learned
very recently that the design effort is significantly over budget and cost
cutting opportunities are being evaluated. The priority for the project is a
facility for the LIFTT program, however, an entire floor has been dedicated for
Department of Services for the Blind (DSB).
If necessary, we will consider major reductions for the significant
amount of space provided to DSB.
In
late February, WSSB participated in a collaboration with PSU, Fort Vancouver
National Historic Site, and the APH to offer a “virtual fieldtrip” of the Fort.
Participants of the virtual fieldtrip were provided tactile maps, a sampling of
artifacts, and a collaborative tour experience.
WSSB teachers Steve Lowry and Jeff Bowler played a significant role in
planning and facilitating this experience for nearly 500 individuals across the
nation. WSSB students lead the tours
along with experts from the Fort. Our students were very well prepared for this
leadership opportunity and represented themselves and WSSB with amazing skill
and pride. It was an awesome experience
for everyone involved.
March
March 1: Educator and workforce
subcabinet-legislative meeting
March 1: Meeting with Rebecca Pizzitola,
Program Manager, Health Commons Project, regarding Covid testing at WSSB
March 4: COSB board meeting
March 4: LIFTT building meeting regarding
engineering update and project goals discussion
March 10: Small agency cabinet forum
March 11: WSDS meeting
March 12: Board of Trustees meeting
Highlight
March
1 marked our next step in welcoming students to campus and providing an
increased level of in-person supports and services. About 60% of our students
are now on-campus daily. Students on
campus are set to receive all IEP-specific services, ELL services, small
groups, tutoring, and fitness class with their teachers in-person. A few other
classes such as music are also being piloted fully in-person. We expect that
all students will be welcomed back to campus and that all coursework will be
offered with their teachers in-person no later than the Monday following Spring
Break (April 12). We do expect that a small number of students will choose to
stay remote and we have purchased technology to help facilitate teacher’s
ability to provide simultaneous in-person and remote coursework. Every student
whom I have had the opportunity to speak with on campus has expressed such joy
and appreciation to be back on campus and meeting in-person with their
teachers. This is definitely the highlight of the year
so far and I am excited to bring back more students.
Finally,
we have applied and been accepted into the school COVID testing program offered
through the Department of Health. The
initial effort included 13 districts statewide. I submitted our application the
same day Governor Inslee spoke about this effort alongside the Superintendent
from Enumclaw, one of the original pilot districts. On March 1 we met with our
project coordinator from Health Commons Project to begin to determine how this
program will be rolled out at WSSB. We
expect to offer self-administered PCR tests to all WSSB staff each week. The tests will be completely voluntary, and
all staff must be asymptomatic to be on-campus. The current program does not
include testing of asymptomatic students, however that could change as
discussions are currently underway at the state level. This effort is
completely funded by the state. WSSB health center staff will play a lead role
in facilitating this effort. Our hope is that such an effort will provide an
increased level of comfort to staff and families that WSSB is a safe place to
be for all students and staff. We hope that WSSB will be able to implement this
program in advance of the planned and full return in April.
Ongoing
Meetings
with department managers and administration team
PFBC
meetings
Executive
Cabinet meetings
Goal
Council meetings
Clark
County and Regional Superintendent meetings
NWABA
Board meetings
UEB
committee meetings
Oregon
Commission for the Blind Board meetings
Washington
DeafBlind Advisory Council meetings
Highlight
We
continue to monitor legislative efforts and respond to fiscal notes sent to the
agency. Currently, there are no proposed
bills that will have a significant impact on the agency. At the time of this writing, no major
discussion related to the capital budget have been conducted by the
legislature. We remain confident that
our LIFTT project will be funded this session.
If funded, the project is scheduled to begin July 1, 2021.