WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
May 7, 2020
Conference Call
Board Members Participating: Brent Stark, Dennis Mathews, Greg Szabo, Berl Colley, Lily Clifton, and Nancy McDaniel.
Board Members Absent: Reg George and Keri Clark.
Ex-Officio Members Participating: Joleen Ferguson (Washington Council of the Blind), Krista Bulger (Parent Representative) and Jim Eccles (WA Federation of State Employees Local #1225).
Ex-Officio Members Absent: Marci Carpenter (National Federation of the Blind of WA) and Stephanie Face (WSSB Teachers Association).
WSSB Staff Members Participating: Scott McCallum (Superintendent), Sean McCormick (Director of On-Campus Programs), and Janet Kurz (recording secretary).
Nancy called the meeting to order at 7:30pm.
Business Meeting
Old Business
Board of Trustees meeting minutes–March 6, 2020: Dennis moved to approve the minutes as submitted; Brent seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously.
New Business
Student Awards
Board of Trustees Award:
Discussion was held regarding nominations. Dennis nominated Alex Murillo-Collins and Quincy Vague for the Board of Trustees award; Greg seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Roy J. Brothers Award:
Discussion was held regarding nominations. Brent nominated Husai Sanchez for the Roy J. Brothers award. Lily seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Rodney B. Humble Outreach Award:
Discussion was held regarding nominations. Brent nominated Cindy Ortiz for the Rodney B. Humble Outreach award. Greg seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Miscellaneous
· Scott reported that graduation will be held on June 19, 2020 (time to be determined). The school year has been extended due to COVID-19. The graduation ceremony will be online with some components being pre-recorded and others will be live. We will have our traditional slide show and there will also be a keynote, speeches from the graduates, etc. Scott contacted Lt. Governor Cyrus Habib’s office to see if he could provide the keynote. Jennifer Langley (Director of Curriculum and Assessment) will be visiting our graduates at their homes (while practicing social distancing) to distribute the caps and gowns, obtain their speeches, etc. These components will be incorporated into the prerecorded section of the ceremony. Sean will need all of the pre-recorded components (including Board of Trustees and Roy J. Brothers awards) sent to him in early June.
· Scott reported that the WSSB is continuing to provide food to students in need.
The next Board meeting will be held on June 19 at 12:00pm via conference call. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:40pm.
Nancy McDaniel, Chair Scott McCallum, Superintendent