Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired · * Percent of recent high school graduates...

AGENCY STRATEGIC PLAN

For the Fiscal Years 2013-2017 Period

by

Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Board Member Terms Expire Hometown

Joseph Muniz, President 2015 HarlingenMichelle Goodwin, Vice President 2013 Fort WorthBobby Druesedow, Jr. 2013 AledoMichael Garrett 2013 Missouri CityMary Alexander 2015 Valley ViewGene Brooks 2015 AustinAnne Corn 2017 AustinCaroline Daley 2017 KingwoodCynthia Finley 2017 Lubbock

July 1, 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTSPage

STATEWIDE VISION, MISSION AND PHILOSOPHY 1

RELEVANT STATEWIDE GOALS AND BENCHMARKS 2

VISION, MISSION AND PHILOSOPHY OF TSBVI 3

EXTERNAL/INTERNAL ASSESSMENT 3

Overview of Agency Scope and Functions 3

Organizational Aspects 8

Fiscal Aspects 19

Service Population Demographics 29

Technological Developments 33

Economic Variables 38

Impact of Federal Statutes/Regulations 38

Other Legal Issues 40

Self-Evaluation and Opportunities for Improvement 40

TSBVI GOALS, OBJECTIVES, OUTCOME MEASURES, STRATEGIES, OUTPUT 47MEASURES, EFFICIENCY MEASURES, AND EXPLANATORY MEASURES

TECHNOLOGY RESOURCE PLANNING:Technology Assessment and Technology Initiative Alignment Summary 51

APPENDICES:

Appendix A: TSBVI Planning Process 54

Appendix B: Current Organizational Chart 55

Appendix C: Five-Year Projections for Outcomes 56

Appendix D: Performance Measure Definitions 57

Appendix E: Strategic Staffing Analysis and Workforce Plan 76

Appendix F: Survey of Employee Engagement Results 88

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TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED AGENCY STRATEGIC PLAN

The Mission of Texas State Government *

Texas State Government must be limited, efficient, and completely accountable. It should fosteropportunity and economic prosperity, focus on critical priorities, and support the creation of strong familyenvironments for our children. The stewards of the public trust must be men and women who administerstate government in a fair, just, and responsible manner. To honor the public trust, state officials mustseek new and innovative ways to meet state government priorities in a fiscally responsible manner.

Aim high …we are not here to achieve inconsequential things!

The Philosophy of Texas State Government *

The task before all state public servants is to govern in a manner worthy of this great state. We are a greatenterprise, and as an enterprise we will promote the following core principles.

First and foremost, Texas matters most. This is the overarching, guiding principle by which we willmake decisions. Our state, and its future, is more important than party, politics or individual recogni-tion.

Government should be limited in size and mission, but it must be highly effective in performing thetasks it undertakes.

Decisions affecting individual Texans, in most instances, are best made by those individuals, theirfamilies, and the local governments closest to their communities.

* From Strengthening our Prosperity: The Statewide Strategic Planning Elements for Texas State Government, March2012 developed by Governor Rick Perry and the Texas Legislative Budget Board.

Governor Rick Perry’s Vision for Texas *

Over the last year, families across this state and nation have tightened their belts in response tothe economic challenges. Government should be no exception. As we begin this next round inour strategic planning process, we must critically reexamine the role of state government byidentifying the core programs and activities necessary for the long-term economic health of ourstate, while eliminating outdated and inefficient functions. We must set clear priorities that willhelp maintain our position as a national leader now and in the future by:

Ensuring the economic competitiveness of our state by adhering to principles of fiscaldiscipline, setting clear budget priorities, living within our means, and limiting the growthof government;

Investing in critical water, energy, and transportation infrastructure needs to meet thedemands of our rapidly growing state;

Ensuring excellence and accountability in public schools and institutions of higher educa-tion as we invest in the future of this state and ensure Texans are prepared to compete in theglobal marketplace;

Defending Texans by safeguarding our neighborhoods and protecting our internationalborder; and

Increasing transparency and efficiency at all levels of government to guard against waste,fraud, and abuse, ensuring that Texas taxpayers keep more of their hard-earned money tokeep our economy and our families strong.

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State Government Goal and Benchmarks Relevant to TSBVI

State Government Priority Goal for Education in Public Schools✯ Academic Students ✯

To ensure that all students in the public education system acquire the knowledge andskills to be responsible and independent Texans by:

✧ Ensuring students graduate from high school and have the skills necessary to pursue anyoption including attending a university, a two-year institution, other post-secondarytraining, or enter the workforce;

✧ Ensuring students learn English, math, science and social studies skills at the appropriategrade level through graduation; and

✧ Demonstrate exemplary performance in foundation subjects.

* From Setrengthening Our Prosperity: The Statewide Strategic Planning Elements for Texas StateGovernment, March 2012, developed by Governor Rick Perry and the Texas Legislative Budget Board.

State Education Benchmarks for Public Schools Adapted by TSBVI

* Percent of students who achieve moderate or higher progress in the foundation subjects ofreading-language arts, math, social studies, science, and in the expanded core curriculum forvisually impaired learners: independent living, orientation and mobility, social skills,vocational skills, and technology

* Percent of students from third grade forward who achieve moderate or higher progress inreading and math, and other general curriculum subjects that might be included in eachstudent’s individualized education program (IEP)

* High school graduation rate* Percent of recent high school graduates enrolled at a Texas college or university* Percent of high school graduates receiving other post-secondary training* Percent of students who demonstrate satisfactory performance on the annual state assessments

Competition is the greatest incentive for achievement and excellence. It inspires ingenuity andrequires individuals to set their sights high. And just as competition inspires excellence, a sense ofpersonal responsibility drives individual citizens to do more for their future, and the future of thosethey love.

Public administration must be open and honest, pursuing the high road rather than the expedientcourse. We must be accountable to taxpayers for our actions.

State government has a responsibility to safeguard taxpayer dollars by eliminating waste and abuse,and providing efficient and honest government.

Finally, state government should be humble, recognizing that all its power and authority is granted toit by the people of Texas, and those who make decisions wielding the power of the state shouldexercise their authority cautiously and fairly.

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EXTERNAL/INTERNAL ASSESSMENT

Overview of Agency Scope and Functions

The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired is established as part of the public educationsystem to serve as a special school in the continuum of statewide alternative placements for studentswho have a visual impairment. The School operates a regular school year program for students withserious vision loss who need specialized and intensive services related to their visual impairments. TheSchool also conducts supplemental educational programs in summer sessions and short-term programs.The School also serves as a statewide training and materials resource to parents and to the professionalswho serve these children.

The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) has adopted the following StrategicGoals to accomplish its legislatively assigned mission:

VISION OF THE TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED

All students in Texas who are blind or visually impaired, including those with deafblindness oradditional disabilities, will have high quality educational opportunities to develop the skills, knowledgeand character to lead productive and fulfilling lives.

MISSION OF THE TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED

The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired will serve as a leading center of expertise andsupports, working in partnership with schools, families and organizations to improve educational out-comes for students who are blind or visually impaired, including those with deafblindness or additionaldisabilities.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED

We believe in the strength, competence and potential for independence of students who are blind orvisually impaired, including those with deafblindness or additional disabilities. All staff at TSBVIfoster and celebrate these attributes every day.

We believe that our important mission, established by the people of Texas through our legislature, isto serve all students in the state through collaboration with local educational teams. By doing so,TSBVI ensures that Texas as a whole receives the greatest value for its investment in the promisingfuture of these children and youths.

We believe that the extraordinary blindness expertise developed at the Texas School for the Blindand Visually Impaired since its founding in 1856, continues to grow in its leadership for the entirestate. We are committed to using this expertise for innovations that will eliminate all barriers tolearning.

We believe that the State of Texas has established a statewide educational system for these studentsthat is widely recognized as among the very best in the nation. TSBVI is honored to play a key rolein the achievement of this recognition.

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STRATEGIC GOALS: TSBVI will be a leader in providing statewide services and resources:

A. Students with visual impairments will demonstrate knowledge and skills to leadvocationally, personally and socially satisfying lives.

B. Students with visual impairments will have access to quality education based on appropriateassessment, curriculum and instruction.

C. Students with visual impairments will receive a quality education from qualified profession-als and trained staff.

D. Parents of blind and visually impaired students will have a thorough understanding of theimpact of their child’s visual impairment and instruction in specialized skills needed tomaximize learning.

E. Partnerships will be developed so that students with visual impairments have appropriateavailable quality services.

F. TSBVI programs and departments will receive high quality products and services fromqualified, trained TSBVI administrative and support staff to accomplish the mission of theSchool.

G. Students and staff will learn and work in a quality state-of-the-art campus.

✦Statutory Basis✦

TEXAS EDUCATION CODE §30.021 - 30.024These sections of code establish the purposes ofthe School, its governance by a nine-memberboard, and specific provisions related to theSchool’s superintendent and its employees.

TEXAS EDUCATION CODE §30.025This section establishes the funding sources for theSchool, including funds appropriated by the Legis-lature, allocated by the Texas Education Agency,contracts, gifts, and the Foundation School Pro-gram.

TEXAS EDUCATION CODE §30.003This section requires each school district that hasstudents enrolled in the regular school year at theSchool to share in the cost of the students’ educa-

tion based on each district’s total student enroll-ment and its maintenance and debt service taxes.

TEXAS EDUCATION CODE §30.004Local school districts are required to provideinformation about the services available from theSchool to the families of students who are blind orseriously visually disabled.

INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIESEDUCATION ACT (I.D.E.A.): 20 U.S.C. §1400ff; 34 C.F.R. §300 ffThis federal law and its accompanying regulationsrequire the provision of a free, appropriate publiceducation in the least restrictive environment to allchildren with disabilities in accord with a written“Individual Education Plan” for each student. Italso provides for parent participation in this pro-cess and guarantees certain due process rights to

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the student and to the family of a student with adisability.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACTThe School is required to meet the mandates of theNo Child Left Behind Act. This law emphasizesstudent achievement, assures that teachers arehighly qualified, and promotes parent involvementin their child’s education.

19 TEXAS ADMINISTRATIVE CODE -EDUCATION. T.A.C. §89.1085This particular section of Administrative Code forEducation (Commissioner’s Rules) specifies thefunctions and admission procedures for theSchool. It emphasizes the ongoing responsibilitiesof the students’ local school districts to plan forstudents return to their local school, family, andcommunity.

✦✦✦✦✦Historical Perspective✦✦✦✦✦

1856 The School was established by the TexasLegislature as the Blind Asylum. The firstclasses met at the residence of Mr. W. L.Hill who leased the premises for the pur-pose of establishing a school for the blind.

1858 The School moved to its first real campusknown today as the “Little Campus” in theNowotny Building of the University ofTexas - Austin. The School was laterrenamed the “Texas Institution for theBlind”.

1865 The School closed for one year because ofpolitical upheaval. General Custer and hismen occupied the campus facilities duringthis time.

1887 The Institute for the Deaf, Dumb, andBlind Colored Youth was established onBull Creek Road in Austin.

1915 The School’s name was changed to theTexas School for the Blind.

1917 The School moved to its present 45-acrecampus on West 45th Street in Austin.

1965 The Texas Blind, Deaf & Orphan School forAfrican-American students was integratedinto the Texas School for the Blind.

1972 A special program for deafblind children wasinitiated in response to the needs of childrenaffected by a statewide outbreak of rubella.The program was begun at a separate cam-pus, formerly the Confederate Widows’Mansion, on West 38th in the Hyde Parkneighborhood of Austin.

1975 The Texas Legislature enacted H.B. 1673adding statewide responsibilities to theSchool’s enabling statutes and mission.Governance of the School was transferredfrom the Texas Education Agency to asubcommittee of the Texas State Board ofEducation.

U.S. Congress enacted the Education of AllHandicapped Children Act, significantlyimpacting the provision of special educationservices to children, guaranteeing a free,appropriate public education to all handi-capped children in the least restrictiveenvironment. One effect on the School wasan increase in the number of children withmultiple disabilities requesting theservices of this school.

1981 The governance of the school was trans-ferred to a separate nine-member schoolboard whose members are appointed by thegovernor with the consent of the senate.

1982 The Deafblind program moved onto the maincampus of the School.

1989 The School was given its current name,Texas School for the Blind and VisuallyImpaired in order to reflect more accuratelythe population it serves.

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1990 The School consolidated and expanded itsoutreach services into a separate division.

1994 Summer school programs were expandedto include multiple sessions with varyingfocuses and durations in response to needsexpressed by the parents and educators ofvisually impaired children in publicschools.

2000 The School initiated a series of new short-term programs during the regular schoolyear. Students who attend their local publicschool came to TSBVI for week-long andweekend programs to acquire skills inliving independently and using specializedcomputer technology.

2002 A post-secondary program for graduates ofpublic schools was initiated in collabora-tion with the Texas Commission for theBlind (now the Division of Blind Serviceswithin the Texas Department of Assistiveand Rehabilitative Services). The programfocused on preparation for independentliving, work, and higher education.

TSBVI collaborated with Stephen F. AustinUniversity and Texas Tech University toinitiate a Teacher Preparation Consortiumproducing future teachers of blind andvisually impaired students in Texas.

2005 The 79th Legislature appropriated $36million for major renovations of theSchool’s aged buildings.

2007 The 80th Legislature appropriated $68million dollars to renovate and replace theremaining School’s facilities.

2009 Students moved into new dormitoriesreplacing almost century-old buildings.

2010 Major phases of school construction will becompleted: main school building, library,auditorium, cafeteria, dormitories,

recreation center, health center, andswimming pool. A new facility for theOutreach program, business office, and atechnology center will be completed on-time and on-budget.

2012 A new elementary school and careereducation facility will open with the start ofthe 2012-2013 school year. Constructionon a new gym is now in progress. This willcomplete all major construction of newfacilities.

✦✦✦✦✦Affected Populations✦✦✦✦✦

* Blind, visually impaired, and deafblind childrenand youth of school age who are Texasresidents;

* Secondary and elementary school teachers andother professionals throughout Texas in eitherregular or special education who serve studentswith blindness and severe visual impairment;

* Parents of children with a visual impairment,including children with additional disabilities;

* State and local agencies serving children with avisual impairment. (Examples: Local schooldistricts and special education cooperatives,the Texas Education Agency, the TexasDepartment of Assistive and RehabilitativeServices, Regional Education Service Centers).

✦Main Functions: Directand Outreach Services✦

* To provide a free, appropriate public educationthat addresses the intense or specialized needsof visually impaired children and youth,including those with additional disabilitieswhen the local school district and parents agreethat such services are not available in a localprogram.

* To conduct supplemental programs, such assummer and other short-term programs.

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* To provide statewide services to parents ofstudents with visual impairments, schooldistricts, regional education service centers,and other agencies. These services includetraining, consultation, technical assistance, anddeveloping and disseminating materials suchas curriculum, instructional methodology, andeducational technology.

* To provide information about instructionalresources and materials, including educationaltechnology, related to teaching, assessment,and transition of students with visualimpairments.

* To lend educational and technological materialsfor student use to school districts and regionaleducation service centers.

* To partner with Texas Tech University andStephen F. Austin University in preparationprograms for teachers of the visually impaired.

* To cooperate with public and private agenciesand organizations serving students and otherpersons with visual impairments in the plan-ning, development, and implementation ofeffective educational and rehabilitative servicedelivery systems.

* To serve as leaders in the use of distance learn-ing for teachers, parents, and students.

✦✦✦✦✦Public’s Perception✦✦✦✦✦

To the state’s educational system, we are:

* a valuable educational resource for directservices to children with blindness and visualimpairment;

* a partner with local school districts andregional education service centers, buildinglocal capacity to serve students with visualimpairments in their home communities;

* a center of information and training for theeducation of students with visual impairments;

* a leader in the use of technology, distance learn-ing, and curriculum development; including theuse of Web-based information systems for datacollection, analysis, and dissemination;

* through publications and a website, a source ofexpert information for all teachers,administrators, and parents in the state;

* a source of expert consultation regarding theeducational needs of individual children;

* a significant option within the legally requiredarray of services for blind students;

* an opportunity for student teachers and internsto acquire the skills necessary to becomeeffective teachers, therapists, social workers,orientation and mobility instructors, and otherprofessionals knowledgeable in the field ofvisual impairment and blindness.

To blind and visually impaired youth, we are:

* a school staffed and equipped to meet theirspecific needs related to their visual impairment;

* an opportunity to learn the intellectual, social,independent living, and vocational skillsnecessary to become independent and effectivecitizens.

* a source for expertise in learning for all studentsstatewide.

To parents of blind children and youth, we are:

* a source of information about the impact ofvision loss on learning, and the potentialeducational needs of students because of visionloss;

* a source of assistance and training in how toenhance the life opportunities for their children

* a safe and caring environment which providestheir children with their best chance for

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acquiring the skills necessary to live as full alife as possible.

* a source for training in how to advocate fortheir children.

To the general public, we are:

* a source of information on blindness andteaching children with visual disabilities;

* a source of information on where to obtainservices related to visual loss;

* a source of information about the capabilitiesand needs of blind and visually impairedpersons;

* a well-established campus which does “goodthings” for blind children in a caring and non-institutional way; a good neighbor.

Organizational Aspects

✦Size and Composition of Workforce✦

The staff of the Texas School for the Blind andVisually Impaired is comprised of 376.17 FTEsincluding budgeted full- and part-time employeesand substitute staff. Of these, 326 are classifiedand one, the Superintendent, is line item exempt.The remaining are teachers, principals, counselors,and other educational positions that, by statute(Texas Education Code 30.024(b)(1)), are paid inaccordance with Austin Independent SchoolDistrict pay scales for comparable positions.

Among the classified positions, the single largeststaff group (136 positions) consists of residentialinstructors. Classified as Resident Specialists,these are the staff who provide care, instruction,and supervision of students in their non-schoolhours. Other classified positions range fromnurses to maintenance mechanics, from accoun-tants to information technology specialists. Thecampus-based workforce is a small communitywith nearly every occupational field represented.

The ethnic composition of the regular staff is asfollows: White – 74%; Black – 10%; Hispanic –13%; and other minorities – less than 3%. Womenare 67% of the work force.

✦✦✦✦✦Organizational Structure and Processes✦✦✦✦✦

Governance. The School is governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees appointed by theGovernor and confirmed by the Senate. The Boardis composed of three members who are blind orvisually impaired, at least one of whom hasreceived educational services related to theblindness or visual impairment; three memberswho are working or have worked as professionalsin the field of delivering services to persons whoare blind or visually impaired; and three members,each of whom is the parent of a child who is blindor visually impaired, and at least one of whom isthe parent of a child who, at the time of theparent’s appointment, is receiving educationalservices related to the blindness or visualimpairment.

Executive Administration. The Board ofTrustees appoints the Superintendent as the chiefadministrative officer of the School. TheSuperintendent administers all the School’sprograms and services through the School’sinstructional Comprehensive and SpecialPrograms, the Outreach Program, and centraladministration.

Instructional Programs – Comprehensive. ThePrincipal for Comprehensive Programs supervisesthe instructional and residential programs forstudents enrolled in the regular school yearprogram. This program contains six components:

Academics – for students who are functioningwithin two years of their grade level;

Elementary Concepts – for students 6-12 years ofage who may have additional impairments;

Practical Academics – for students 12 years ofage and older who are functioning more thantwo years below their chronological age, with

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at least kindergarten equivalent reading,writing and math skills;

Basic Skills – for students ages 6-22 who havevisual impairment combined with otherdisabilities, who have difficulty generalizingskills to new situations, and who learn bestwith the support of consistent routines andmeaningful, functional activities;

EXIT (Experiences in Transition) – for PracticalAcademic students ages 18-22 who needprogramming that focuses on transitioningyoung adults from school to adulthood, in anenvironment that more closely replicates theadult environment in which they will be living;

Post Secondary – for students who have gradu-ated from public school after completing thestate’s regular curriculum and are in need ofadditional academic, independent living andwork-related skills.

The Principal directs schoolwide functions relatedto admissions, student data management,registration, Medicaid reimbursement, and theHealth Center.

Instructional Programs – Special Programs.The Principal for Special Programs supervises allsummer programs and develops and providesshort-term programs during the school year forblind and visually impaired children enrolled inTexas public schools. Summer programs aredesigned to serve students who are not full-timestudents at TSBVI during the regular school year.As such, they emphasize those vision related skillsfrom the Expanded Core Curriculum for Studentswith Visual Impairments that may be challengingfor districts to teach during the school year.Students are served through a variety of summerprograms.

Short-term Programs includes intensive classes,from three to five days in length, in areas such asadaptive technology, math tools and strategies,tactile graphs and maps, etc. In addition toworking on the objectives for which they werereferred, students receive informal instruction and

supported practice in other aspects of theExpanded Core Curriculum (ECC) for Studentswith Visual Impairments. This includes accessskills related to independent living, travel,recreation and leisure, social interactions, and self-determination — in the company of visuallyimpaired peers who are also practicing these skills.

Outreach Administration. The Director ofOutreach coordinates statewide services that areprovided to parents and professionals throughtraining, consultation, and technical assistance.

Central Administration. The Director of HumanResources oversees personnel issues and agency-wide staff development. The Administrator forBusiness, Operations and Technology isresponsible for managing fiscal resources, thephysical plant, and administrative technology.

Management Style. The management style of theSchool is most accurately characterized asparticipative. The School has adopted a “site-based decision making” model for planning,implementing, and evaluating its strategic planningand continuous improvement. All stakeholders areinvolved in this process through the school wideInstructional Planning Council, annual surveys,ongoing contacts with regional education servicecenters and related agencies, and various consumerand advisory councils, including a student council.

Policy-Making. PPolicies are established by theSchool’s Board with assistance by an educationalpolicy service provided through the TexasAssociation of School Boards. This service allowsthe School to consider the applicability of legallybased and model school policies as developed bylegal and educational policy experts, then adaptand adopt those that are appropriate.

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✦✦✦✦✦Geographical Location of Agencyand Service Populations✦✦✦✦✦

The School has a single location in Austin thatserves students from throughout Texas. Studentenrollment in regular year programs, specialprograms and summer programs represents theentire geography of Texas. Approximately 60% ofTSBVI’s students are referred from the largermetropolitan areas along the IH-35 and IH-10corridors; the others are referred from smallerschool districts throughout the State.

Outreach services are provided on a statewidebasis by linking with the regional EducationService Centers. In this way TSBVI providesservices that match regional needs identifiedthrough the Educational Service Centers, includingthe specific needs of Texas counties in east Texasand along the upper and lower Rio Grande valleys.

✦✦✦✦✦Human Resources Strengths and Weaknesses ✦✦✦✦✦

Staff Quality. We continue to believe that ourgreatest human resource strength is a staff that isdeeply committed to a high quality, individualizededucation for visually impaired students. Theprofessional staff of the School represents anunequalled concentration of knowledge, skill, andexpertise in the field of education of the visuallyimpaired. Although special education teachers ingeneral and teachers of the visually impaired inparticular are in great demand, TSBVI has beenrelatively successful in attracting professionalstaff, in part, we believe, because of the reputationof existing staff. Our strength in attractingqualified staff is more important than ever due tothe requirements of the federal No Child LeftBehind Act that students receive instruction from“highly qualified” teachers.

Paraprofessionals, including teacher aides, jobcoaches, and residential instructors, are veryimportant to student learning. Students spendmore than half of their hours at the Schoolparticipating in the residential program. The

School continues to face challenges in recruitingand retaining paraprofessionals due in largemeasure to low salaries, but in recent years thecompensation for the residential instructor serieshas been bolstered due to an Exceptional ItemRequest approved by the Legislature in fiscal year2009. The School is currently reviewingcompensation strategies for other groups ofemployees as well.

The problem of recruiting and retaining well-qualified employees applies to other groups ofemployees, particularly nurses, office staff,technology staff, and support staff in skilled tradessuch as maintenance workers, electricians,plumbers, and similar groups.

Highly Qualified Teachers. We have beensuccessful in meeting the challenge of employingadequate numbers of teachers certified in theeducation of visually impaired (VI) students bybuilding strong relationships with the universitiesin the state that prepare students to becometeachers of the visually impaired, particularlyTexas Tech and Stephen F. Austin universities.However, the need for additional teachers ofvisually impaired students (TVI’s) will continue togrow. In addition to need based on expectedstudent growth, it is anticipated that at least 14%of VI professionals will be leaving the field withinthe next three years.

Staff Development. We have both strengths andweaknesses in the area of staff development. Weprovide regular training in basic and required areassuch as New Employee Orientation, EEO, CPRwith AED, defensive driving, first aid, blood-bornepathogens, and other safety areas, but TSBVIserves a complex student body requiring the schoolto dedicate much time and resources to stafftraining. A special focus of staff developmentefforts at TSBVI is in the area of behaviormanagement. Our direct care staff receive two fulldays of Mandt training in relational, conceptual,and technical skills in behavior support at or nearthe beginning of their employment and annuallyhave a half day of review. We have also distilled

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the statewide training (Texas Behavior SupportInitiative) into a two and one-half hour trainingthat is applicable to our population of students.We are also continuing to provide a yearlongtraining program in Foundations in VisualImpairments to paraprofessional and professionalstaff who are not certified teachers of the visuallyimpaired.

The instructional and residential programs providestaff development training throughout the schoolyear related to curriculum and instructional meth-ods aimed at improving student learning.

A significant limitation in the area of staffdevelopment is the fact that we have only one full-time position assigned to this function, and thatposition is also responsible for coordinating alltraining and documentation, training staff,administrative duties of scheduling andmultimedia production, tracking employeecertifications, and a variety of staff and communityinvolvement activities. It is often necessary to callon the skills of staff who are not primarily trainersin order to expand the offerings of staffdevelopment.

One of the most critical goals in the area of staffdevelopment is in utilizing technology to a greaterextent to develop and deliver video conferencingand computer-based training, including webcasts,online training, and video vignettes. We arecurrently using intranet-based training for the two-year refresher training on EEO and sexualharassment, but most of the School’s high techtraining options are available through our Outreachprogram to educators around the state rather thanbeing aimed at our own staff.

To accomplish this goal, we must devotesubstantial resources to make the initial investmentnecessary to eventually expand the scope of ourtraining through technology. Upgrading andexpanding the training offered to staff will ensurewe will reach larger audiences in a more effectiveand convenient manner than traditional instructor-led training.

Workforce Diversity. Attracting a culturallydiverse workforce at professional andadministrative levels continues to be a challengefor TSBVI. A major difficulty in this area is thatthe largest subgroup of our professional staff ismade up of teachers of the visually impaired. TheVI teaching certification is also the credentialrequired for most of the high level administrativepositions, yet it is known that there is a very smallnumber of minorities in Texas who hold thiscredential. For this reason, recruiting VIprofessionals is often challenging. To combat thisproblem, we are actively involved in partnershipswith the universities in Texas that offer the VIteaching credential, which will have the effect ofmaking VI certification accessible to a larger andmore diverse segment of the population.Additionally, a diversity initiative committee wasestablished in 2009 with the goal of increasingdiversity at TSBVI, particularly in professionalpositions. The committee is focused on a two-pronged recruitment strategy that seeks to increasediversity by raising awareness internally andexternally. Internally, TSBVI aims to raiseawareness of the visual impairment teaching fieldas well as the orientation and mobility field withexisting paraprofessional staff by posting flyers oneducational assistance, scheduling informaldiscussions, and offering mentoring opportunities.Also, since 2009, TSBVI has scheduled culturalsensitivity training for all employees on an annualbasis. Externally, the following proactive effortsare aimed at attracting a more ethnically diversepopulation to the profession: Attending job fairs atcolleges and universities with predominately largeminority populations; producing recruitmentbrochures and other marketing materials; arrangingspeakers to make presentations in college classes;posting job vacancies on the Minority FacultyApplicant Database; meeting with the Universityof Texas to talk about volunteer opportunities;revamping the internet to use as a marketing toolfor recruiting purposes; offering one-weekinternships three times a year to students atpredominately minority colleges to generateinterest in the visual impairment career field.

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Compensation. Despite budgetary constraints, wedo have the responsibility for administering salarymatters in the most equitable way possible. To thatend, we have given budgetary priority tocontinuing to fund previously established careerprogression programs. We were also able to awardmerit increases on a limited basis this fiscal year aswell as equity adjustments to residential staff.Human Resources is exploring ways to furtherimprove compensation, including furtherdevelopment of career ladders tied to educationadvancement and training completion and usingboth merit raises and equity adjustments to elevatesalaries within pay groups.

Turnover, Retirement, and Succession Planning.Our turnover rate for fiscal year 2011 as reportedby the State Auditor’s Office was 17.5%, includinginteragency transfers, compared to 16.8% turnoverstatewide, excluding interagency transfers.TSBVI’s prior fiscal year’s rate was 18.7% for FY2010.

Figures from fiscal year 2012 thus far reveal thatretirements have decreased since last year.Compared to 10 retirements in fiscal year 2011, wehave only four retirements this fiscal year so far.Retirement-related attrition is a concern becausemany of our retirees have returned to work but willterminate permanently in the next five to ten years.As a result, succession planning anddocumentation of institutional knowledge remainhigh priorities. These issues are discussed morethoroughly in Appendix E., Strategic StaffingAnalysis and Workforce Plan.

Strength of Policy. TSBVI is fortunate to have asa resource the policy reference service provided bythe Texas Association of School Boards. Thematerial from this service provides the frameworkof human resources policies applicable in a schoolsetting. We are then able to customize the policiesby adding applicable provisions for state employ-ees and provisions reflecting the decisions ofTSBVI’s board and administration.

✦Capital Asset Strengths, Weaknessesand Capital Improvement Needs✦

Facilities, Furniture, and Equipment

The primary capital strength of the School is itscampus and the major building constructionproject currently underway.

The School has a 45-acre campus centrally locatedin Austin that provides students with manyopportunities to develop skills necessary to workand live in a community. The TSBVI campusconsists of twenty nine structures located onapproximately forty-five acres of land owned andmaintained by the School. The buildings range insize from 1,000 square feet to 71,000 square feetfor a total of 370,000 square feet. There areclassrooms, student housing, independent livingfacilities, gymnasiums, a natatorium, anauditorium, a library, a health center,administrative offices, food preparation, cafeteriafacilities and operations/warehouse facility.

The School has developed a comprehensiveMaster Facilities Plan in collaboration with theTexas Facilities Commission to guide this majorcapital project. The school is currently replacingall building built between 1916 and 1986 exceptfor three: a two-bedroom cottage, thesuperintendent’s residence and a two storyoperations building. The project is 90% complete.

The school’s primary capital weakness was a lackof quality buildings, furnishings and equipmentthat have now been replaced.

Vehicles

TSBVI owns, operates, and maintains more than26 vehicles, 25 of which are buses or vans used totransport students in the educational andresidential programs. The other vehicle is used bymaintenance, the warehouse, and food services.The School has a long-range plan for thereplacement of vehicles that complies with the

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guidelines of the State Fleet ManagementProgram.

The School’s vans and school busses accrue highmileage due to transporting students to and fromtheir homes on weekends and holidays, and to andfrom students’ work and learning sites in thecommunity. Although fuel is not a capital cost,one cannot consider vehicles without beingmindful of the rapidly increasing fuel costs thatwill be of budgetary concern in the comingbiennium.

Instructional Technology and Equipment

Capital investments are necessary to provideaccess to students for electronic and other assistivetechnology designed specifically for people withvisual impairments if they are to have anopportunity to succeed at school and on the job,and are to acquire the knowledge and skills tobecome responsible and independent Texans. Thespecialized technology and equipment enables ourstudents to enjoy nearly the same access toinformation as their sighted peers and familymembers. The School must continue to acquirenew computers, software, and electronic devices toensure that students have access to instructionalmaterials, the internet, auditory and braille media,and general information. Examples includeportable electronic braille devices with speech andcomputer output; communication devices forchildren with multiple disabilities, deaf blindness,speech impairments, and other mental or physicaldisabilities; and closed-circuit television (CCTV)setups that enable low vision students to viewregular print, pictures, and other items enlarged ona video monitor.

The School maintains a loan program to provideelectronic technology and software to students inlocal schools as part of the “Technology LoanProgram” operated by TSBVI. The 80thLegislature (2007) appropriated critically neededfunds for instructional technology needed by blind

and visually impaired students. Budget reductionsin the current biennium resulted in the loss ofnearly half of the 2007 allocation.

Technology Staff Development and DistanceEducation

Additional capital expenditures are needed to meetthe pressing need for staff training to addressspecific skill areas required for deployment ofadaptive technologies in classroom and inresidential instruction. Resources are also neededto ensure that there is adequate training foradministrative, and support staff in the use oftechnology.

The School will allocate capital resources tosupport distance education capacity to enhance thelearning of children with visual impairmentsthroughout Texas. The vast majority of the nearly9,000 visually impaired children of Texas areserved indirectly by the School by supporting themand their teachers and other VI professionals intheir home school districts. Distance learningtechnologies allow the school to provide valuableinformation about curriculum, materials,technology, teaching strategies, and training to VIeducation professionals, parents, school districts,and agencies. The Outreach department continuesto exploit every means possible to educateprofessionals and provide services to support localdistrict instructional programs. Such technologycan provide information, training, and follow-up,and also dramatically reduce the time andassociated costs of travel making service deliverymuch more efficient. Distance education for thestudents, teachers, and related professionals weserve is very cost effective. The school needs tocontinually assess, and when appropriate, deploy,new and emerging technologies to be a leader indistance education in meeting the educationalneeds of our students.

Infrastructure Technology

The network is the most critical component of ourtechnology infrastructure. A modern and robust

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network infrastructure is required if TSBVI is tomore fully support and exploit the statewidepriorities for the 2012-2016 State Strategic Planfor Information Resources Management. TheSchool had an aging network infrastructure thatwas no longer capable of supporting the school inits mission. This critical weakness is now beingremedied by replacing our fiber networkinfrastructure as part of our ongoing campusrenewal project. These updates have providedincreased network reliability at reduced costs, andenable us to better meet increasing demands forbandwidth to support educational video andconferencing that were stressing the capacity of thenetwork.

New and updated software is required to supportthe various functions of the staff andadministration in conducting school business. TheHuman Resources function of TSBVI has longbeen in need of modern management systemssupport. The current mix of small scale legacysystems, spreadsheets, and paper is an impedimentto efficient and effective operation.

The school has been unable to pursue solutions onits own while awaiting the Project One,Centralized Accounting and Payroll/PersonnelSystem (CAPPS), now in development and earlydeployment stages by the Office of the TexasComptroller of Public Accounts. The CAPPSsystem holds the promise of meeting the needs ofTSBVI with respect to HR/payroll and financialfunctions while providing additional transparencyand security, and complying with our requirementsconcerning accessibility. This system would alsofurther the vision and guiding principle of the2012-2016 State Strategic Plan for InformationResources Management and align well with thestatewide priorities laid out in the plan. Theproblem facing TSBVI is that we have no budgetfor implementing the CAPPS system andimplementation will almost certainly require anexceptional item request to secure the requiredfunding.

The requirements of federal and state governmentfor electronic documents related to school data,accounting, budgeting, and grant applicationsrequire ongoing maintenance and upgrades ofequipment, of the technical environment, and ofsoftware applications. Software applications tomanage student data and personnel record keepinghave been deployed in planned phases.

There continues to be a pressing need to ensurethat deployed software applications are compatiblewith accessibility applications and hardware usedby staff with blindness or visual impairment.

TSBVI needs to continue enhancements of theTSBVI web-site. The school’s Web site,www.tsbvi.edu, has been tremendously successfuland is considered one of the best resources forparents and professionals involved in the educationof the visually impaired. The web site receivesmore than three million individual visits annually.Many departments, particularly Outreach andCurriculum, use the Web site as a critical elementof service delivery. Continued development of theWeb site is indicated with expansion of webfeatures to provide information interchange withconsumers. TSBVI is currently working with theofficial Texas government website(www.Texas.gov) to enable the payment gatewayso that curriculum can be efficiently and securelyordered over the internet. The recent re-design ofthe TSBVI website has made it much easier andefficient to manage the large volume of contentavailable on the site.

✦Agency Use of HistoricallyUnderutilized Businesses (HUBs) ✦

The Texas School for the Blind and VisuallyImpaired has been making good faith efforts toaward purchase contracts to certified HUBs. Weare using the automated HUB directory providedby the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts asthe primary reference list to identify minority andwomen-owned businesses. On each purchaseorder over $5,000 the School requests at least onebid from a minority-owned business and at least

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one bid from a woman-owned business. Forpurchase orders in amounts less than $5,000,purchases will be made from HUBs, provided thatthey are able to provide the goods or servicesrequired and they provide the best value for theState.

✦Key Organizational Events and Areas ofChange and Impact on Organization✦

The Texas School for the Blind and VisuallyImpaired is Texas’ most comprehensive source ofexpertise on the education of children who areblind or visually impaired, including those who aredeafblind or have additional disabilities. In fact,TSBVI is nationally and internationally recognizedas one of the very best schools of its type in theworld. This reputation was achieved because of akey strategic decision made by the school: to servenot only the students enrolled on our campus in amodel program, but to share our resources so thatevery student in the state has an enhancedopportunity to succeed in their educationregardless of where they attend school.

During the next biennium TSBVI intends toimprove and modernize the delivery of all of itsservices in order to best meet the needs of ourstate. Our new, state-of-the-art campus, to becompleted in the spring of 2013, marks an obviousopportunity to begin leveraging the programmaticcapacities the facilities can provide. In order toplace these improvements in context it is importantto note how TSBVI carries out its mission withinthe statewide system. TSBVI has deliberatelyorganized itself to build local capacity in schooldistricts across the state on balance with efforts todevelop and maintain a state-of-the-art campus-based program. To do this we:

Coordinate and provide funding for the twouniversities (Texas Tech and Stephen F. Austin)that train teachers from the ISDs to becomecertified as Teachers of the Visually Impaired(TVI) and Certified Orientation and MobilitySpecialists (COMS).

Manage the statewide student census used to drawdown federal funds for textbooks and specializedmaterials, and then manage the distribution,circulation and training on the use of theseresources.

Manage the technology loan library that allowsthe ISDs to evaluate and train their students in theuse of assistive technology so that districts canmake informed purchases.

Develop, publish and market extensive curricularmaterials used by all ISDs as well as nationallyand internationally. TSBVI is the largest producerof this type of specialized educational materials inthe world.

Provide daily technical assistance both on-site inthe ISDs and through broadcast technologies thatpromote data-driven, educational best practices.

Lead family trainings statewide with partnersfrom DARS and the Regional Education ServiceCenters so that families are more informed andengaged members of their child’s localeducational team.

Provide multiple, week-long (fall/spring) andsummer programs on the TSBVI campus so thatstudents enrolled in their ISDs have opportunitiesfor intensive services that address specializedareas of learning, i.e. technology adapted for theBlind, that helps them succeed back at the locallevel.

Manage the website www.tsbvi.edu that is themost frequently accessed resource on the educa-tion of children who are blind or visually im-paired in the world.

Provide a mentorship program where newteachers from across the state come toTSBVI to observe and learn best practices inthis highly specialized area of education.

Provide highly specialized and intensiveeducational services on our Austin campus forstudents whom, for a variety of reasons, aredetermined by their local educational team to

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The federal Individuals with DisabilitiesEducation Act (IDEA) mandates a Free andAppropriate Public Education (FAPE) inthe Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)with non-disabled peers. TSBVI is givingincreased focus to serving only thosestudents in our K-12 program who need atime-limited enrollment on our campus inorder to receive a FAPE. Upon enrollment,TSBVI immediately begins a planningprocess with the ISD educational team toreturn the student to the ISD—thepresumptive LRE—as soon as the student’sskills and the ISD’s ability to provide aFAPE locally are properly aligned. Thisdiffers significantly from the vast majorityof state-operated Schools for the Blind inthe U.S. that tend to hang on to enrolledstudents for many years without duediligence on the FAPE and LRE issue. Theapproach TSBVI is taking is both labor andtravel intensive as we try to free ourteachers to do on-site visits in the ISD tohelp them build capacity. The use ofsubstitutes to cover classes for this purposecontinues to rise. By efficiently movingstudents in and out of TSBVI, and thensupporting them locally with our outreachservices and short-term and summerprograms, TSBVI aims to ensure that allTexas students needing our services havean opportunity to access them. Withoutthis movement in and out, TSBVI wouldsoon reach its classroom and residentialcapacity.

The state’s economy and its impact onschool funding appear to be causing theISDs to not post and fill positions for TVIsand COMS even when caseloads wouldindicate a need. This is very concerningbecause students with visual impairmentsrequire extensive specialized supports inorder to receive an adequate education atthe local level. Some estimates indicatethat as many as 50% of these highlyspecialized educators who are employed

need a time-limited enrollment at TSBVI in orderto receive a Free and Appropriate PublicEducation as required under the federalIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Under this array of supports TSBVI has providedgreat value to Texas, and has played a majorleadership role in the development of a statewidesystem of services to both children and adults withsevere visual impairments that is widelyrecognized in the U.S. as a model of effectivepractice. The primary partners in this system areTSBVI, the ISDs, the Education Service Centers,DARS/DBS, and the two university teachertraining programs. Collaborative efforts by thesepartners continues to grow every year, and it is fairto say that TSBVI is the most consistent andeffective member driving the agenda of continuousstatewide improvement.

Both the external and internal assessment of trendsand needs are currently driving a major changeagenda at TSBVI to ensure that all of the activitiesmentioned above continue to grow and improve. Akey change initiative with the working title of theService Delivery Model aims to ensure that allthree of our instructional program arms (Campus-based K-12; Special Programs—short term andsummer; and Statewide Outreach TechnicalAssistance) are working in unison to addressemerging statewide issues. In general, the ServiceDelivery Model initiative aims to more effectivelyserve only those students in the K-12 campusprogram who are most in need of our services; toreturn them to their ISD’s as soon as they are readyto be educated in the less resource-intensiveenvironment of general education, and to supporttheir ISDs and families through outreach trainingand through the provision of specialized shortcourses and summer programs so that thesestudents receive additional specialized training.

Among the challenges driving key improvementconsiderations at TSBVI are:

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have reached retirement age. In itsoversight role of the state’s two universityteacher training programs, TSBVI iscarefully monitoring this situation to ensureTexas has an adequate number of newteachers to replace those who may retire orotherwise leave the field. There is reasonfor concern that some districts may opt totry and enroll students in TSBVI whomight be able to succeed at home werethere a TVI and COMS. Such enrollmentsrun counter to the FAPE and LRE issuesmentioned above. Additionally, thissituation puts excessive stress on thecapacity of our Statewide OutreachTechnical Assistance team as ISDs requestour help due to their lack of certified staff.Considerable attention will be directed tohelping the ISDs give due consideration tohiring new TVIs via a caseload analysis oftheir current student population andpersonnel. A model developed andsupported with training by TSBVI for theISDs named Quality Programs for theVisually Impaired, gives the ISDs tools toconduct this analysis. This is a key activityto ensure that Texas’ investment in trainingnew TVIs and COMS meets its goal ofhaving sufficient education specialists toprovide a FAPE to all kids in the state.

Teachers in the ISDs are being given lessand less time for training due to budgetaryconstraints. TSBVI is working diligentlyon the development of new distancetraining technologies (web and broadcast)to get training to teachers in a way that isnot dependent on travel or on date-and-time specific events. Additionally, thesesame technologies are going to play amajor role in our efforts to prepare ISD’sfor the return of their students once they arefinished at TSBVI. This is a majorinitiative for which we have limitedexpertise. We are currently under-resourced in this area, primarily with AVspecialists. TSBVI will have to shift

personnel within our current resources orseek funding and/or additional FTE toaddress this issue.

TSBVI has reached the point where ourdata management needs are far exceedingour current capabilities. The school haslaunched a process to catalog all of ourdata system needs in our education,administrative and operational arms. Onthe education side, TSBVI has struggledwith off-the-shelf commercial softwarepackages to handle the extensive data wekeep on both the general education andspecial education components of theschool. Trying to make these packagesmeet the specialized nature of TSBVI’swork has been extremely labor intensiveand only partially success. We are in theprocess of abandoning the current specialeducation software, and purchasing a newone on the market that is a better fit for us.Data systems to manage student records,medical information and others are in theworks now. TSBVI will likely need toexplore the purchase of the PeopleSoftsystem on the human resources side inorder to be prepared for what weunderstand to be the shift at the state levelto a new platform. Our InformationResources Director primarily deals withhardware and keeping existing systemsoperating, and it appears we need a fairlysophisticated data managementprofessional to lead us on the developmentor informed purchase of databases.

✦Use and Anticipated Use of Consultants✦

Included in this section are professional servicesobtained from external providers. The Schoolmakes little or no use of consulting servicesdefined as the service of studying or advising astate agency under a contract that does not involvethe traditional relationship of employer andemployee.

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Board of Trustees. The Board historicallycontracts with the Texas Association of SchoolBoards (TASB) to provide policy guidance andcontinuing education for board members.

Outreach Services. Consultants are retained toprovide specific training and technical assistanceto support Outreach services to local schooldistricts and parents. An example might be the useof a consulting occupational therapist to conducttraining for parents and professionals to teacheating and dressing skills to blind children withadditional disabilities. Most of these consultantsare paid with federal funds specifically earmarkedfor outreach purposes. The level of consultant usewill remain constant in the coming biennium.

Medical Services. The School contracts with localpediatricians to provide diagnosis and treatmentfor students brought to the School’s Health Centerin a daily morning clinic. From time-to-time theSchool also engages consultant services from apsychiatrist and dietician.

Curriculum Development. Occasionally, theCurriculum Department might employ a consultantto help develop instructional methods andmaterials in a very specialized area of educationfor blind children. The School primarily uses itsown staff for curriculum development, usingrelease time or stipends when possible.

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✦Size of Budget and Method of Finance - Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013✦

Fiscal Aspects

FY 2012 Appn Alloc. A.1.1 A.1.2 A.1.3 A.1.4 B.1.1 C.1.1 D.1.1 D.1.2 D.1.3

Classroom Residential Summer & Related & Technical Educ. Central Other Facility TOTAL

METHOD OF FINANCE Instruction Program Short Term Support Assistance Salary Admin. Support Constr. FY 2012

Gen. Rev. Operating

Regular Appropriation 3,176,777 3,391,900 812,193 2,706,448 809,640 0 1,773,615 1,663,669 0 14,334,242

Total, Gen. Rev. Oper. 3,176,777 3,391,900 812,193 2,706,448 809,640 0 1,773,615 1,663,669 0 14,334,242

G.R. - Capital Budget (4175) (4176) (4174) (4177) (4178) (4173)

Technology Upgrade 0 0

Instructional Materials 80,500 15,000 10,500 17,500 26,500 150,000School Transportation 217,232 217,232

Total, GR-Capital Budget 80,500 15,000 10,500 234,732 26,500 0 0 0 0 367,232

TOTAL, GENERAL REV. 3,257,277 3,409,900 822,693 2,941,180 836,140 0 1,773,615 1,663,699 0 14,701,474

Federal Funds

USDA - Lunch & Breakfast 53,000 53,000

Medicaid (SHRS) 500,000 500,000

Medicaid Admin. Claims 140,000 140,000

IDEA-B Formula 125,503 125,503

Region XI - Statewide Serv 341,936 341,936

IDEA-D Deafblind 575,000 575,000

Title I-A Improv. BasicProg. 38,292 38,292

Title I-D Technology 352 352

Title III-A Teacher Training 6,634 6,634

Fund 148 - Teacher Prep 900,000 900,000

Fund 148 -Outreach Teacher 98,856 98,856

Fund 148 - Short Term Prog. 148,367 148,367

Total, Federal Funds 45,278 0 148,367 693,000 2,041,295 0 0 0 0 2,927,940

Appropriated Receipts

Meal Ticket Sales 25,000 25,000

Conference Registrations 66,535 66,535

Per Capita & LEA Payments 700,000 700,000

UB - ISD & Local District 369,206 369,206

Housing Receipts 3,960 3,960

Surplus & Salvage 500 500

Curriculum Sales 250,000 250,000

Vending Receipts 500 500

E-Rate Reimbursements 60,000 60,000

Ft. Bend ISD - 3rd Party 24,000 24,000

Weekends Closing Reimb. 132,000 132.000

Total, Appr. Receipts 1,093,206 0 0 407,000 66,535 0 0 64,960 0 1,631,701

Interagency Contracts (4737) (4735)

TEA-SSVI Discretionary 35,587 79,790 115,377

DARS - SWEAT 40,000 40,000

DARS-Post-Secondary Progr. 33,600 33,600

TEA-IDEA-B Discretionary 566,000 121,800 132,500 75,281 402,000 1,297,581

Total, IAC Receipts 599,600 121,800 208,087 75,281 481,790 0 0 0 0 1,486,558

Bond Proceeds – Gen Obl (6001) (6002) (6003) (6004) (6005)

General Obligation Bonds 0 0

Total, Bond Proceeds 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total, M.O.F. – FY 2012 4,995,361 3,528,700 1,179,147 4,116,461 3,425,760 0 1,773,615 1,728,629 0 20,747,673

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A.1.1 A.1.2 A.1.3 A.1.4 B.1.1 C.1.1 D.1.1 D.1.2 D.1.3

FY 2013 Appn Alloc. Class. Resd. Summer Related & Tech. Educ. Central Other Facility TOTAL

METHOD OF FINANCE Instr. Prog. & Short Support Assist. Salary Admin. Support Constr. FY 2013

Gen. Rev. Operating

Regular Appropriation 3,176,776 3,391,900 812,193 2,673,680 809,640 0 1,773,615 1,663,699 0 14,301,473

Total, Gen. Rev. Operating 3,176,776 3,391,900 812,193 2,673,680 809,640 0 1,773,615 1,663,669 0 14,301,473

G.R. – Capital Budget (4175) (4176) (4174) (4177) (4178) (4173)

Technology Upgrade 0 0

Instructional Materials 80,500 15,000 10,500 17,500 26,500 150,000

School Transportation 0

Total, GR – Capital Budget 80,500 15,000 10,500 17,500 26,500 0 0 0 0 150,000

TOTAL, GENERAL REV. 3,257,276 3,406,900 822,693 2,691,180 863,1408 0 1,773,615 1,663,669 0 14,451,473

Federal Funds

USDA – Lunch & Breakfast 53,000 53,000

Medicaid (SHRS) 500,000 500,000

Medicaid Admin. Claims 140,000 140,000

IDEA-B Formula 125,503 125,503

Region XI – Statewide Serv. 341,936 341,936

IDEA-D Deafblind 575,000 575,000

Title I-A Improv. Basic Prg. 38,292 38,292

Title II-D Technology 352 352

Title II-A Teacher Training 6,634 6,634

Fund 148 – Teacher Prep 900,000 900,000

Fund 148 –Outreach Teacher 98,856 98,856

Fund 148 –Short Term Prog. 148,367 148,367

Total, Federal Funds 45,278 0 148,367 693,000 2,041,295 0 0 0 0 2,927,940

Appropriated Receipts

Meal Ticket Sales 20,000 20,000

Conference Registrations 66,535 66,535

Per Capita & LEA Payments 700,000 700,000

UB – ISD & Local District 369,206 369,206

Housing Receipts 3,960 3,960

Student Rents – Post Secd 0

Surplus & Salvage 500 500

Curriculum Sales 250,000 250,000

Student Store Sales 0

Vending Receipts 500 500

E-Rate Reimbursements 60,000 60,000

Ft. Bend ISD – 3rd Party 24,000 24,000

Weekends Closing Reimb. 132,000 132,000

Total, Appr. Receipts 1,093,206 0 0 407,000 66,535 0 0 64,960 0 1,631,701

Interagency Contracts (4737) (4735)

TEA-SSVI Discretionary 35,587 79,790 115,377

TEA – Accel. Reading/Math 0

DARS – SWEAT 40,000 40,000

DARS-Post-Secondary Prg. 33,600 33,600

TEA-IDEA-B Discretionary 566,000 121,800 132,500 75,281 402,000 1,297,581

Total, IAC Receipts 599,600 121,800 208,087 75,281 481,790 0 0 0 0 1,486,558

Bond Proceeds – Gen Obl (6001) (6002) (6003) (6004) (6005)

General Obligation Bonds 0 0

Total, Bond Proceeds 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total, M.O.F. – FY 2013 4,995,360 3,528,700 1,179,147 3,866,461 3,425,760 0 1,773,615 1,728,629 0 20,497,672

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Per Capita and Other States’ Comparisons

As can be seen in the above section, gauging howTSBVI’s carries out its statewide mission relativeto what other Schools for the Blind in the U.S. do,is a lopsided comparison. No other state comesclose to the range and depth of what TSBVI setsout to accomplish for Texas. Most other states tryto duplicate to one degree or another the types ofprograms and services TSBVI has pioneered andperfected. These efforts have limited resultsbecause they lack the statewide foundation ofcollaboration and innovation that TSBVI and itspartners in the ISD’s, Education Service Centers,DARS, the university programs and otheraffiliated organizations, have built over the years.The continuous support of the Texas Legislature,even during difficult times, has allowed TSBVIand its partners to move steadily forward on thismission.

The Texas Legislature has long understood that theinvestment in TSBVI cannot be analyzed by asingle measure such as the number of studentsenrolled in the K-12 Comprehensive Programs.To that end a method to achieve a comprehensiveaccounting of the various activities of the schoolwas developed in conjunction with the LegislativeBudget Board. The average cost per student atenrolled at TSBVI in Comprehensive Programs(K-12) is determined by a formula and reportedquarterly to the LBB. There are similar measuresfor activities in both the Statewide OutreachTechnical Assistance and the Special Programs(summer and short-courses). The cost can varysignificantly from student to student inComprehensive Programs depending on theseverity of their disabilities. TSBVI remainscommitted to serving the entire spectrum ofstudents from blind-only youths enrolled in theacademic curriculum, to students with severe andprofound multiple disabilities in addition to theirblindness. It is the second group that requires at-or-near 1:1 instruction and supervision in bothschool day and residential programs.

Cost considerations for TSBVI should take intoaccount the following factors:

The characteristics of students served.TSBVI has accepted as part of its missionthe provision of educational services tovery challenging visually impaired studentswith additional disabilities. Consequently,the School serves a disproportionately largenumber of these students (c. 75% ofenrollment). These students requireextensive human and material resourcesand a low student to staff ratio. Weemphasize that this commitment tocomplex children with serious additionaldisabilities has dramatically changed thefunding needs of TSBVI.

Economic factors of the community. TheTexas Legislature has linked the School’steacher salary schedule to that of the AustinISD so as to ensure that the School iscompetitive in recruiting and retainingteachers. Austin-area school districts havea compensation package that has somewhatlower salaries and relatively higheremployee benefits than school districts ofsimilar size in Texas.

The mission to serve as a model program.The School is expected to demonstrate bestpractices for the education of visuallyimpaired students to other schools andservice providers. This mission requires anexcellent staff of teachers and supportservices who provide cutting-edge servicesto students served in this manner.

The commitment to serve students throughintensive, short-term programming.Maintaining this commitment requiresspecialized and intensive services tostudents on campus followed by trainingstaff in the student’s local school district toensure that the students maintain theirnewly acquired skills.

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Instructional materials and technology forblind and visually impaired studentsrequire adaptation by changing print intothe appropriate medium or modifying thematerials for visual, tactile, or auditoryaccess. The cost of commercially adaptedmaterials is high in comparison to materialsfor non-visually impaired students. Not allneeds can be met through commercialmaterials; many materials must bedeveloped by our staff, requiring additionaltime and resources.

Intensive, short-term programs, with a verylow pupil-teacher ratio, are needed forstudents with visual impairments who areenrolled in public schools during theregular school year. Nationwide, there isgrowing evidence that students withdisabilities can best succeed in inclusiveeducational settings if they also have theopportunity to receive specializedinstruction in areas specific to theirdisabilities.

A set of summer instructional programsthat serve blind and visually impairedstudents who attend local public schoolsduring the regular school year. Parents,local schools, and students rate highly thesesummer programs that provide themopportunities to be with other visuallydisabled peers, to learn things related totheir visual impairment, and have a goodtime doing them. They return to their localdistricts better prepared to start anotherschool year in the fall.

Outreach services provides indirectservices to visually impaired studentsthroughout Texas by increasing the skills oftheir teachers and parents.

Staff development provides training inskills unique to the needs of visuallyimpaired students, including those with

additional disabilities, and assures thatservices provided at the School reflect thebest practices. This includes trainingemployees at TSBVI and serving as aprofessional preparation program for theentire state. The unique nature of theSchool’s student population requires veryspecialized staff development. Thistraining often requires expenditures fortravel, conferences, and workshops toimprove the knowledge and skills ofteachers.

Curriculum development includesparticipation by the School’s direct-carestaff during times that extend beyond theirregular hours. The curricula developed arewidely used by professionals throughoutTexas and internationally.

Budgetary Limitations

The School is impacted by two budgetarylimitations in Article IX of the GeneralAppropriations Act. The first limitation is onemployee FTE levels. The School is complyingwith the annual limitations on FTEs. The Schoolwill discuss strategies with the LBB to moreaccurately reflect actual employees and nottemporary substitutes in the FTE count.

The second cap from Article IX is on out-of-statetravel expenditures. The School is complying withthe biennial limitations on out-of-state travelexpenditures.

Degree to Which Current Budget MeetsCurrent and Expected Needs

The School has solicited input from allstakeholders over the past several months inpreparation for updating our Agency StrategicPlan. Staff, parents, representatives of publicschools and public agencies, consumer groups,board members, and administration activelyparticipated in developing the content of this plan.

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This section of our plan focuses on the degree towhich our current budget meets or falls short ofmeeting current and expected needs.

Our budgetary starting point is to reallocate theSchool’s existing funds to address current andexpected needs. We believe that we canaccomplish this for most areas of need.

Student Outcomes

Students at TSBVI receive an excellenteducational program. The School’s curriculumincludes all the essential elements of the Texasgeneral curriculum and the elements of anexpanded core curriculum designed to meet thespecial needs of visually impaired students,including those with additional disabilities. Thecurrent level of funding allows the School to meetthe educational needs of its students.

The employment of graduated students continuesto be a challenge. Statewide and nationally,unemployment of adults with visual impairmentsremains in the range of 70%. TSBVI will needadditional resources to improve the employabilityof students, especially by providing students withmarketable job skills. The Superintendent and theBoard of Trustees are focused on training studentsto have the skills necessary to hold specific jobs incontrast to being taught general work skillstraining. The School has focused its careereducation program on specific job skills. Recentexamples include teaching students to work as apet groomer, barista, hospitality worker, phonebank worker, and other marketable jobs.

TSBVI will develop strong partnerships withAustin Community Gardens, the Triangle smallbusiness district, coffee shops and other locationsto provide job training for students. The Schoolwill continue to develop partnerships withbusinesses in students’ local communities.

Successful transition of students back to their localdistricts is an area that needs improvement inComprehensive and Short-term Programs. This

requires additional resources for staff, travel, andtraining of the local district personnel to whomstudents are transitioned.

Staff Training

The current budget allows for limited stafftraining. TSBVI serves a highly specializedclientele of students with visual impairment,deafblindness, and multiple disabilities. On-campus, the school must continually refine trainingstrategies to ensure that its staff is delivering stateof the art instruction in the safest possibleenvironment for students during the daily 16 hoursof learning opportunity. Off-campus, the schoolmust deliver high quality training statewide inorder to make parents skilled and informedpartners in meeting the unique educational needsof their children, and build local capacity in Texasschool districts to better serve students with visualimpairments in their home communities.

To accomplish this TSBVI will need to devoteresources to upgrade the knowledge and skills ofinstructional and administrative support personnel.Special attention is needed in the areas ofeducational issues for blind students, job-specificskills, and the use of software tools to increaseproductivity and manage electronic data. Thisinitiative will require new or expanded resourcesfor the following:

Internal and external distance educationservice delivery models for school staff.

Development of effective and cost-efficienttraining for school staff, local educatorsand parents utilizing web-based and otherelectronic media.

Training for all residential instructors in thecore skills necessary to teach visuallyimpaired students.

Continued funding for an EmployeeAssistance Program that provides freetraining in such topics as cultural diversityand conflict resolution.

Training for administrative support staff inthe use of new data management

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applications, productivity software, andnew communications equipment.

Safety, Security, and Health

Safety and Security. The completion of newfacilities with new emergency communicationsystems, fire protection, electronic key access tobuildings, controlled access gates, and existingsecurity staff will be adequate to ensure the safetyand security of students.

TSBVI serves a population of students with specialsafety and security needs 24 hours a day. Theseneeds include medical fragility, certain vulnerabili-ties inherent to visual impairments and many otherfactors related to typical childhood issues occur-ring within the context of care and supervision bynon-family members while in residence at theschool. The parents who entrust their children intothe school’s care must be assured that the schooltakes appropriate measures to cover all aspects ofstudent well-being during and after school hours.

To address these critical needs TSBVI has initi-ated:

Close collaboration with architects toensure that campus strikes an appropriatebalance between highly controlled publicaccess and a welcoming public environ-ment.

An increased security officer presence oncampus.

Coordination with architects and contrac-tors to establish safe on-campus studenttravel during construction to minimize therisk of accidents.

A comprehensive assessment of campussafety regarding buildings, grounds, com-munication systems, materials and prac-tices in order to reduce risk factors andtarget staff and student training needs.

Health. The systems and procedures for obtainingand disseminating critical student health and

behavioral information to staff on a timely basisrequires continuous upgrading and improvedintegration with other data management applica-tions, especially with disparate electronic systemsfor managing student information. Additionalprogramming and sophisticated data entry person-nel may be needed. The current budget may not beadequate to support this critical function.

Parent Involvement

TSBVI has determined that parent involvementthroughout a student’s school career is among thehighest predictors of school success and positivepost-school outcomes. Parents regularly take aposition that TSBVI should have an enhanced rolein moving other systems (e.g. ISD’s, DARS, etc.)toward expanded and improved services across theage-span. TSBVI realizes that it is not a regulatoryor monitoring agency, and has instead focused itsresources on partnering with these systems in orderto build local capacity.

Successful parent training requires the followingongoing or new initiatives. To address thesecritical needs TSBVI will:

Develop regional parent organizations thatcan in turn become advocates and support-ers of service improvements at the locallevel as well as educating each other oneffective parenting practices.

Focus on additional resources on parentinvolvement at all grade levels, withparticular attention to students transitioningback to their local school districts afterattendance in comprehensive or specialprograms, and to those students who aregraduating. These groups of studentsrepresent the majority of parental concernsabout the shortcomings of all systems infacilitating the smooth integration backinto the local school, and the failure of allsystems to facilitate employment andcommunity integration post-high school.

Continue to develop a wide range ofstrategies to support parents statewide that

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reflect the highly individual learnercharacteristics of their children, the culturaldiversity represented among our parentstakeholders, and the geographicchallenges our large state presents.

Implement web-based methods for parentsto visually see on an ongoing basis whatand how their children are being taught,demonstrating how their children use theirnew skills in such activities as meal prepa-ration, off-campus activities, responding tobehavioral interventions, organizationalskills, etc.

The strategy might require additionalfunding for parent travel.

Expand partnerships with systems state-wide in order to continuously improveservices at the local level (ESCs, ISDs,DARS, and DADS).

Expand transition efforts for studentsreturning to their ISDs and for studentsgraduating to employment, education/training and community life throughimproved parent-led planning sessions anddistance communication as well as on-sitefacilitation in students’ home communities.On-site facilitations will require additionaltravel funds not limited by any budgetarytravel limits required of Texas stateagencies.

Clarifying and Refining TSBVI’s Role in theStatewide System

TSBVI has traditionally served all referredstudents who meet the criteria for eligibility, andwill continue to do so. The challenge is todetermine how best to serve them within theschool’s diverse options in comprehensiveprograms, special programs, and through statewideoutreach. TSBVI has been a major support overthe past two decades in the expansion andimprovement of local efforts to better servestudents in their home communities. The Schoolwith its multiple programs is now but one of theoptions students have in order to find the bestmatch between educational setting and their

individual learner needs. There remain significantchallenges across the state for students to accesseasily the type of program they need when theyneed it. Poor school performance and highunemployment after high school are two indicatorsthat suggest the statewide educational system as awhole needs a more coordinated effort on howstudents are served.

TSBVI is in an optimal position to facilitateimprovements in the overall Texas system, andwill develop new ways to ensure that its ownprograms and services are optimized to effectivelyreach the greatest number of students.

To address this need TSBVI will use existingappropriated funds or consider requestingadditional resources in future appropriationrequests to do the following:

Develop strategies to ensure that TSBVI isserving those students for whom visualimpairment is their primary learningchallenge.

Implement strategies to provide an array ofservices that meet the specialized needs ofenrolled students and that focuses on thosestudents making a successful transition totheir families and to local programming assoon as appropriate.

Develop strategies to conduct useful followup support activities with graduates andwith students returning to their ISD’s.

Increase TSBVI’s ability to deliver anacademically rigorous curriculum in theareas of science and math.

Expand short-term programs for visuallyimpaired students enrolled in their localpublic schools to ensure that they acquirethe skills of the expanded core curriculumin addition to the academic skills in thegeneral curriculum.

Revisit the provision of a middle schoolconcept preparing students to return to theirISDs with the ability to better access thegeneral curriculum in high school.

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Increase technical assistance to dedicatedlocal teams challenged by the growingnumber of deafblind children with complexneeds.

Explore how restructuring andreorganization of our programs could focusmore resources on service delivery modelplanning.

Curriculum

TSBVI develops specialized curricular materialsused on its campus and in many Texas schooldistricts. The products are used around the world,and TSBVI is widely known as a leading innovatorin the education of students with visualimpairments. The process TSBVI uses to developthese books and packaged learning systems utilizesinternal and statewide stakeholders to ensure thatthese products effectively meet a curricular need.

The TSBVI Curriculum Department is increasinglyserving in a training capacity to make sure that itscustomers are prepared to make the best use of thematerials. Through this activity, TSBVI hasassumed a broader role in helping the stateimprove its overall instruction in the ExpandedCore Curriculum for Students with VisualImpairments as well as focusing on learner needsrelative to the TEKS and TAKS. Further, TSBVIcontinues to develop products that address lowincidence areas of disability, such as students withvisual impairments who have autism spectrumdisorders.

To address this need, TSBVI will:

Purchase time and travel as needed toconvene writing and review teams fromacross the state.

Use a combination of on-site and distancetraining delivery to educate teachersstatewide on the use of TSBVI-developedcurriculum.

Facilities

The Legislature appropriated bond revenue tototally rebuild the 100+-year-old facilities at theSchool’s campus in north-central Austin.Construction continues to be on time and onbudget. The school has implemented a master planto complete and maintain a campus ideally suitedto the education of students with visualimpairments, including those who have significantadditional disabilities that require specialaccessibility considerations. The new campus willsupport growth and innovation in all threeprograms areas—Comprehensive Programs,Special Programs and Outreach. Repair costs inthe first year will be minimal because most of thenew buildings and equipment will be under a one-year warranty. Beyond that it will be necessary toensure sufficient resources are allocated tomaintain this wonderful investment in theeducation of Texas’s blind children.

Information Resources

Instructional Technology and Equipment. Thecurrent budget provides sufficient funds to meetthe special needs of the School’s on-campusstudents for electronic and assistive instructiontechnology. It will be important to ensure thatstudents served by the School’s on-campusprograms and by the Technology Loan Programcontinue to have access to the technology neededfor success at school and on the job.

Computer technology in the students’ living andlearning quarters has expanded and now eachresidential learning facility has at least twocomputers dedicated to student use and onecomputer for staff. Additional adaptive andassistive equipment in the living and learningquarters includes closed circuit television, brailleembossers, and speech-enabled computers. Thesedevices provide students the opportunity to applytheir technology skills from the classroom tohomework assignments, research, and recreation,and to enhance their independent living skills. The

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rapid proliferation of mobile devices, netbooks,smart phones, and pads has not bypassed ourschool. These devices provide additional adaptivelearning and communication tools to our students,but also present challenges in managing andsecuring these devices in our computing andcommunications environment.

Technology Staff Development and DistanceEducation. The School seeks to expand the use oftechnology and distance education technologies toprovide on-campus training for staff, and foreducating parents and other professional across theState. Additional funds to purchase and deploythese technologies will in the medium term reducethe per unit cost of training by reducing the timeand cost of travel.

The current budget will be adequate for the short-term, but additional resources will be needed toreplace aging equipment or to deploy newtechnologies in the medium and long term.

Infrastructure Technology. Additional hardwareand software are needed to meet the projecteddemand for more server capacity, such as memoryupgrades, processor upgrades, server systemssoftware, and back-up media. There is currentlyno capital budget in place to maintain and updatethe back end server and network infrastructure ofthe school, nor to replace legacy applications stillresiding in the environment.

New and updated software is required to supportthe various functions of the staff andadministration in conducting school business. Therequirements of state government for electronicdocuments related to school data, accounting,budgeting, and grant applications require thecontinual upgrade of equipment, the technicalenvironment, and software applications. Thecurrent budget lacks the programming capacity tocustomize and deploy software that supports thesefunctions and that is accessible to visuallyimpaired staff. Commercial software has beenpurchased that is addressing many of the needsrelated to the management of student data, but

extensive customization is required to meet theunique needs related to the School’s functions as aresidential school, e.g imparting important medicaland behavioral information to direct care staff on atimely basis.

Additional hardware and software are needed tomeet the projected demand for more servercapacity, i.e. memory upgrades, processorupgrades, server systems software, and back-upmedia. There is currently an insufficient capitalbudget in place to replace obsolete equipment andupdate the back end server and networkinfrastructure of the school. TSBVI continuallymonitors and evaluates the potential benefitsoffered by recent server side innovations, includingvirtualization and cloud computing. Should thesebenefits become compelling, additional capital willbe required to deploy these strategies in order toreap longer-term benefits, efficiencies, and costsavings.

TSBVI needs to continue expansion anddevelopment of the TSBVI web-site. The school’sWeb site, www.tsbvi.edu, has been tremendouslysuccessful and is considered one of the bestresources for the education of the visuallyimpaired. The web site receives more than fourmillion individual visits annually. Manydepartments, particularly Outreach andCurriculum, use the Web site as a critical elementof service delivery. Continued development of theWeb site is indicated with expansion of webfeatures to provide information interchange withconsumers. Currently in progress is a redesign ofthe web site to improve usability is needed as thesite has grown and information has becomedifficult to locate in the present design.

Management of Student Data. TSBVI mustmaintain a tremendous amount of informationregarding students’ individual educationalprogramming, health care, and behavioral profilesdue to the nature of a special purpose 24-hourfacility. The school additionally must maintain andprocess information required of all state agenciesand public schools, as well as maintaining the

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website that serves as the primary source ofblindness-related information for the state.

To address this critical need TSBVI will need todevelop or purchase both hardware and softwaresystems similar to systems used in all publicschools in Texas.

Improvements for Campus Support Functions

TSBVI is a 24-hour a day operation that requiresconsiderable support from its maintenancedepartment. Unfortunately maintenance is oftenviewed as “administrative overhead” and suffersfunding reductions when the School is required toreduce its budget. We are committed to takingcare of our new facilities and ensuring that thereare adequate fiscal and human resources to do so.

Personnel Issues

Issues identified in the strategic planning cycleinclude:

a. Accessibility for personnel with visualimpairment to information required for jobperformance

b. Compensation strategies for recruitmentand retention of qualified staff

Accessibility to Information Required for JobPerformance. Additional resources will benecessary to modify software, whether purchasedexternally or developed internally, to ensure thatblind and visually impaired staff can accesselectronic tools necessary to do their job.Additional time may be necessary for softwaretraining designed for the unique needs of staff withdisabilities.

Compensation Strategies for Recruitment andRetention of Qualified Staff. Strides have beenmade in recruitment and retention of staff,especially due to the pay increases residential staffreceived in the 81st legislative session. These

raises are tied to staff training, years of service andother criteria.

Additional funding is needed for merit increases toclassified staff and to move staff up in their payscales instead of relying solely on career ladders.With limited finances, turn-taking of awardingmerit steps is occurring, although this should notbe the case. Meritorious staff should receive meritincreases. TSBVI is not at parity with otheragencies in its pay to staff. TSBVI continues touse a pay scale based on steps but other agenciesinstead use an entire pay scale for eachclassification. Unique one-person positions havenever had a career ladder established for them.

Anticipated Decrease in Federal Funds forStatewide Outreach Programs

Federal funds support major programs operated bythe School’s Outreach Programs. Among these arestatewide services for deafblind children and aprogram preparing teachers for visually impairedstudents. For several years the funding for theseprograms has remained level while costs haveincreased. In the event that federal funds decreaseor end for these programs, the School would seekfunding resources from the State to continue theseeffective and exemplary programs.

✦Capital and/or Leased Needs✦

No later than the 2014-15 biennium, the schoolwill need funding for ongoing preventativemaintenance of newly constructed buildings to beused to retain the new or renovated conditions ofthe buildings in the years to come. This fundingwill be all the more imperative assuming thatongoing maintenance has been deferred as a resultof state budget reductions.

The school has a vehicle replacement schedulesthat calls for one large school bus and five vans tobe replaced every two years. This ensures thatstudents are not transported in any vehicles withover ten years of service.

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Service Population Demographics

✦Historical Characteristics✦

It has only been within the last 20 years that manylocal school districts have developed the capabilityof providing services to students who were blindor visually impaired. Historically, TSBVI made itseducational services available to blind children,ages 6 to 21, who had no additional disabilities.The population served was carefully selected,leaving the more challenging or complex childrenwith limited, if any, educational services. That haschanged radically, and now TSBVI has developedcapabilities to serve some of the most severelydisabled students with visual impairments in thestate.

✦Current Characteristics✦

Today, the majority of the almost 9,000 blind andvisually impaired students in Texas attend localschools. Often they are enrolled in regular classeswith sighted classmates and are supported by aqualified teacher of the visually impaired. Oneresponsibility of TSBVI is to provide educationalservices to children whose needs cannot be met intheir local schools or who need short-termintensive instruction in core curriculum areas.Another equal responsibility is to share resourceswith all local districts in the state that are servingblind and visually impaired students. Indeed, off-campus services emanating from TSBVI areconsidered as important as on-campus servicesdelivered directly to students. Educationalplacement takes into consideration the fact thatblind and visually impaired children have twoareas of need: an academic program that parallelsthat which they would receive if they were sighted,and a disability-specific program which addressestheir unique needs.

Often the academic needs of students can beeffectively met in regular classrooms at the locallevel. However, disability-specific needsaddressed by the Expanded Core Curriculum for

Visually Impaired Students are often difficult forlocal schools to teach, and they may look toTSBVI for assistance in meeting these needs.TSBVI has the capability to meet all expandedcore curriculum needs of blind and visuallyimpaired students, but its best use is to “fill in” thecore areas when resources and services are notavailable locally. This fact impacts greatly on thefunction of TSBVI. It can meet many corecurriculum needs of children either by providingan on-campus program or by sending educators outto districts to help in developing more effectivelocal programs. TSBVI currently carries out itsresponsibility to all blind and visually impairedchildren of Texas by offering these two options.

Visual impairment in children is a low prevalencedisability when compared to other disabilities.This creates problems with service deliverybecause this population needs highly specializedteachers that are in short supply. Geographicfactors affecting services are a major problembecause, in a rural area, there may be only oneblind child in a 50-mile radius. Even a moderate-sized district with a larger number of visuallyimpaired students will typically find that it hasonly one or two visually impaired students whocan be served together, due to differences in theirages and skill levels.

In recent years, the number of blind and visuallyimpaired children in need of services has increasedgreatly in the United States because of theprofession’s ability to measure marginal vision lossand its effect on learning. Also, advances inmedical science have saved the lives of visuallyimpaired children with additional severe disabili-ties. This need for services is exacerbated in Texasnot only because of population growth but becausethe state is getting better at identifying and assess-ing the needs of students with visual impairments.

Also, it has been found that children who arevisually impaired and have additional disabilitiesneed the services of teachers trained in educationfor the visually impaired. Currently, it is estimatedthat about 90% of the visually impaired children in

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Texas have low vision. It is also estimated thatabout 70% of the children identified as visuallyimpaired have additional disabilities. Thesechanges in populations have had a dramatic effecton educational services. Local school districtsonly request enrollment at TSBVI for theirstudents when those students require the intenseand specialized services of this school. As a result,TSBVI serves the more disabled segment ofvisually impaired students with additionaldisabilities.

TSBVI carries the serious responsibility ofaddressing the needs of a widely diversepopulation. Children in need of services from theschool may be mildly or moderately visuallyimpaired, or they may be totally blind. They maybe visually impaired since birth or may have lostvision yesterday. They may have no otherdisabilities except visual impairment, or they mayhave several additional disabilities. They may beable to master a regular academic curriculum, orthey may have educational goals that address theirbasic independence needs. They may live in urbanareas where there are excellent resources at thelocal level for a visually impaired child, or theymay live in extremely rural areas where servicesfrom a qualified teacher of the visually impairedare basically non-existent. Indeed, thedemographics of this low prevalence populationdemand that educators and parents utilize theircreativity when planning services that meet all theneeds of a particular child.

✦Demographic Factors and Future Trends✦

Short-term: As the population of the state grows,so will the number of students with visualimpairments. 2012 saw a slight flattening of thistrend, the explanation for which cannot bedetermined at this time. Undoubtedly the pace ofgrowth will pick up in 2013 and subsequent years.The majority of newly identified students withvisual impairments will continue to be high-riskinfants with additional disabilities and morecomplex learning needs.

The completion of the TSBVI campus master planby 2013 will bring much attention to the school asparents and ISDs re-evaluate old perceptions of theschool as drab, institutional setting. An increase inreferrals, already in evidence before the project iseven completed, will soon tax the school’scapacity if we cannot successfully implement theService Delivery Model mentioned in earliersections. Under this service model, only thosestudents clearly in need of our services in order toreceive an appropriate education will be admitted.Each will be transitioned back to their ISDs assoon as they, and their ISD educational team, havedeveloped the capacity to be successful back in thehome community. This in-and-out flow will besupported by all three (Comprehensive, Outreach,Special) programs in order to ensure the desiredoutcomes are achieved for both students and ISDs.

The largest group of students referred forspecialized instruction at TSBVI is composed ofstudents 18 or older who have finished or peakedin the general curriculum, but who lack theindependent living, self-advocacy, and vocationalskills necessary for adult living. About 36% of theSchool’s enrollment in Comprehensive Programsis in this age group. Parents and local schooldistricts have discovered that their young blindadults are not really ready and seek “last minute”specialized services before these students “ageout” of eligibility for services from publiceducation at age 21. To meet the needs of thisincrease of older high school students, additionalresources will be needed to prepare these studentsfor jobs, independent living, and higher education.

TSBVI will continue to receive a substantialnumber of referrals for children between the agesof 10 and 13, indicating that local districts oftenneed assistance as the visually impaired studentmakes the transition from elementary to middleschool. Many of these students remain at TSBVIfor two to three years, then return to their localdistrict with the skills to function in their localsecondary school placement.

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Another demographic factor having an immediateimpact on the need for services at TSBVI is thedeplorable employment rate of people withdisabilities. Specifically, 70% of people withvisual impairments ages 21 to 64 are unemployed,and 30% of those who are working are consideredunderemployed in relations to their qualifications,according to the US Department of Labor based onthe 1994-95 US Census Bureau data. In responseto this persisting demographic trend, the Schoolhas embarked upon an expansion of vocationalprograms for young persons who have graduatedfrom their local high school and a vocationaltraining program for students with mild additionaldisabilities.

Statewide demographic studies indicate that thenumber of non-Anglo school-age children willcontinue to increase in Texas. The 2010-2011ethnic composition of the School’s non-whitestudent population was 47% in ComprehensivePrograms, 57% in Summer Programs and 57% inShort-term Programs.

It will be increasingly important that the Schoolrecruit and retain staff who reflect the ethnicmakeup of Texas. Instructional programs musttake into account the needs of children with lim-ited English proficiency. The culture and valuesof minority groups must be given respect andunderstanding in the School’s instructional andresidential programs. Parent newsletters producedfor the regular school year program and for theOutreach Program are also provided in Spanish, asare written Student Progress Reports and alllegally required forms related to student and parentrights under federal and state laws. Additionallythe “SenseAbilities Newsletter” produced byTSBVI in collaboration with Texas Department ofAssistive and Rehabilitative Services - Divisionfor Blind Services is available in Spanish both onthe Web and in print for Spanish speaking families.The Outreach Program pays for Spanish or signlanguage interpreters for workshops that theSchool sponsors to make them more accessible.

There is also some evidence that the students andfamilies of students enrolled at TSBVI are belowthe average economic status of Texas. Fifty-sevenpercent of students enrolled at TSBVI meet thefinancial eligibility requirements to receiveMedicaid and Supplemental Security Income(SSI). In response to the needs of students andfamilies with limited financial needs, the Schoolwill also need to allocate staff resources to linkstudents and their families to educational, socialservice, vocational, and medical resources in theircommunities. This linkage is often vital to makesuccessful transitions for students back to theirlocal communities.

Another current trend is the increased expectationon parents to participate in the education of theirchildren. Parents are expected to actively plan andadvocate for their child’s educational program, andto understand and secure services for their child ininfancy and pre-school years. In response to thisneed, the School has launched programs to helpparents become informed advocates for theirchildren and learn more about the importance ofearly intervention for their children during infancyand early childhood.

Medium-term: Advances in medical technologywill continue to save high-risk infants, resulting ina growing population of children with multipledisabilities. The intensity of disability-specificneeds of blind and visually impaired children willrequire local districts to reconsider their resourcesin meeting these needs. Local schools will eitherneed to provide more services to children from ateacher of the visually impaired, or consider short-term placements at TSBVI.

Successful transition from TSBVI to students’local programs and communities will continue tobe a need. The Texas Performance Plan for specialeducation has identified transition services as aprimary area of emphasis in response to the U.S.Department of Education’s review of Texasprograms. Our own survey of graduates confirmsthat successful transition from school to

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independent living and working requires moreattention. The School will need to increase itsefforts to convince and to support local schooldistricts in implementing transition programs.Such transition programs are especially critical atthe times when students move from elementary tomiddle school and to the later years of high schoolwhen students approach graduation or “aging out”.

In response, the School has implemented an EXITprogram (Experiences in Transition) and a Post-Secondary program designed to assist students inthis transition, and to provide the students withskills in independent living, career education, andorientation and mobility.

Special education across the nation will continueto emphasize the integration and inclusion ofchildren with disabilities into the regularclassrooms of local public schools. “Inclusiveeducation” for children with disabilities became anexciting trend, beginning about 15-20 years ago.Today, the reality of “responsible inclusion” forchildren with visual impairments has shown greatimprovement. With more and better qualifiedteachers of the visually impaired being available inTexas, the quality of local services seems to havegrown, resulting in a slight decrease in referrals toTSBVI by local districts. This trend is also due tothe quality and quantity of services to localdistricts that TSBVI offers. However, when localschool districts find that they are unable to meetthe educational needs of certain individualstudents, they will refer the most challengingstudents to TSBVI for services. The natural effectof this is that TSBVI is increasingly servingstudents with maladaptive behaviors or a longhistory of educational failure. All too often, thesestudents have fallen farther behind for severalyears and need intense remediation. Again, thischanging population of students at TSBVI requiressmall class size and ongoing training for staff.

There is an increased demand that states andschools be accountable for the learning of students.More testing, more data, more analysis, more

program evaluation, and more accountability arethe order of the day. Both “No Child Left Behind”and “Individuals with Disabilities IndividualEducation Act” have added to the strong need foraccountability and documentation. New datamanagement systems are required to gather andorganize this information. In response the Schoolhas increased its accountability systems, includingfull participation in all components of the TexasStatewide Assessment System. The results areshared with the governing board of trustees, theTexas Education Agency, parents, and with theSchool’s stakeholders.

The maintenance of TSBVI’s new facilities andgrounds will require more resources in order tokeep these building systems in good order.Preventive maintenance, maintenance workerswith higher technical skill sets and outsidecontracts for things such as HVAC, security,irrigation and elevators, will be needed to make thefacilities last. Improved data management systemsand the skilled personnel to build and maintainthem will be major issue.

Building capacity in developing webinars,broadcasts and DVDs to train teachers and parentsstatewide about best practices in the education oftheir students will grow. For those who can travel,the new TSBVI Conference Center (OutreachDepartment) is becoming the go-to site to receivethe best training available in the state.

Long-term: All of the demographic trends andimpacts described above will continue to impactthe education of visually impaired children inTexas for the foreseeable future. In response tothese service population demographics, theSchool’s planning must include the followinglong-term strategies:

TSBVI and local school districts willcontinue to develop a mutually supportivesystem. The future will build upon theexpertise of TSBVI staff, appreciation ofthem by local school personnel, and trust in

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asking for services from TSBVI withoutany fear that TSBVI has an interest inrecruiting students. The TSBVI philosophysupports local school placement for moststudents, if the required support system isavailable, and local schools increasinglyacknowledge and respect that philosophy.Children are arriving and departing atTSBVI with increasing regularity. TSBVIhas developed creative programming thatresults in a minimum interruption forchildren in their local schools as theybenefit from intensive instruction in corecurriculum areas on the School’s campus.Education for all blind and visuallyimpaired students is directed toward aproductive, fulfilling, enjoyable adult lifein a setting that best meets the social,personal, and occupational needs of eachindividual.

In the future, TSBVI will serve students insmall “clusters”, depending on needs.These clusters will represent specific areasof a core curriculum, and students willreceive intensive instruction in only thoseareas for which there is an assessed need.This core curriculum emphasizes instruc-tion in those areas that address the uniqueneeds and special learning methods ofstudents who are blind, deafblind, andvisually impaired, including those withadditional disabilities.

Access points to TSBVI’s programs andservices will grow in number and inquality. Students will move in and out ofTSBVI with greater frequency, easilyreturning to TSBVI as their educationalneeds change.

Technological Developments

✦Impact of Technology on CurrentAgency Operations✦

Instructional Technology:

Technology, and its application to educating theblind and visually impaired children of Texas, isfundamental to the mission of TSBVI and to itssupport of the priority goal for Public Schools asdetailed in Securing our Future, the StrategicPlanning document for the State of Texas.Technology has an ever-increasing beneficialimpact on the education of students with visualdisabilities and is now critical to their gainingmaximum independence and success in their lives.One cannot visit a TSBVI classroom or residentialfacility without observing the growing role thattechnology has come to play in the education ofour students. Computers and Web-basedtechnologies are required to provide the most basicaccess to instructional materials, reference sources,and to materials previously only available in print.Prior to the advent of computer technology and theInternet, the percentage of instructions materialsavailable in braille and other forms accessible tothe visually impaired was so small as to bestatistically insignificant at far less than 1 percent.Desktop computers, laptop computers, LCDmonitors, and peripheral devices, including speechoutput and braille output devices, give blindstudents the opportunity to access instructionalmaterials on a level near that of their sighted peers.While providing significant empowerment andopportunities to individuals with visualimpairments, technology continues to challengestaff and students. The skills that a student mustpossess to use technical systems continue toincrease as systems become both more useful andmore sophisticated.

Technology is mandatory for TSBVI to providestudents with equal educational opportunities andto achieve Texas’ priority goal for public schools:“To ensure that all students in the public education

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system acquire the knowledge and skills to beresponsible and independent Texans.” Toaccomplish this instructional technology staff mustremain apprised of developments in technology asthey pertain to the general education population,and they must also provide training for students onissues related to assistive technology. Theseefforts require a broad knowledge base to meet theneeds of our students, most of whom have morethan one physical, sensory, cognitive, or languageimpairment. The technology needs of thesestudents range from basic communication andsocialization needs to vocational,telecommunications, and college preparatorytraining. The proliferation of handheld devices,pads, and smart phones hold great promise inenabling and enhancing access and mobility to ourstudents and the ability of these devices to meetthe needs of our student may one day reduce ourdependence on more specialized and specificlearning aids.

TSBVI must maintain an inventory of modernequipment to provide the level of serviceappropriate for the student with visualimpairments.

Administrative Technology:

The expanded use of TSBVI Intranet has improvedcampus communication, documentation, andplanning coordination through development of acommon facilities calendar, routine publication ofcontact information, meeting minutes, forms, andsimilar materials. The ongoing development ofour Intranet has allowed TSBVI to promoteefficient and effective inter-office communicationand has standardized publication of information.

TSBVI continues to make great progress in thedevelopment and use of administrative technology.New systems for the management of student dataand for management of special educationdocumentation systems have been deployed thatare compliant with the state’s Public Educationand Information Management System (PEIMS).

Another software application ensures that directcare staff receive timely information related to themedical, dietary, behavioral, and supervision needsof the children in their charge.

The School participates in the statewide exchangeof student information through the Texas RecordsExchange (TREX system).

The School continues to perform the StatewideRegistry of Students with Visual Impairments as anon-line registration system. This system waswritten and implemented for the TSBVI Outreachdepartment and received a complete re-writeproviding significant enhancements this year. Inthis system, over eight thousand students withvisual impairments are registered for subsequentreporting to TEA. This timely and accuratereporting to TEA ensures that the blind andvisually impaired children of Texas receive theirfair share of federal funds for educationalmaterials. The system is available during theannual registration period at http://www.tsbvi.edu/app/

Distance Education:

The TSBVI Outreach department supports thenearly 900 teachers and specialists who instruct theapproximately 9,000 blind and visually impairedchildren living throughout Texas. As the Outreachdepartment offers more diverse services to moreindividuals across the state, the reliance ontechnology to support distance education continuesto increase. Deployment of new information andaccess to resources over the web has beenidentified as a key need to use limited staffresources effectively, and to ensure the efficientuse of public funds. Enhanced use of distanceeducation is a fundamental aspect in futureprogram planning. Courses offered by distanceeducation have included Foundations in VisualImpairment, Math Materials and Methods forTeachers of VI students, and Abacus Instruction.These courses are examples of how these emergingtechnologies provide new methods for efficient

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and cost-effective service delivery. The use ofdistance education and the opportunities andsavings it provides will continue to expand.

In fiscal year 2011 the TSBVI website receivedover 2.2 million visits from more than 200countries. Parents and teachers download files thatcontain braille books and instructional materials,information for parents in English and Spanish,algebra in braille mathematics code known asNemeth code, parent newsletters, announcementsof training opportunities, and many otherresources. The World Wide Web has provided aunique opportunity for the School to broaden andincrease service delivery with minimal additionalexpenses compared to conventional supportmethodologies. Quick and efficient distribution ofprofession-specific information to an expandedgroup of parents and professionals has provenextremely helpful. The TSBVI website isfundamental in supporting the priorities of the2012-2016 State Strategic Plan for InformationResources Management.

✦Impact of Anticipated Technological Advances✦

Instructional Technology:

Technological advancements are changing the faceof education through the use oftelecommunications and multimedia technology.These advancements are allowing students tocontrol the learning process through creativemeans of expression and information gathering.One of the greatest challenges at the Texas Schoolfor the Blind and Visually Impaired is to providestudents with visual and multiple impairments ameans of access to these technologies so thatlearning opportunities available to sighted studentscan be made available to them to the greatestextent possible. There are many specializedproducts currently available that allow studentswith these impairments to participate in theeducational opportunities afforded byadvancements in technology.

The commitment of the Texas School for the Blindand Visually Impaired to serve as a statewideresearch and demonstration facility requires thatthe School consistently do the following: (1)evaluate technological advances, (2) determine themost practical and functional technologicalsystems for use with this population, (3) create andestablish standards for teaching and integratingtechnology into the educational setting, and (4)provide technical training, curriculum, and supportto professionals.

An example of the constant need to updateequipment is illustrated by new developments inequipment specifically for persons with a visualimpairment. Examples of the portable technologyused by visually impaired students are the BrailleNote and the Pac Mate. The Braille Note has abraille display and auditory output using aWindows operating system. The device includessuch features as email, a Web browser, a scientificcalculator, a calendar, and other personal digitalassistant (PDA) functions. The Pac Mate is aHewlett Packard PDA modified to provideinformation using JAWS voice output software.These devices cost about $4,000 per unit. Rapidadvances in portable computing devices like smartphones and pads offer the possibility of increasingflexibility of access devices and mobility for ourstudents and the potential replacement of veryexpensive single use technologies with broaderapplication of general consumer technologies toachieve the same ends.

There are a great many other examples of advancesin instructional technologies that can have a strongand positive impact on the progress the blind andvisually impaired children of Texas. These mayrange from the simple advances of LCD monitorsto the complexities of streaming quality videopresentations to remote students and educators.There is a pressing need to maintain adequatefunding for instructional technology.

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Infrastructure Technology:

The ongoing upgrade of the School’s local areanetwork has significantly improved thefunctionality and flexibility of the School’sdesktop computers and is critical to TSBVI’ssupport and adoption of statewide priorities forinformation resources management. Completionof construction and the build out of wirelessnetwork will complete the IP network platform thatwill serve as the infrastructure foundation fortechnology moving forward. Access andinteraction with Internet resources has providednew dimensions for classroom and residentialinstruction and communication/support to localindependent school districts served throughout thestate. As staff gains skills, new initiatives andapplications are implemented to improve servicesto students, families, and other professionals.

Continued upgrading of desktop and laptopcomputers on a regular basis is needed to ensurethe reliability and compatibility of TSBVIcomputing resources, and to meet the technicaldemands of adaptive software and equipment.Technical developments are closely monitored toensure our use of computer environments thatreflect those of other schools and businesses. Thedevelopment of a consistent developmentarchitecture based on industry standard products isimportant to enable maximum accessibility forindividuals with visual impairments, maintainplatform independence, and ensure compatibilitywith future technology innovations anddevelopment. Given these design goals, newsoftware systems are written as web-deployedapplications using Java Enterprise (J2EE)technology. Future development will be withinthis software environment to advance the use ofobject-oriented programming to maximizeplatform independence, interoperability, and long-term supportability.

Distance Education:

As technology advances, the School’s commitmentto serve as a statewide research and demonstrationfacility becomes more critical. Our role toevaluate new technologies oriented toward theindividual with visual impairments and ourparticipation on standards bodies to create andestablish textbook and electronic publishingstandards are two primary leadership areas thathave significant impact to the state and nation.Development and documentation of techniques foruse with new technology and technical trainingsupport to professionals who work withindividuals with visual and/or other impairmentsare a continuing program initiative. Innovationwith new network-based deployment will continueto grow in volume and importance. The advent ofdigital video and the ability to create instructionalvideos with high production values on the desktopis another important advance in instructionaltechnology and distance education for TSBVI.This technology, when fully implemented, willallow for enhanced efficacy of TSBVI outreachprograms, better documentation of student’sprogress, and the ability to effectively share thisprogress with parents and educators. The needsand uses of digital imaging hold the promise ofgreatly increasing the efficiency of service deliveryto Texans. TSBVI will continue to review andevaluate emerging social media technologies toassess their promise in enhancing service deliveryand workplace productivity. TSBVI executivemanagement and the Information ResourcesSteering Committee are actively discussing theissues involved in developing a solid social mediastrategy and continue to look for guidance from theDIR Statewide Social Media Toolkit.

✦Degree of Agency Automation andTelecommunications✦

TSBVI has highly automated telecommunicationsand computing functions. Campustelecommunications are based on IP telephony onthe Cisco IP platform. Approximately 400individuals access TSBVI computer systems by

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networked desktop computers or laptop computers.Workstations are connected via TCP/IP transportover Ethernet. All workstations are configured forstandardized networking configuration andnetwork transport is standardized on Ciscoequipment. The network is configured to providetelecom as well as file sharing, networked printing,and other services for both Macintosh and PCclients. Both PC and Mac clients share allnetworked printers by use of the Adobe Postscriptdriver standard. Fiber optic cable segments are inplace between most buildings on campus and willconnect all buildings on campus when constructionis complete. The School is a member of theCapNet network and granted an Internet domainaddress of TSBVI.EDU (192.188.148.x) in 1992.Currently, TSBVI servers support the variousfunctions such as web-hosting (www.tsbvi.edu)Web-based distance education, video-conferencing, resource sharing, applicationserving, and Intranet applications. TSBVI mustmaintain up to date equipment for the effective,efficient, and reliable delivery of services.

The current technical standard for networkdeployment is 1Gb to the desktop so that any clientendpoint on campus can be the source of videoconferencing or to meet other high-bandwidthrequirements. Long-term plans to meet anticipatedcapacity requirements have been addressed bydeployment of 10 Gigabit backbone segmentsbetween the main classroom building, theOutreach building and the network core to providea reliable and supportable campus environment.

A secure, reliable, and robust wireless IPnetworking infrastructure is required to prepare ourschool and our students for the acceleratingtransition of computing and communicationsmoving from tethered desktops and server roomsto smaller portable devices and the internet. Muchas children in school today will likely never have aland line for phone service, children enteringschool today will likely never have a box at theirdesk plugged into the wall as a computer. With a40 acre campus, freeing faculty and staff from their

offices for communications and computingservices allows them greater flexibility for efficientand effective service delivery.

Communication routing for TSBVI is provided viathe Department of Information Resources. Allaccess and report/mail delivery to the USAS,USPS, and other state and federal computerfacilities is provided through this link. Throughour participation in the Esconnett, the school usesa second circuit to Educational Service Center XIIIto provide client Internet access as well as to routeall video protocols. Gigaman fiber circuitsconnect TSBVI with DIR and the Region XIIIEducation Service Center to provide network,internet, and video conferencing and distanceeducation services.

✦Anticipated Need for Automation (eitherpurchased or leased) ✦

The TSBVI management team, with the approvalof the Board of Trustees, has determined that afour-year replacement cycle for computers andassistive technology is required for reliabledelivery of services to the blind and visuallyimpaired children of Texas. This schedule meetsservice delivery requirements while increasingreliability and decreasing maintenance costs anddisruptions brought about by obsolete equipment.Committing to a four-year replacement cyclereduces the risk that service delivery may beadversely impacted when budget constraints occurand replacement needs to be postponed. Currentcapital budgets are not sufficient to fully meet thefour-year replacement cycle so some prioritizationand re-deployment is required.

After careful consideration utilizing the TexasDepartment of Information Resources Guidelinesfor Lease vs. Purchase of InformationTechnologies, TSBVI has determined that thepurchase option is in the best interests of theschool and those it serves. The relatively long lifeof the assets along with the need for flexibility andintegration with adaptive technologies wereimportant considerations in this decision.

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It is a priority of the TSBVI management andBoard of Trustees that the School’s adaptive,instructional, and information technologies aresufficient to accomplish its educational mission toteach children and be a statewide resource.

Economic Variables

✦Identification of Key Economic Variables✦

There are two key economic variables for TSBVIto consider. The first is the impact of the economyon the lives of blind and visually impaired adults,and how our educational program reflects thisimpact. The second variable is how the generaleconomy impacts the capacity of TSBVI to carryout its mission.

✦Extent to Which Service Populations areAffected by Economic Conditions✦

Blind and visually impaired adults are traditionallyunemployed or underemployed. While there islittle specific data available, the general consensusof experts in rehabilitation is that actualunemployment among blind adults has hoveredaround 70% for the past 40 years. Any downturnin the economy or increase in the general rate ofunemployment exacerbates this problem. TSBVIbelieves that this is unacceptable, and thateducation owns at least part of the responsibilityfor this tragic level of unemployment. We havebeen restructuring our vocational program toaddress this economic fact. Preparing students forthe world of work will remain a major focus ofTSBVI’s programs.

✦Expected Future Economic Conditions andImpact on Agency and Service Populations✦

The workforce environment increasingly requiresthat prospective workers have the technical skillsnecessary to be employable. Literacy and theskills to live and travel independently are alsoprerequisites for blind people to be able to obtain

and hold jobs. The programs of the School willneed to continue to emphasize these skills. TSBVIis developing its vocational program to directlyaddress projections for future employment inTexas. TSBVI has reorganized its career educationprogram so that all students will receive extensivelearning experiences designed to prepare them forthe labor market of today and tomorrow.

✦Agency Response to Changing EconomicConditions✦

Future economic conditions of the State willcertainly impact TSBVI. The school has carefullyand prudently examined its budget, redefined itsvarious roles, reallocated resources, and uses itsresources in creative and conservative ways tomeet the needs of blind and visually impairedstudents throughout Texas. We cannot reduce oreliminate services now being offered and still meetthe needs of Texas children, and of their parentsand school districts.

The School is being affected by the majoreconomic events at play in the state and nation.The most pressing concern is the impact of thestate’s economy. As with all government services,it will be a great challenge for the School tobalance increased demand for services withavailable funding.

Impact of Federal Statutes/Regulations

✦Historical Role of Federal Involvement ✦

The most significant impact of federalinvolvement has been the Individuals withDisabilities Education Act (IDEA). Therequirements of this law, and the processesrequired to implement it, have affected TSBVIgreatly. Direct participation by parents and localschool staff in the educational process, and therequirement of an Individualized Educational Plan

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(IEP) for each child have positively affectedprogramming for students while requiringincreased time and attention from staff andadministrators.

In addition to its impact on programs, instructionalplanning, student assessment, educationalplacement, and due process rights for parents, thislaw has also provided the School with somefunding, most notably those allocated to operatethe statewide Deafblind Project. The School hasbeen the primary source for the statewide deliveryof these services since 1973. This source offederal funding has provided a high qualityoutreach program to local districts and families. Inthe event that the U.S. Congress eliminates thesefunds, the program would be eliminated orseverely curtailed.

Also, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) hasmade available to the School some federal IDEAfunds awarded to Texas for statewide priorities.These funds have been used for several programs,including a technology loan program for studentsthroughout the state, conducting the statewideregistry of visually impaired students, operatingSummer Programs, and meeting the needs ofstudents with multiple disabilities, includingdeafblindness.

✦Description of Current Federal Activities ✦

The federal Individuals with Disabilities EducationAct (IDEA) was re-authorized and amended by theU.S. Congress in 1995 and 2004. Any futurechanges in the law, accompanying regulations, andthe current revision of state education rules willsignificantly affect TSBVI. Congress has upheldthe right of all children with disabilities to acontinuum of placement options, including schoolssuch as TSBVI. Federal and Texas statutes, rules,policy statements, and case law continue to make itclear that special schools like TSBVI continue tobe the “appropriate” and “least restrictiveenvironment” for some visually impaired students.TSBVI is an essential placement option within theTexas public education system.

The enactment of the federal No Child Left BehindAct (NCLB) amendment of the Elementary andSecondary Education Act (ESEA) has also affectedthe School significantly, beginning with the 2003school year. There are increased requirements fordocumenting student learning, and increasedtesting and accountability systems. We are proudto have been pioneers in partnership with theTexas Education Agency in developing ameaningful accountability program for TSBVIstudents.

The School continues to participate in theMedicaid reimbursement programs for specificreimbursable expenditures. These include portionsof school health and related services (SHARS)provided directly to students, and certainadministrative overhead costs (MedicaidAdministrative Claims, abbreviated as the MAC).

The federally funded Free and Reduced LunchProgram also provides funds that offset the state’scost in providing meals to students enrolled at theSchool. All of our residential students under theage of 21 are eligible for this program because theyare in a state-operated, residential, educationalprogram.

✦Anticipated Impact on Service Populations andAgency Operations of Future Federal Actions✦

The amended IDEA and its accompanying federalregulations of, and the expanding requirements ofthe NCLB Act combine to alter significantly theservices provided to students with disabilities. Theindividualization of curriculum is being supplantedby individualization of services aimed at having allchildren master the same curriculum. If this trendcontinues, it will pose interesting challenges in theeducation of blind and visually impaired students,including those with deafblindness and otheradditional disabilities.

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Other Legal Issues

✦Impact of Anticipated StateStatutory Changes✦

Anticipated Texas and federal statutes willemphasize increased accountability for publiceducation especially for student learning andeffective teaching. This increased accountabilitynecessitates expanding instructional curriculum,improving effective teaching methods, andincreasing time and money for teacher training.

✦Impact of Current and OutstandingCourt Cases✦

None at this time.

✦Impact of Local Government Requirements✦

None at this time.

Self-evaluation and Opportunities forImprovement

✦Meeting Legal Requirements,Serving Critical Populations,

Achieving Accreditationand Recognition✦

Legally Required Services

TSBVI is established to provide appropriateeducational services to school-age children withsignificant visual impairments who may haveadditional disabilities when the local or regionalprograms cannot meet the educational needs ofthose students. There are nearly 9,000 childrenwith blindness or visual impairmentgeographically dispersed throughout Texas.TSBVI may be called upon at any point in theeducational careers of these students to directlyserve them in the School’s regular school yearprogram, in a summer program, or in one of thenew short-term programs. In addition to directinstruction of students, the school is also

established to be a statewide resource for theeducation of blind and visually impaired childrenwho attend their local public schools. TSBVIcontinually evaluates the effectiveness of itsprograms and the satisfaction of those it serves.Evaluation is conducted by performance measures,internal audits, customer surveys, and informalcomparisons to other states’ schools for the blind.

Accreditation

TSBVI is accredited by the Texas EducationAgency (TEA) as a special school within the Texaspublic education system. The School and the TEAhave jointly developed and approved a set ofAcademic and Program Excellence Indicators tomeasure student learning and programeffectiveness at TSBVI. These Indicators havebeen incorporated as measures in the School’sStrategic Plan and serve as a component indetermining the accreditation status of the School.

Attainment of Performance Objectives

During fiscal year 2011, the School met orexceeded eight out of eleven of its performanceobjectives as set forth in its Strategic Plan andLegislative Appropriations Request. Three otherobjectives fell less than 5% below the projection.

The following information details the School’sperformance for FY 2011 in areas critical to theSchool’s mission:

Student Learning. The School exceededits projections in the areas of studentlearning as reflected by progress inperformance indicator assessments, TAKSscores, Short-term Program studentprogress, and productivity of TSBVIgraduates.

Customer Satisfaction. The School met orexceeded its projections in the followingareas:

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• At least 90% of parents, local schooldistricts, and students rated satisfactionin all 10 major instructional areas inComprehensive Programs assatisfactory, very satisfactory oroutstanding.

• 94% of parents, local school districts,and students stated students’ experiencesin Short-term Programs were verysatisfactory or outstanding.

• 96% of local school districts and parentsstated students’ learning in summerprograms was very satisfactory oroutstanding.

• 87% of Outreach customers rated theeffectiveness of school consultations andworkshops as very satisfactory oroutstanding.

Program Evaluations

TSBVI evaluates the effectiveness of its programsthrough both formative and summativeevaluations. Detailed annual action plans aredeveloped to accomplish the objectives stated inthe Agency Strategic Plan. Formative evaluation isconducted by documenting progress on the actionplans at scheduled intervals. Summativeevaluation is conducted annually by the School’sBoard of Trustees and administration based onattainment of objectives in the School’s StrategicPlan and in the TSBVI Annual Improvement Plan.One of the objectives found in both the AgencyStrategic Plan and the Annual Improvement Plan isattainment of the accreditation standard set by theTexas Education Agency. Performance on thisstandard is evaluated annually by TSBVI and TEAand the standard for the next school year isdeveloped at that time.

Audit Reports

The School conducts an ongoing internal auditprocess based on an annual audit plan approved bythe TSBVI Board of Trustees. Recent audits havefocused on timekeeping, reporting and

investigating allegations of student abuse, neglectand exploitation, and on the school databasemanagement system.

The Internal Auditor develops an annual risk basedaudit plan in close collaboration with schooladministrators and the board of trustees. Auditsassessing compliance with state laws and rules aswell as agency policies and procedures have beencompleted. Recommendations are implemented asnecessary to improve compliance and increaseefficiency of operations as needed. Theadministration has implemented appropriateresponses to the findings of these audits.

An audit of the School’s Risk ManagementProgram was conducted in March 2012 by theState Office of Risk Management. Onerecommendation was made related to continuingthe development of the Agency BusinessContinuity Plan.

The Texas Education Agency monitored theeducational program of TSBVI in the spring of2012. The monitors found that the School is incompliance with applicable federal and state laws,rules, and regulations.

Comparisons with Other States and IndustryLeaders

As part of its benchmarking process, TSBVI hascollected data and compared its performance tothat of schools for the visually impaired in otherstates. In every category regarding parentsatisfaction, TSBVI is rated equal or superior tothe composite data on all other schools for theblind. TSBVI significantly exceeded nationalresults in the area of competitive employment forits graduates.

TSBVI has pioneered the role of schools for theblind as a statewide resource. Other states havelong envied and now are beginning to emulate thecomprehensive outreach programs provided byTSBVI. The School’s curriculum has been

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published and adopted by other schools for theblind, local school districts, and university teacherpreparation programs. The School’s summerprograms have long been a model for the country,reaching out to blind students who attend localpublic schools during their regular school yearsessions.

The School’s evaluation and planning process hasalso led to a significant programmatic change as aresult of comparison with other states’ schools forthe visually impaired. The School has initiatedshort-term special programs during the regularschool year for students who attend public schools.TSBVI has looked at models for this service inother states, adapted a Kentucky model, and isnow in its tenth year of conducting short-termspecial programs. Local school districts, parents,and students have welcomed this expanding areaof programming at TSBVI.

Needs assessments gathered for the Outreachprogram reflect a generally high level ofsatisfaction with the range of services provided bythis program and a continuing desire for moreassistance. Consumers need information providedin a variety of formats, languages and media. Thesheer size of the State of Texas limits opportunitiesfor face-to-face interaction and makes isolation amajor concern. Parents and blind or deafblindstudents are eager for opportunities to meet otherswith similar needs and issues. For professionalsand families there is a desire for general trainingon the impact of visual impairments anddeafblindness, and for individualized answers tomore specific questions. In-person conferencesand consultations are rated consistently as veryhelpful, and there is also a growing demand forproducts accessible at the moment a need arises, asthrough Web sites, videotapes, booklets andpamphlets, and computer disks. The OutreachPrograms are continuing to expand their distanceeducation capacity and diversify the materials usedfor imparting information and training in order tomost effectively meet statewide requests.

✦Performance Benchmarking✦

Benchmarking Process

The School engages in internal benchmarking andindustry benchmarking. Internal benchmarkingrelies primarily on the School’s evaluation of itsoutcome, output, and efficiency measures.Examination of output and efficiency measures hasallowed the School to re-allocate some resourcesto initiate or expand services.

Industry benchmarking is a new effort of theSchool in collaboration with other schools for theblind throughout the United States. TSBVI is anactive member of the Council of Schools for theBlind (COSB), a national organization ofresidential schools for blind and visually impairedstudents. COSB has begun the task of developingbaseline data on all schools for the blind in theU.S., in order to provide both composite data andinformation on how schools compare to oneanother. Thus far, data from demographic studies,customer satisfaction (parents) surveys, andstudent learning (employment) have beencollected, analyzed, and compiled. TSBVI has metor exceeded the composite scores of those schoolsfor the blind participating in the national study andbenchmarking process.

✦Agency Characteristics RequiringImprovement✦

The School is committed to making the followingimprovements:

Improved quality, effectiveness, andefficiency in the operation of instructionalprograms, and in the administrativedivisions that support the instructionalprograms. The Comprehensive Programsdivision is implementing the findings froma benchmark quality improvement programknown as Quality Programs for theVisually Impaired (QPVI) completed in2007.

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Implementation of a master facilities planand construction of physical facilities thatare congruent with the needs of ourstudents.

Increased use of data in needs assessmentand decision-making.

Contribute to a shared vision amongEducation Service Centers, local schooldistricts, parents, and TSBVI regardinghigh quality service delivery systems forthe education of blind and visually im-paired students in Texas.

A higher, more positive profile of TSBVI inthe State, with a focus on making theSchool’s processes as highly regarded as itsprograms.

Completion of the School’s project todevelop a balanced curriculum that meetsthe individual needs of each student andthat includes the expanded core curriculumto address the unique needs of learnerswith a visual impairment.

Increasing revenues from other public andprivate sources to help meet the expandingdemand for services from TSBVI.

Active involvement of local districts andparents in maintaining a sense ofresponsibility for residential students atTSBVI. Increased parental participation isa specific goal, utilizing telephoneconferences, on-site visits,videoconferences, a Parent Weekend, andparticipation in the school wide site-baseddecision making committee.

Expansion of technology available tostudents and training of staff in instruc-tional and administrative technologyapplications.

✦Key Obstacles✦

Fiscal Resources: Maintaining sufficientfunds to meet the demand for expandedservices on campus and throughout Texas.

Human Resources: Inadequate resourcesfor continued staff development, especiallyin the use of new and emergingtechnologies.

Societal Perception: There is a pervasivelack of knowledge and appreciation of thecapabilities of persons with blindness andvisual impairments, especially in regard toemployability. The unemployment rate,and the underemployment rate, of visuallyimpaired individuals are much too high.

Geographic Obstacles: The geography ofTexas profoundly affects the travel budgetand delivery systems for outreach services,parent participation, and Weekends Homefor students.

◆ Student Transportation. Many blindchildren live in some of the moreremote, rural areas of Texas. Thisgeographical dispersion complicates thelogistics of transporting students to andfrom the School, which is especiallychallenging because the Schoolstrongly believes that students attend-ing a residential school should maintainthe closest possible ties with theirfamilies, and should travel home asoften as possible. The School hasundertaken extensive travel obligationsto ensure that students in east, west,north and south Texas have the sameopportunities to be with their familiesas the students in central Texas.

◆ Outreach Services. The geography ofTexas also presents special challengesfor the School’s Department of

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Outreach Services, the component ofthe school that provides servicesstatewide to parents and professionalswho work with students who havevisual impairments, other additionalimpairments, and deafblind students.The expenditures for and the legislativecap on travel expenses has motivatedthe increased use of services throughelectronic media.

✦Opportunities✦

TSBVI has defined and nurtured its role in theeducation of all blind and visually impairedstudents in Texas. Our opportunities are great,including:

An outstanding professional staff,constituting the greatest concentration ofexpertise in education of children who areblind and visually impaired in Texas.

A committed support staff. Every TSBVIemployee knows that she is employed inorder to serve children, whether the job ispreparing meals, providing physicaltherapy, or mowing the lawn.

Facilities that are conducive to carrying outour mission. Actions by previouslegislatures have provided TSBVI withmuch-needed funds to renovate its agedcampus. The staff, students, and parentsare very appreciative of the Legislature’sfunding a complete reconstruction of itsfacilities.

There is a positive climate at TSBVI thatencourages personnel to explore, create,and accept new challenges. All staff areurged to participate in decision-making andto assume shared responsibility for ourefforts. Visitors from other state agencies,public schools, and other stakeholders oftencompliment the School on the quality of itsstaff and services.

TSBVI is a recognized leader intechnological development, both for itsstaff and for students.Recent advances in technology have thepotential to open unlimited professionaland personal doors for blind and visuallyimpaired persons. The School hasestablished an Accessibility Work Group toadvise the Superintendent and Board onhow to make TSBVI a model foraccessibility of information for blind andvisually impaired staff.

TSBVI and the Texas Division of BlindServices (DBS) of the Texas Department ofAssistive and Rehabilitative Services(DARS) share a common interest, goodworking relationship, and geographicproximity. This interagency partnershiphas created the opportunity to provideexcellent transition services to youngpeople preparing to leave school and enterthe world of work and independent living.We are developing an even closer workingrelationship with the DBS so that ourstudents will receive the best preparationfor adulthood from us, and then, asnecessary, take full advantage ofappropriate services at the DBS.

The citizens of Texas, through their electedlegislators, have demonstrated acommitment to quality education for blindand visually impaired children at TSBVI.This is evidenced by the continuing strongfiscal support for our school by theLegislature.

TSBVI recognizes its responsibility toprovide our students with opportunities tointeract with non-disabled peers, and wehave developed a community program thatbrings sighted children onto our campus forsocial and recreational activities, as well asprovide opportunities for our students toaccess community activities off-campus.

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Our curriculum department has publishedcurriculum guides and other documentsthat greatly enhance the education ofchildren on our campus and throughout thestate. TSBVI is known nationally andinternationally as the source for the bestcurriculum materials for blind learners inthe world.

✦✦✦✦✦Working with Local, State, andFederal Entities✦✦✦✦✦

TSBVI works with local school districts and localEducation Service Centers ESC’s) throughout thestate to develop an appropriate, individualizededucational program for each student. TSBVI ismandated by the Legislature to provide services toall blind and visually impaired children in thestate. This requires that the School maintain andnurture effective working relationships with localschool districts and Education Service Centers. Anincreasing number of staff development activitiesare the result of collaboration between TSBVI,ESCs, and school districts.

TSBVI will work with state agencies such as theTexas Education Agency, the Texas Division ofBlind Services, other branches of the Health andHumans Services Commission, and localinteragency groups such as Community ResourceCoordinating Groups (CRCG’s) to assist inlocating and delivering services to the studentsserved by TSBVI.

Federal funds contribute to support the School’sstatewide programs and services for deafblindstudents. The School also receives federal andstate funds through the Region XI (Fort Worth)Education Service Center, to provide many of theSchool’s Outreach services that enrich theeducational programs for all blind and visuallyimpaired students in the State.

✦✦✦✦✦Key Technological, Capital, Human andCommunity Resources Available✦✦✦✦✦

The School has initiated a program to obtain morecommunity resources to assist the School in itsmission. An existing staff position and director-level administrator have been assigned part-time toenhance revenue from both public and privatesources. All Blind Children of Texas, a 501c(3)non-profit educational charity, continues to supportprograms for blind children throughout Texas.

The School will continue to avail itself of theexcellent resources of the Austin community.These include the Austin ISD that has long been apartner in providing opportunities for students atTSBVI to attend academic classes in regular publicschool settings. Students from the University ofTexas-Austin and Texas State University,especially the Delta Gamma sorority, continue tovolunteer and provide opportunities for TSBVIstudents to participate in social activities in thecommunity. TSBVI has been accepted as a partnerwith the Austin Junior League, whose volunteersare providing recreational opportunities for ourstudents, as well as recording recreational readingand transcribing braille.

Service organizations such as the AustinDowntown Lions Club, the Texas NationalFederation of the Blind, the Austin Council of theBlind, church groups, corporations, andindividuals continue to provide their time andsome funds for special activities. Finally, there arethe ample and unique community resources of thecity of Austin and its environs that are much usedby the School’s students for recreation, culturalawareness, employment, and gaining consumerskills.

The School will continue to be a partner withuniversities to recruit and train teachers for thevisually impaired in high-need areas of Texas.Currently, TSBVI is collaborating with Stephen F.

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Austin University and with Texas Tech Universityin teacher preparation.

✦Employee Attitudes Regarding TSBVI✦

The results of TSBVI staff’s participation in the2011 Survey of Employee Engagement (SEE)administered through the University of Texas atAustin School of Social Work indicated that areasof strength for the School are in the constructs ofSupervision, which indicates employees viewsupervisors as fair, helpful, and critical to the flowof work; Strategic, which indicates employeesview the organization is able to quickly relate itsmission and goals to environmental changes anddemands; Employee Development, which indicatesemployees feel the organization provides opportu-nities for growth in organizational responsibilitiesand personal needs.

Areas of concern are in the constructs of Pay,which suggest salary is a central concern or reasonfor employee discontent; Information Systems,which suggests employees are frustrated withsecuring needed information; InternalCommunication, which suggests employees feelinformation does not arrive in a timely fashion andit is often difficult to find needed facts.

These results are consistent with an informalemployee satisfaction survey posted on the TSBVIIntranet in April 2010 that indicated employees aredissatisfied with pay. It is our impression that staffoften leave for reasons directly or indirectly relatedto pay. Very seldom do staff express dissatisfactionwith the work itself. In fact, many departing staffmembers comment in their resignation letters onthe satisfaction of working with students and theirown growth while working here. Staff take pridein the work that they do with students. Even staffwho do not work directly with students often getinvolved in student activities or attend studentevents. The focus at TSBVI is, first and foremost,on students, and that is reflected in the attitude ofall staff.

The fact that TSBVI has very few grievances and alow incidence of complaints filed indicates that theSchool fosters positive employee attitudes. Oneillustration of this is the number of former TSBVIstaff members who return to employment afterhaving left. Many employees openly state that theylike their jobs, their students, and the dedication oftheir colleagues.

47


AGENCY GOALS, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES

GOAL 1: Students who are visually impaired or deafblind will demonstrate the skillsand knowledge to lead vocationally, personally, and socially satisfyinglives as demonstrated by academic success and successful transition tothe community.

OBJECTIVE: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired will annually demon-strate progress in their academic programs, career and work programs,and life skills programs.

Outcome Measures:

Percent of Comprehensive Program Students Achieving Moderate to SubstantialProgress on Every Area of the Core and Expanded Core Curriculum in Which Theyare Receiving Programming

Percent of Students Attending Short-term Programs Demonstrating Progress asMeasured by Pre- and Post-assessment

Percent of Students Graduated from TSBVI During the Past 5 Years Who Are Cur-rently Employed, Enrolled in Post-Secondary Education or Training, or Engaged inProductive Activities

Percent of Major Instructional Areas of Comprehensive Programs in which Students’Progress Rated as Satisfactory or Above by at Least 90% of LEAs, Parents andStudents

Percent of Statewide Assessment Tests Passed

Percent of English Language Learners Meeting the Passing Standard on the Read-ing and English End-of-Course State Assessments

STRATEGY: Provide a well-balanced curriculum which includes disability-specific skills andwhich meets either State Board of Education requirements for regular educationor individualized education plan (IEP) goals. Provide instruction in academic/functional, vocational, and orientation and mobility skills and promote the suc-cessful transition of students to local schools, community placements, work orfurther education.

Output Measures:

Number of Students Enrolled in Day Programming During the Regular School Year

48


Number of Students Returned to Local School Districts through the ARD process

Percent of Students Enrolled Who Have Multiple Disabilities

Efficiency Measure:

Average Cost of Instructional Program per Student per Day

STRATEGY: Conduct residential programming that provides instruction in independent livingskills and social skills.

Output Measure:

Number of Students Enrolled in Residential Programming During the RegularSchool Year

Efficiency Measure:

Average Cost of Residential Program per Student per Night

STRATEGY: Provide a variety of instructional and residential Special Programs includingsummer enrichment and short-term programs designed to meet the educa-tional needs of students with visual impairments. Curriculum will be providedin the following content areas: (a) compensatory academic skills, includingcommunication modes; (b) social interaction skills; (c) recreation and leisureskills; (d) use of assistive technology; (e) orientation and mobility; (f) indepen-dent living skills; (g) career education; and (h) visual efficiency skills.

Output Measures:

Number of Students Enrolled in Short-term Programs

Number of Students Enrolled in Summer Programs

Efficiency Measure:

Average Cost of Special Programs per Student

STRATEGY: Provide related and support services during the regular school year and short-term Special Programs that support the instruction of students attendingTSBVI.

Output Measures:

Number of Students Receiving Orientation and Mobility Services

Efficiency Measures:

Average Cost of Related and Support Services per Student

49


GOAL 2: Families, professionals, and paraprofessionals will have the knowledgeand skills necessary to improve educational programming and other ser-vices for all Texas students who are visually impaired or deafblind.

OBJECTIVE: Texas students, professionals, families, individuals, local school districts,and agencies will receive quality services or products from Texas School forthe Blind and Visually Impaired.

Outcome Measures:

Percent of Families, Professionals, and Paraprofessionals Rating as VerySatisfactory or Above the Improvement of their Knowledge and Skills as a Result ofthe Services or Products Received from TSBVI

Percent of Families, Professionals, and Paraprofessionals Rating as VerySatisfactory or Above the Effectiveness of the School Consultation/Workshop

Percent of Families, Professionals, and Paraprofessionals Agreeing that there was aPositive Change for the Student, Staff or Family as a Result of a School Consultation

STRATEGY: Provide technical assistance and information and referral services for families ofand programs serving children with visual impairments and children with deaf-blindness through pre-service, inservice and family services programs.

Output Measures:

Number of Education Regions Receiving School Consultations and/or Local andRegional Workshops in Their Regions or Attending Training Sponsored by TSBVI

Number of Districts/Special Education Cooperatives Receiving SchoolConsultations

Number of Conferences and Workshops

Number of School Consultations

Number of Participants at Conferences and Workshops

Efficiency Measures:

Average Cost of Each School Consultation

Average Cost of Workshop per Person

50


STRATEGY: Support preparation of educational professionals in visual impairment. Provide aunique statewide mentorship program for VI professionals and support universityprograms to recruit and train new teachers of students with visual impairment(TVI) and certified orientation and mobility specialists (COMS) to address agrowing teacher shortage.

Output Measures:

Total Number of New Individual Students Enrolled in University Coursework

Number of Newly Hired Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI) andCertified Orientation and Mobility Specialists (COMS) Serving Students with VisualImpairments in Local School District

GOAL 3: We will establish and carry out policies governing purchasing and public workscontracting that foster meaningful and substantive inclusion of historicallyunderutilized businesses.

OBJECTIVE: TSBVI will include historically underutilized businesses (HUBs) in at least18% of the total value of contracts and subcontracts awarded annually bythe agency in purchasing and public works contracting by fiscal year 2016.

Outcome Measure:

Percent of Total Dollar Value of Purchasing and Public Works Contracts and Sub-contracts Awarded to HUBs

STRATEGY: Develop and implement a plan for increasing the use of historically underutilizedbusinesses through purchasing and public works contracts and subcontracts.

Output Measures:

Number of HUB Contractors and Subcontractors Contacted for Bid Proposals

Number of HUB Contracts and Subcontracts Awarded

Dollar Value of HUB Contracts and Subcontracts Awarded

51


TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE ASSESSMENT AND ALIGNMENT

1. Initiative Name: Name of the technology initiative.

Wireless Infrastructure

2. Initiative Description: Brief description of the technology initiative.

The wireless infrastructure initiative is designed to plan and deploy state of the art campuswide wireless services in a secure, robust, integrated, and manageable manner.

3. Associated Project(s): Name and status of current or planned project(s), if any, that support thetechnology initiative and that will be included in agency’s Information Technology Detail.

Name Status

Daily Operations Ongoing

4. Agency Objective(s): Identify the agency objective(s) that the technology initiative supports.

This objective primarily supports the objective under Goal 1 of the TSBVI Strategic Plan:

Texas School for the blind and visually Impaired will annually demonstrate progress in theiracademic programs, career and work programs, and life skills programs.

5. Statewide Technology Priority(ies): Identify the statewide technology priority or priorities thetechnology initiative aligns with, if any.

• P1 – Cloud • P6 – Mobility• P2 – Data Management • P7 – Network• P3 – Data Sharing • P8 – Open Data• P4 – Infrastructure • P9 – Security and Privacy• P5 – Legacy Applications • P10 – Social Media

This initiative aligns with Priority 6 – Mobility in enabling an employee and student facingsecure and ubiquitous mobile network; Priority 7 through enhancing and extending net-work services and security while providing for the convergence of voice data and video overIP networks; and Priority 9 by providing centralized management and increased privacythrough the use of state of the art security protocols and the ability to manage differentlevels of access to data and resources.

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6. Guiding Principles: As applicable, describe how the technology initiative will address thefollowing statewide technology guiding principles:

• Connect – expanding citizen access to services• Innovate – leveraging technology services and solutions across agencies• Trust – providing a clear and transparent accounting of government services and data• Deliver – promoting a connected and agile workforce

This initiative addresses the guiding principle of innovation by implementing leading edgetechnology solutions that work for government by building a state of the art wireless net-work that can provide ubiquitous access across our campus while improving performance,reducing security vulnerabilities, and lower management overhead and costs through cen-tralized management.

The guiding principle of Trust is addressed by reducing infrastructure and cyber securityvulnerabilities through enhanced security, increased visibility, and the ability to better man-age access to data and resources. The ability to implement advanced security protocols willfurther help to protect the privacy of personal information.

The guiding principle to Deliver is addressed by adopting appropriate alternate computingmodels that position TSBVI for the future as technology continues to migrate from the desk-top to the hand held device. This initiative promotes a connected and agile workforce nolonger tethered to their desks in order to communicate or to access and interact with dataand resources anywhere within the TSBVI network or accessible through the internet.

7. Anticipated Benefit(s): Identify the benefits that are expected to be gained through thetechnology initiative. Types of benefits include:

• Operational efficiencies (time, cost, productivity)• Citizen/customer satisfaction (service delivery quality, cycle time)• Security improvements• Foundation for future operational improvements• Compliance (required by State/Federal laws or regulations)

The anticipated benefits of this initiative include operational efficiencies realizedthrough enabling communications and data access anywhere on our 40 acre campusvia wireless enabled devices freeing student and staff from the tether to the desk-top. The ability to respond to internal and external customers in real time shouldalso serve to enhance customer satisfaction. Management overhead of the infra-structure should be reduced by centralized management and maintenance of auniform campus wide infrastructure. The ability to deploy state of the art securityprotocols and manage access to data and resources on a more granular level willprovide significant security improvements. Finally, a secure and robust wirelessinfrastructure will provide a foundation for future operational improvements asmore types of data migrate to IP networks, and as more computing and communica-tions moves toward handheld wireless enabled devices.

53


8. Capabilities or Barriers: Describe current agency capabilities or barriers that may advance orimpede the agency’s ability to successfully implement the technology initiative.

TSBVI has a competent and capable Information Resources team in place that will advancethe implementation of this initiative, but additional training will be required to update theskills necessary to manage and secure this new wireless infrastructure. Planning and budget-ing for this training has been include in this initiative.

54


Appendix A: Strategic Planning Process

This Agency Strategic Plan was developed with input from the School’s Instructional Planning Council(IPC), TSBVI’s Management Team, and the Board of Trustees. Members of these groups includeTSBVI staff, students, parents, ex-students, individuals with visual impairments, professionals servingstudents with visual impairments throughout Texas, and members of the business community.

55


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57


Appendix D: Performance Measure Definitions

OUTCOME MEASURES

Objective 1:1 – Student Success

Percent of Comprehensive Program Students Achieving Moderate to Substantial Progress on EveryArea of the Core and Expanded Core Curriculum in Which They are Receiving Programming

Short Definition: This measure indicates the percent of students achieving a score of 2.0 or higher in theCore and Expanded Core Curriculum areas in which they are assessed.

Purpose/Importance: This measure reflects the School’s primary measure of student learning and alsoserves as a basis for determining the accreditation status of the School. The standard for studentperformance that underlies this measure was jointly developed by TEA and TSBVI in response to alegislative requirement that such a measure be adopted by a joint memorandum of understanding.

Source/Collection of Data: Each student receives a pre-test in the curricular areas in which the student isscheduled. The number of skills in which the student has competency and generalized use are recorded ona computer database. At the end of the school year, the student is tested again to determine the number ofskills in which the student has attained competency and generalized use. The teachers enter this data intoa computer database and submit it to the Curriculum Department for compilation and analysis. The finalresults are forwarded to the Texas Education Agency.

Method of Calculation: The improvement in skills for each student is calculated at the end of eachschool year. Improvement is based on attainment of the following three criteria: a predetermined increasein the number of skills at the competency level, a predetermined increase in the number of generalizedskills, and a predetermined prompt-level decrease, all of which were established in the student’s previousIndividual Education Plan (IEP). The number of students who achieved a score of 2.0 or higher in allareas in which they are assessed is calculated and measured against the total number of students who wereassessed.

Data Limitations: The evaluation data is curriculum-based and criterion-referenced. However, theresults will have some limitations based on the degree to which the evaluators demonstrate objectivity andinter-rater reliability in conducting the assessments.

Calculation Type: Non-cumulative

New Measure: Yes

Desired Performance: Higher than Target

Percent of Students Attending Short-term Programs Demonstrating Progress as Measured by Pre-and Post-Assessment:

Short Definition: All students are evaluated to determine the knowledge and skills that they haveacquired in the special program that they attended.

58


Purpose/Importance: This is the School’s primary measure of student learning in the special programs.The results are shared with the students’ local school districts and parents.

Source/Collection of Data: Each student receives a pre-test in the skill areas for which the student hasregistered. At the end of the program, the student is tested again to determine progress. The teacherscollect this data and submit it to the principal’s office for compilation and analysis.

Method of Calculation: For each skill taught within an objective, the student is assessed on his/herability to demonstrate the skill with 1 point given for demonstration of the skill and ½ point given forimprovement in the skill. A percentage achievement of skills for each student is then obtained bytallying the number of points earned and dividing the total by the total number of skills taught.“Progress” is defined as achieving 70% of skills taught. On an annual basis, the total number of students(duplicated count) who have acquired at least 70% of skills taught is divided by the total number ofstudents (duplicated count) who attended the program classes to determine whether or not the program’sperformance objective has been met. Progress reports are not issued for students attending weekend orone-day only classes.

Data Limitations: The evaluation data are criterion-referenced. The results have some limitationsbased upon the degree to which the evaluators exercise objectivity and inter-rater reliability inconducting the assessments.


New Measure: No

Desired Performance: Higher than target

Percent of Students Graduated from TSBVI during the Past Five Years Who are CurrentlyEmployed, Enrolled in Post-Secondary Education or Training, or Engaged in Productive Activities

Short Definition: Percentage of students who graduated from TSBVI five years before, and up through,May of the previous year who, during the past six months, had paid employment, were enrolled in post-secondary education or training, were homemakers with at least one dependent, were engaged in unpaidwork or who currently participate on an ongoing basis in volunteer activities. Graduates who are nolonger in the labor force because of long-term physical or mental illness are not included in thecalculation.

Purpose/Importance: This measure provides information about the employability of TSBVI graduates,the rate at which they are enrolled in post-secondary education or training and the effectiveness ofTSBVI’s career education programs.

Source/Collection of Data: Telephone calls are made by the Superintendent’s office staff or designeeeach summer to the last known location of TSBVI graduates, including to their own homes, to theirparents’ homes and to adult living centers. Respondents are asked to state the history of the graduatesince leaving the School. Data are reported in the annual report following the fourth quarter.

59


Method of Calculation: The total number of graduates that graduated from TSBVI five years before,and up through May of the previous year who, during the last six months had paid employment, wereenrolled in post-secondary education or training, were homemakers with at least one dependent, wereengaged in unpaid work or currently participate on an ongoing basis in volunteer activities is measuredagainst the total number of respondents to the surveys. Graduates who are not in the labor force becauseof long-term physical or mental illness are not included.

Data Limitations: Employment of graduates and enrollment into post-secondary education or trainingare contingent upon many factors, many of which are beyond the control of TSBVI. A graduate’smotivation to work or to receive further education or training, as well as an employer’s willingness tohire an individual who has a visual impairment have a strong impact on the results of this measure.


New Measure: No


Percent of Major Instructional Areas of Comprehensive Programs in which Students’ Progresswas Rated as Satisfactory or Above by at Least 90% of LEAs, Parents, and Students

Short Definition: Student progress is measured based on the perceptions of all the stakeholdersinterested in the learning acquired by students at TSBVI during the regular school year.

Purpose/Importance: Student learning is the primary mission of the School. This measure helps theSchool to determine whether its regular school year program is considered to be effective.

Source/Collection of Data: Those surveyed include local districts, students who were enrolled sincethe start of the school year and parents of those students. Student participants are those middle schooland high school students who have the cognitive ability to understand the questions in the survey.Surveys are mailed out by, and returned to, the Superintendent’s office in the spring of the school yearand consist of a rating instrument on which the local district, parent, and student indicate their degree ofsatisfaction with the student’s progress in 10 identified skill areas. The rating scale consists of 5 scores:1 = outstanding, 2 = very satisfactory, 3 = satisfactory, 4 = unsatisfactory, 5 = very unsatisfactory.Results for each current year are reported in the annual report following the fourth quarter.

Method of Calculation: An average percentage of satisfaction is obtained by tallying the number ofrespondents who rated progress in each instructional area as a 3 or lower versus the total number ofrespondents to obtain one average score for each of the 10 instructional areas. The final reported resultis calculated by dividing the number of instructional areas in which at least 90% of customers ratedprogress as a 3 or lower versus the total number of instructional areas.

Data Limitations: The entire survey is somewhat subjective. Student progress can be impacted by anumber of factors beyond the School’s control including each student’s motivation to learn.


60


New Measure: No


Percent of Statewide Assessment Tests Passed

Short Definition: This measure indicates the percent of STAAR, STAAR-Modified, and STAAR-Alternate tests taken in which students meet the State passing standard set by the Texas EducationAgency in the core curriculum areas in which they are assessed.

Purpose/Importance: This measure reflects educational standards required by NCLB and reflects theSchool’s commitment to providing all students with education based on the TEKS objectives.

Source/Collection of Data: Each student meeting the state criteria for testing in STAAR, STAAR-Modified, and STAAR-Alternate will be assessed yearly in all required subject areas according to thecalendar provided by the Texas Education Agency. Results are received in the format of individualConfidential Student Reports and District Reports.

Method of Calculation: The passing rate will be determined by scores available at the end of eachschool year. In the event that a student must retake a test that has not previously been passed, only themost recent test result will be calculated. Aggregate passing rate will be determined by calculating thetotal number of tests administered by individual and subject areas. The number of tests administeredthat met passing standards will then be divided into the total number of test administered, yielding theaggregate passing rate.

Data Limitations: As the majority of students at TSBVI take these standardized tests in a non-standardformat (Braille or large print), the data is limited by the quality of the materials provided and theknowledge that non-standard formats may make the test more difficult than it would be for a studentusing regular print. Because field tests are not provided in Braille, students using Braille were notincluded in the process of setting standards for passing rates. Also, unlike other public schools, TSBVIstudents are referred to the School because they are failing in their local programs. They are returned totheir local programs after increasing skills in areas for which they were referred. The average stay forthese students is slightly over 3 school years and there is a high turnover of students. Because of theseunique factors, scores on statewide assessment tests at TSBVI may not be comparable to scores in publicschools


New Measure: Yes


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Percent of English Language Learners Meeting the Passing Standard on the Reading & EnglishEnd-of-Course State Assessments

Short Definition: This measure indicates the percent of STAAR, STAAR-Modified, and STAAR-Alternate tests taken in which students met the State passing standard set by the Texas Education Agencyin Reading and English End-of-Course exams.

Purpose/Importance: This measure reflects educational standards required by NCLB and reflects theSchool’s commitment to providing all students with education based on the TEKS objectives.

Source/Collection of Data: Each student meeting the state criteria for testing in STAAR, STAAR-Modified, and STAAR-Alternate will be assessed yearly in all required subject areas according to thecalendar provided by the Texas Education Agency. Results are received in the format of individualConfidential Student Reports and District Reports. Only results from Reading and English End-of-Course exams will be used for this measure.

Method of Calculation: The passing rate will be determined by scores available at the end of eachschool year. In the event that a student must retake a test that has not previously been passed, only themost recent test result will be calculated. Aggregate passing rate will be determined by calculating thetotal number of tests administered by individual and subject areas. The number of tests administeredthat met passing standards will then be divided into the total number of tests administered, yielding theaggregate passing rate.

Data Limitations: As the majority of students at TSBVI take these standardized tests in a non-standardformat (Braille or large print), the data is limited by the quality of the materials provided and theknowledge that non-standard formats may make the test more difficult than it would be for a studentusing regular print. Because field tests are not provided in Braille, students using Braille were notincluded in the process of setting standards for passing rates. Also, unlike other public schools, TSBVIstudents are referred to the School because they are failing in their local programs. They are returned totheir local programs after increasing skills in areas for which they were referred. The average stay forthese students is slightly over 3 school years and there is a high turnover of students. Because of theseunique factors, success on TAKS tests at TSBVI may not be comparable to scores in public schools.


New Measure: Yes


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Objective 2.1 – Statewide Resource Center

Percent of Families, Professionals, and Paraprofessionals Rating as Very Satisfactory or Above theImprovement of their Knowledge and Skills as a Result of the Services or Products Received fromTSBVI:

Short Definition: Parents and professionals throughout Texas who have received services and productsfrom the School’s Outreach Technical Assistance Program are surveyed to measure their satisfactionwith these services and products.

Purpose/Importance: This is a key question to indicate whether the TSBVI training and materialsprovided new or valuable information in a format useful to participants.

Source/Collection of Data: Surveys are distributed following each workshop and along with writtenreports mailed out following each school consultation. Surveys are mailed annually for the “TXSenseAbilities Newsletter”, and for customers of the Technology Loan Program and InstructionalMaterials Center. The surveys include a rating instrument on which Outreach technical assistancecustomers indicate their degree of satisfaction according to the following rating scale: 1 = outstanding, 2= very satisfactory, 3 = satisfactory, 4 = unsatisfactory, 5 = very unsatisfactory. Data are compiledmanually and reported in the Annual Performance Report following the fourth quarter.

Method of Calculation: The total number of Outreach technical assistance customers rating how wellOutreach technical assistance products or services improved their knowledge and skills as a 2 or lower ismeasured against the total number of respondents to the survey question.

Data Limitations: Success is based on the perceptions of those who have received the products andservices. A degree of subjectivity is inherent but the measure offers reliable information on programresults and customer satisfaction.


New Measure: No


Percent of Families, Professionals, and Paraprofessionals Rating as Very Satisfactory or Above theEffectiveness of the School Consultation/Workshop:

Short Definition: Parents, professionals, or paraprofessionals attending Outreach technical assistanceworkshops or receiving school consultations rate the effectiveness of the services.

Purpose/Importance: This measure of customer satisfaction provides information about whetherOutreach technical assistance staff effectively address the specific needs of parents, professionals andparaprofessionals receiving consultation or training.

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Source/Collection of Data: Outreach technical assistance customers are provided with written surveysfollowing each workshop and school consultation on which to rate their satisfaction according to a five-point rating scale: 1 = outstanding, 2 = very satisfactory, 3 = satisfactory, 4 = unsatisfactory, 5 = veryunsatisfactory. Data are manually compiled and reported in the Annual Performance Report followingthe fourth quarter.

Method of Calculation: The total number of Outreach technical assistance customers rating the effec-tiveness of the school consultation or workshop as a 2 or lower is measured against the total number ofrespondents to the survey question.

Data Limitations: Success is based on the perceptions of those who have received the services. Adegree of subjectivity is inherent but the measure offers reliable information on program results andcustomer satisfaction.


New Measure: No


Percent of Families, Professionals, and Paraprofessionals Agreeing that There was a PositiveChange for the Student, Staff or Family as a Result of the School Consultation:

Short Definition: Percentage of Outreach technical assistance customers agreeing that the student, staffor family experienced a positive change as a result of a school consultation.

Purpose/Importance: The measure addresses the question as to whether the services of Outreachactually make a positive difference. This is an important measure of program effectiveness.

Source/Collection of Data: Outreach technical assistance customers are provided with written surveysfollowing each school consultation on which to rate their satisfaction according to a two-point scale:Yes or No. Data are manually compiled and reported in the Annual Performance Report following thefourth quarter.

Method of Calculation: The total number of Outreach technical assistance customers agreeing that theschool consultation resulted in a positive change as compared to the total number of responses.

Data Limitations: Success is based on the perceptions of those who have received the services. Adegree of subjectivity is inherent but the measure offers reliable information on program results andcustomer satisfaction.


New Measure: No


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OUTPUT, EFFICIENCY and EXPLANATORY MEASURES

Output Measures – Strategy 1.1.1

Number of Students Enrolled in Day Programming During the Regular School Year:

Short Definition: The total number of individual students enrolled at TSBVI who received classroominstruction during the regular school year (September-May) including students on evaluation status.

Purpose/Importance: Enrollment is the basis for planning and decisions related to staffing levels andfunding needs. The data is also used to determine the School’s allocation of federal IDEA funds and thelocal schools’ contribution of funds to TSBVI.

Source/Collection of Data: The School’s Admissions Office enters enrollment information into adatabase as students enter the School and as their enrollment status changes. A database report iscompared with student enrollment lists provided by each program to determine the number of studentsenrolled each quarter.

Method of Calculation: Each individual student who has attended classes during any time each quarteris counted.

Data Limitations: None


New Measure: No

Desired Performance: Meet target

Number of Students Returned to Local School Districts Through the ARD Process:

Short Definition: The total number of students transitioned from TSBVI to local school districtsthrough the ARD process.

Purpose/Importance: This measure reflects the number of students transitioned to local school districtsin the state of Texas through the ARD process, as having met goals designed to enable the students tosuccessfully participate and integrate in their local schools’ and communities’ programs. Data areobtained through the agency’s automated student database system.

Source/Collection of Data: The School’s Admissions Office enters enrollment information into adatabase as students enter the School and as their enrollment status changes. A database report iscompared with student enrollment lists provided by each program to determine the number of studentsthat transitioned each quarter through the Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) process.

Method of Calculation: The total number of individual students that transitioned each quarter throughthe Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) process is reported.

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Calculation Type: Cumulative

New Measure: No


Percent of Students Enrolled Who Have Multiple Disabilities:

Short Definition: The total percent of students with multiple disabilities who received classroominstruction during the regular school year.

Purpose/Importance: The percent of enrolled students with multiple disabilities is a critical factor inplanning programs, allocating staff and fiscal resources, and modifying facilities.

Source/Collection of Data: Disability status is determined at each student’s annual ARD (admission,review, and dismissal) meeting and maintained in a student database in the Registrar’s Office. Themeasure also includes students labeled as “deafblind”. A report from the database is generated eachquarter.

Method of Calculation: Counted are the total percent of individual students who are identified ashaving a disability in addition to a visual impairment.



New Measure: No


Efficiency Measure – Strategy 1.1.1

Average Cost of Instructional Program per Student per Day:

Short Definition: Daily cost per student attending the instructional component of the regular schoolyear program, not including short-term program students.

Purpose/Importance: Useful for long-range planning.

Source/Collection of Data: Applicable portions of the School’s expenditure report and studentenrollment database.

Method of Calculation: Divide applicable expenses by total enrollment by the number of teachercontract days.

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Data Limitations: The total population of the School varies from year to year in terms of number anddegree of disability. Therefore, the average cost per student will fluctuate depending on the actual

number of students referred by local districts, and the special needs of students related to theircombinations of disabilities.


New Measure: No

Desired Performance: Lower than target


Number of Students Enrolled in Residential Programming During the Regular School Year:

Short Definition: The total number of individual students enrolled at TSBVI who received residentialprogramming during the regular school year (September-May) including students on evaluation status.

Purpose/Importance: Enrollment is the basis for planning and decisions related to staffing levels andfunding needs.

Source/Collection of Data: The School’s Admissions Office enters enrollment information into adatabase as students enter the School and as their enrollment status changes.

Method of Calculation: Each individual student who was enrolled in residential programming duringany time of each quarter is counted.



New Measure: No



Average Cost of Residential Program per Student per Night:

Short Definition: Daily cost per student enrolled in the residential program during the regular schoolyear, not including short-term programs.

Purpose/Importance: Useful for long-range planning.

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Source/Collection of Data: Applicable portions of the School’s expenditure report and studentenrollment database.

Method of Calculation: Divide applicable expenses by total enrollment by the number of days eachmonth.

Data Limitations: The total population of the School varies from year to year in terms of number anddegree of disability. Therefore, the average cost per student will fluctuate depending on the actualnumber of students referred by local districts, and the special needs of students related to theircombinations of disabilities.


New Measure: No



Number of Students Enrolled in Short-term Programs:

Short Definition: The total number of individual students enrolled in instructional short-term programsoffered during the regular school year.


Source/Collection of Data: The School’s Registrar enters enrollment information into a database. Areport is generated each quarter to determine the number of students enrolled each quarter.

Method of Calculation: This is a cumulative, duplicated count of individual students who are enrolledin instructional programming in any short-term program during each quarter.



New Measure: No


Number of Students Enrolled in Summer Programs:

Short Definition: The total number of individual students receiving instruction during the summerprograms.

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Source/Collection of Data: The School’s Registrar enters enrollment information into a database. Areport is generated in the fourth quarter to determine the number of students enrolled.

Method of Calculation: The number of students (duplicated count) attending each summer program isadded to attain this information.



New Measure: No



Average Cost of Special Programs per Student:

Short Definition: Average total cost per student of all short-term programs offered during the regularschool year and summer.

Purpose/Importance: Useful for planning, and for the allocation of budget, personnel and facilities.

Source/Collection of Data: Applicable sections of the School’s expenditure report and studentenrollment database.

Method of Calculation: Divide applicable expenses by total enrollment of students in short-term andsummer programs.

Data Limitations: The average cost per student will fluctuate depending on the actual number ofstudents participating in all short-term programs (regular school year and summer), and the special needsof students related to their combinations of disabilities.


New Measure: No


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Number of Students Receiving Orientation and Mobility Services

Short Definition: This measure reflects the total number of students receiving orientation and mobilityservices as documented in each student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

Purpose/Importance: Useful for planning, for determining staffing needs, for ensuring that visuallyimpaired students acquire independent travel skills, and for documenting compliance with the statutoryrequirements related to special education.

Source/Collection of Data: Students’ schedules, providers’ schedules, and students’ IEPs are thesources for this information.

Method of Calculation: The caseloads of each orientation and mobility specialist are added.



New Measure: Yes


Efficiency Measures – Strategy 1.1.4

Average Cost of Related and Support Services per Student:

Short Definition: This measure calculates the per student cost of related and support services for allprograms conducted on the School’s campus. Related and support services include orientation andmobility, social work services, occupational and physical therapy services, psychological services,counseling, educational diagnostician services, speech and audiological services, library services,curriculum services, staff development, health services, food services, recreation services, andtransportation service.

Purpose/Importance: The measure provides the School with cost data for services required by federaland state laws and rules related to special education, and for services required because of the residentialcomponent of the School’s programs.

Source/Collection of Data: Applicable sections of the School’s expenditure report and studentenrollment database.

Method of Calculation: This measure is calculated by dividing the total cost of the related and supportservices strategy (Strategy 1.1.4) by the total number of students enrolled in the regular school year andin all short-term programs.

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Data Limitations: The total population of the School varies from year to year in terms of number anddegree of disability. Therefore, the average cost per student will fluctuate depending on the actualnumber of students referred by local districts, student participation in all short-term programs, and thespecial needs of students related to their combinations of disabilities.


New Measure: No



Number of Education Regions Receiving School Consultations and/or Local and Regional Work-shops in their Regions or Attending Training Sponsored by TSBVI:

Short Definition: The measure reflects how many of the twenty Education Service Center regionsthroughout the State received school consultations or local and regional workshops from Outreachtechnical assistance staff, or participants from their regions who attended training sponsored by Outreachtechnical assistance staff concerning services for children with visual impairments and deafblindness.Consultation consists of suggestions for instructional methodologies, materials and equipment, staffingneeds, educational placement, transition planning, related services, or information on relevant resources.

Purpose/Importance: Measures the degree to which TSBVI Outreach Technical Assistance Servicesare provided to all regions of the State.

Source/Collection of Data: Outreach technical assistance staff submit monthly reports that are enteredinto a spreadsheet that records Outreach technical assistance services provided throughout the State andspecifically listing the regional education service centers in to whom were provided and the regionsrepresented at training sessions.

Method of Calculation: The total number of regions receiving services each quarter.

Data Limitations: Outreach technical assistance services are provided to regional education servicecenters or their constituents only upon request.


New Measure: No


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Number of Districts/Special Education Cooperatives Receiving School Consultations:

Short Definition: The number of independent school districts, special education cooperatives, families,and local service providers receiving school consultations coordinated by TSBVI Outreach TechnicalAssistance Programs. Consultation consists of suggestions for instructional methodologies, materialsand equipment, staffing needs, educational placement, transition planning, related services, orinformation on relevant resources.

Purpose/Importance: The measure indicates the impact of Outreach technical assistance school con-sultations in terms of quantity and geographical dispersion.

Source/Collection of Data: Outreach technical assistance staff submit monthly reports that are enteredinto a spreadsheet listing the content and location of the services provided.

Method of Calculation: Tally the total number of individual local school districts or special educationcooperatives receiving school consultations.

Data Limitations: Outreach technical assistance services are provided to districts and special educationcooperatives only upon request.Calculation Type: Cumulative

New Measure: No


Number of Conferences and Workshops:

Short Definition: The number of conferences and workshops sponsored or co-sponsored by TSBVI, orat which TSBVI personnel are speakers.

Purpose/Importance: The measure indicates the degree to which the School’s services meet itsstatewide mission and demonstrate professional leadership in the field.

Source/Collection of Data: Outreach technical assistance staff submit monthly reports that are enteredinto a spreadsheet listing services provided throughout the State and nation.

Method of Calculation: Tally the total number of conferences provided.



New Measure: No


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Number of School Consultations:

Short Definition: The number of individual school consultations to local school programs, families andlocal service providers regarding services for students with visual impairments and deafblindness.Consultation consists of suggestions for instructional methodologies, materials and equipment, staffingneeds, educational placement, transition planning, related services, or information on relevant resources.

Purpose/Importance: The measure is important for two reasons: (1) it provides information regardingdemand for the School’s services, and (2) it provides historical data for planning and budgeting costsrelated to travel and staffing needs.

Source/Collection of Data: Outreach technical assistance staff submit monthly reports that are enteredinto a spreadsheet listing services provided throughout the State including specific districts andprograms served.

Method of Calculation: Tally the number of individual school consultations.

Data Limitations: Outreach technical assistance services are provided to local programs only uponrequest.


New Measure: No


Number of Participants in Conferences and Workshops:

Short Definition: The overall number of participants attending conferences and workshops sponsoredor co-sponsored by TSBVI, or those at which TSBVI staff are speakers.

Purpose/Importance: The measure indicates the degree to which the School’s services meet itsstatewide mission and demonstrates professional leadership in the field.

Source/Collection of Data: Outreach technical assistance staff submit monthly reports that are enteredinto a spreadsheet listing the number of participants attending conferences and workshops sponsored orco-sponsored by TSBVI, or at which TSBVI personnel are speakers.

Method of Calculation: Tally the total number of participants attending conferences and workshopssponsored or co-sponsored by TSBVI, or at which TSBVI personnel are speakers.



New Measure: No

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Average Cost of Each School Consultation:

Short Definition: This measure calculates the average cost to conduct consultation regarding specificstudents attending local programs.

Purpose/Importance: This measure tracks expenditures for school consultations. It is important for theSchool to collect data on costs that are subject to the limit on travel expenditures required by thelegislature for state agencies.

Source/Collection of Data: Outreach technical assistance staff provide reports of travel expenses thatare maintained in a computer-based spreadsheet.

Method of Calculation: The sum of costs for all travel for school consultation is divided by the numberof consultations provided. The calculation includes only school consultations that result in a travelexpense.

Data Limitations: There are several independent variables in calculating this efficiency measure:duration of each trip, distance traveled, and commercial airfares.


New Measure: No


Average Cost of Workshop per Person:

Short Definition: Average per participant cost for workshops sponsored by TSBVI Outreach.

Purpose/Importance: This measure tracks expenditures for workshops sponsored by TSBVI. The datais important for budget planning.

Source/Collection of Data: Outreach staff manually track workshop expenses that are submitted forpayment from funds appropriated to TSBVI.

Method of Calculation: The cost of each workshop production is divided by the number of participantsat each conference to obtain an average cost for each conference. Each average cost is added and thendivided by the number of workshops. The total cost of each workshop’s expenses, including speakerfees, travel expenses for speakers and/or Outreach staff, audio/visual media, facility rental, copyingcosts, interpreter fees, and travel assistance for participants, when applicable.

Data Limitations: There are several independent variables in calculating this efficiency measure:number of participants, duration of each workshop, distance traveled, commercial airfares, cost forpresenters, and the costs paid by other co-sponsors.

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New Measure: No



Total Number of New Individual Students Enrolled in University Coursework:

Short Definition: Number of new participants enrolling each year in university coursework to becometeachers of students with visual impairments (TVI) or certified orientation and mobility specialists(COMS).

Purpose/Importance: This measure addresses the critical need for qualified staff to provide specializededucational services to students with visual impairments.

Source/Collection of Data: Texas Tech University and Stephen F. Austin Universities provide enroll-ment data annually to the TSBVI Outreach Program in a spreadsheet.

Method of Calculation: Tally the number of new enrollees in the programs.



New Measure: Yes


Number of Newly Hired Teachers of Students with Visual Impairment and Certified Orientationand Mobility Specialists Serving Students with Visual Impairments in Local School Districts:

Short Definition: Measures the success of university preparation programs in increasing the supply oftrained VI professionals for local districts.

Purpose/Importance: This strategy is designed to increase the number of qualified professionalsavailable to provide specialized services to students with visual impairments and deafblindness. There isa growing shortage of personnel with these skills making it difficult for local districts to meetindividualized educational programming requirements (IEPs).

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Source/Collection of Data: Texas Tech University and Stephen F. Austin Universities provide informa-tion on numbers of teachers of visual impairments (TVI) receiving probationary certificates and newlyhired certified orientation and mobility specialists (COMS). Data is provided to the TSBVI OutreachProgram in a spreadsheet. Given the difference between the school year calendar and the fiscal year,employment data will be supplied for the previous school year.

Method of Calculation: Tally the number of probationary teachers of students with visual impairment(TVI) certificates and newly hired certified orientation and mobility specialists (COMS).

Data Limitations: Information comes from the universities who may not have complete informationabout where their graduates are hired.


New Measure: Yes


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Appendix E:

TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND & VISUALLY IMPAIRED

STRATEGIC WORKFORCE ANALYSIS AND WORKFORCE PLAN

I. OVERVIEW

Originally created by the Texas Legislature in 1856, the Texas School for the Blind and VisuallyImpaired has been established as part of the public education system that serves as a special school inthe continuum of statewide alternative placements for students who have a visual impairment. It isalso a statewide resource to parents of these children and professionals who serve them.

Mission of TSBVI

The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired will serve as a leading center of expertise andsupports, working in partnership with schools, families and organizations to improve educationaloutcomes for students who are blind or visually impaired, including those with deafblindness oradditional disabilities.

Strategic Goals and Objectives

GOAL 1: Students who are visually impaired or deafblind will demonstrate theskills and knowledge to lead vocationally, personally, and sociallysatisfying lives as demonstrated by academic success and successfultransition to the community.

OBJECTIVE: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired will annually demonstrateprogress in their academic programs, career and work programs, and life skillsprogram.

GOAL 2: Families, professionals, and paraprofessionals will have the knowledgeand skills necessary to improve educational programming and otherservices for all Texas students who are visually impaired or deafblind.

OBJECTIVE: Texas students, professionals, families, individuals, local school districts, andagencies will receive quality services or products from Texas School for theBlind and Visually Impaired.

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Main Functions: Direct and Outreach Services

To provide a free, appropriate public education that addresses the intense or specialized needs ofvisually impaired children and youth, including those with additional disabilities when the localschool district and parents agree that such services are not available in a local program.

To conduct supplemental programs, such as summer school and short-term school-year programs, tostudents who are enrolled in their local school district during the regular school year.

To provide statewide services to parents of students with visual impairments, school districts,regional education service centers, and other agencies. These services include training, consultation,technical assistance, and developing and disseminating materials such as curriculum, instructionalmethodology, and educational technology.

To provide information about instructional resources and materials, including educationaltechnology, related to teaching, assessment, and transition of students with visual impairments.

To lend educational and technological materials for student use to school districts and regionaleducation service centers.

To partner with Texas Tech University and Stephen F. Austin University in preparation programs forteachers of the visually impaired.

To cooperate with public and private agencies and organizations serving students and other personswith visual impairments in the planning, development, and implementation of effective educationaland rehabilitative service delivery systems.

To serve as leaders in the use of distance learning for teachers, parents, and students.

Anticipated Changes

It is expected that the primary functions of TSBVI will remain the same over the next five years;therefore, the mission, goals, and objectives of the School will remain relatively stable. However, thefollowing types of changes will cause us to adjust some of our strategies, or at least the manner in whichthose strategies are executed:

We are serving a significant number of students who are either wards of the State, from unstablefamilies, or otherwise in situations that have caused them to have severe emotional and socialsupport needs.

In fiscal year 2012, 37% of our students were 18 years of age or older. Because we are servingan increasing number of adult-age students, many of our programs are directed at transitioning toadult life, such as career education.

The number of referrals for existing classes in short-term programs rises each year. Additionally,requests to add specific new types of classes from parents, professionals, and school board

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members increase each year. However, there has been no additional staff added to assist withinstruction or admissions.

There are increasing requests for weekend and higher frequency local trainings that requirestaffing in Outreach for increased travel and flexible hours.

Pursuing distance learning technology for providing anytime training on the website requiresincreasing staff with technical skills.

II. Current Workforce Profile

The staff of the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired is comprised of 576 budgeted full-and part-time employees, including substitute employees, who work on an on-call, as-needed basis.Because the majority of our employees do not work continuously through the summer and other schoolbreaks, our FTE count varies depending on the quarter. Our average FTE count for FY 2011 was376.17. Of these, 326 are classified and one, the Superintendent, is line item exempt. The remainingare teachers, principals, counselors, and other educational positions that, by statute (Texas EducationCode 30.024(b)(1)), are paid in accordance with Austin Independent School District pay scales forcomparable positions.

Among the classified positions, the single largest staff group (136 positions) consists of residentialinstructors. Classified as Resident Specialists, these are the staff that provides care, instruction, andsupervision of students in their non-school hours. Other classified positions range from nurses tomaintenance mechanics, from accountants to technology specialists. The campus-based workforce is asmall community with nearly every occupational field represented.

TSBVI’s contract workforce provides services primarily in the following areas: Pediatric medicine, lowvision services, psychiatry, dietitian, and linen service. The first four of these are specializedprofessional services that can be provided more efficiently by contractors. Linen service is contractedout for some, but not all, linen use due to the safety and equipment issues involved in laundering linensheavily soiled with biohazardous substances. Contract workers are used to a lesser degree in thefollowing ways: Spanish translation for documents required to be provided to parents in their primarylanguage; temporary employee vacancies; specialized, non-routine repairs.

Source document for the above charts, including Staff by Gender, Staff by Length of Service, Staff byAge, and Staff by Ethnicity provided by a report from the Texas Comptroller’s Office with data currentas of March 31, 2012. Source document for Staff by EEO Category Compared to Civilian WorkforceComposition provided by the Texas Workforce Commission’s “Equal Employment Opportunity andMinority Hiring Practices Report” for fiscal year 2010, which notes:

“Items may not add to totals or compute to displayed percentages due to rounding. Detail forRace and Hispanic-origin groups will not add to totals because data for the “other races” groupare not presented and Hispanics are included in both the Caucasian and African Americancategories.”

As is typical of an education setting, the majority of TSBVI employees are female (67%). Over sixtypercent of the workforce (63%) are over the age of 40, and more than one-third have more than 10 years

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of experience at this school (41%). Since 2005, our percentages of African American and HispanicTSBVI employees increased in several job categories. However, minorities are still underrepresented inthe Professional, Officials/Administration, and Administrative Support categories at TSBVI incomparison to the civilian workforce composition. Although we are addressing this in our recruitingplan, we are limited by the fact that the majority of our professional staff consists of certified VIteachers, and it is known that minorities are vastly underrepresented in this specialized teaching field.

Retirement Projections

The task of projecting the number of retirements is more difficult for TSBVI than it might be for otheragencies because our School changed retirement systems. In September 1994, the School moved fromthe Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) to the Employees Retirement System (ERS); therefore,the data available from ERS about retirement eligibility is incomplete because it is based on ERS serviceonly. We cannot reliably project retirements based on length of TSBVI service because our employeeswere able to withdraw their TRS service without terminating employment when we moved to ERS. Weknow that some, perhaps many, employees did so, but this information is not formally available to us.

According to a report from the Texas Comptroller’s Office, approximately 23% of TSBVI’s workforce,excluding Substitute employees, will be eligible to retire within the next five years. Whether thoseemployees choose to retire or not is unknown.

Administrators and Department Heads: Among the 17 managers who are the school’s topadministrators or major department heads, it is expected that approximately one-third, will retire (or,as return-to-work retirees, terminate) within the next five years.

Educational and Related Services Professionals: Teachers, educational diagnosticians, schoolpsychologists, speech pathologists, social workers, physical/occupational therapists and similarprofessionals make up this group. Approximately 22% of them may be eligible to retire within fiveyears. Due to the fact that the majority of these individuals are professional educators, these are theleast likely staff to have withdrawn their TRS retirement.

Staff Ethnicity by EEO Category Compared to Civilian Workforce Composition

Job Category African American Hispanic AmericanTSBVI % Workforce % TSBVI % Workforce %

Officials, Administration 0 8% 0 21%

Professional 3% 10% 6% 19%

Technical 8% 14% 8% 27%

Admin. Support 1% 13% 18% 32%

Skilled Craft 0% 7% 50% 46%

Service & Maintenance 16% 14% 17% 50%

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Mid-managers and Non-educational Professionals: This is a varied group that includes smallerdepartment heads, residential managers, front-line supervisors, programmers, and nurses, and,among others. Approximately 32% are eligible within the next five years assuming they have notwithdrawn their TRS service.

Instructional and Residential Paraprofessionals: Although this is our largest group of staff andconsists primarily of Residential Instructors and Teaching Assistants, the anticipated retirement ratewithin it is negligible. These jobs are primarily held by younger individuals who will leave TSBVIemployment well before retirement eligibility. Approximately 13% of our non-management,paraprofessional direct care staff has the age and length of service to retire within five years.

Technical/Clerical Support Staff: Less than one-quarter of this group will be eligible to retire withinthe next five years.

Other Support Services: This group includes maintenance technicians, cooks, custodial workers,drivers, and security personnel. Of these, it is estimated that one-third could be eligible to retirewithin the next five years.

In summary, within the coming five years, TSBVI is likely to experience the most significant lossesthrough retirement among the top administrators, educational and related services professionals, mid-managers, and non-educational professionals in the School. The fact that retirement eligibility isprimarily concentrated among TSBVI’s most experienced and highly skilled employees is of moreconcern than the actual number of prospective retirees. We know that this will be a “second and final”retirement for some individuals, but others will be interested in returning to work post-retirement andmay be able to do so, which will mitigate some of the loss.

Staff by Age Staff by Ethnicity

Staff by Gender Staff by Length of Service

16-29 Years16%

30-39 Years21%

40-49 Years23%

50-59 Years27%

60-69 Years12%

70+ Years1%

Caucasian-American72%

Hispanic-American13%

African-American12%

Other3%

Less than 2 Years18%

2-5 Years26%6-10 Years

15%

11-15 Years13%

16-20 Years9%

21-25 Years8%

25 Years and Over11%

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Turnover and Projected Attrition

During the 2011 fiscal year, our turnover rate as reported by the State Auditor’s Office was 17.5%,including interagency transfers, compared to 16.8% turnover statewide, excluding interagency transfers.TSBVI’s prior year’s rate was 18.7% for FY 2010.

Critical Workforce Skills

TSBVI relies primarily on teachers and other educational professionals to carry out its core mission.Additionally, direct care paraprofessionals extend the capabilities of teachers during the school day andprovide care, supervision, and instruction to students during non-school hours. Finally, employees witha wide variety of administrative, technical, manual and other skills provide the support activities thatallow our campus to function programmatically and physically. As such, we consider the followingskills and credentials to be critical to the performance of our mission:

Certification as a teacher of visually impaired students. Proficiency in working with students with multiple disabilities, including autism, deafblindness, and

orthopedic impairments. Proficiency using and instructing students in the use of specialized technologies for the visually

impaired, one of the most critical options available today for providing access to the world of infor-mation for blind learners.

Certification or licensure in the professional areas that comprise special education related servicesrequired for our students: O&M Specialist, Licensed Specialist in School Psychology, EducationalDiagnostician, Speech-Language Pathologist, Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Librarian,Social Worker, Nurse.

Knowledge of statewide services, regional programs and local school districts and how to work withthem.

Proficiency in training and consulting skills. Proficiency in instructing students in career education and other subjects related to transition to adult

life. Proficiency in leadership and management skills, and educational administration certification if

required for position. For direct care paraprofessionals, individuals who have:

A human service orientation with a sincere desire to work with children with disabilities. Paraprofessional certification and qualified under No Child Left Behind Act

Proficiency in database management, technology, and skilled trade areas that support all Schoolfunctions.

Proficiency in business and administrative support areas that support all School functions. Skill in working collaboratively as a team member

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III. Future Workforce Profile

Factors Driving Expected Workforce Changes

Comprehensive Programs (regular school year) anticipates a slight increase in enrollment. The Special Programs department provides both Short-Term Programs during the academic school

year and Summer Programs during June and July. Short-Term Programs has added only one teacherbetween school years 2006-2012, despite an enrollment increase from 132 to 205 students duringthose years. Only one administrative assistant has been available to handle all departmentalfunctions, including admissions and travel for the 200+ students, since the program began in schoolyear 2000. Although demand for these programs grows annually, the program cannot grow withoutadditional instructional and administrative staff. Summer Programs are the largest of all schools forthe blind in the country, serving approximately 300-325 students each summer. Although we are notable to accept all applicants, it is difficult to identify sufficient staff to teach in the summer and wetherefore anticipate holding this program at its current size rather than trying to increase it.

Students will continue to present severe and complex disabling conditions, particularly emotionaland behavioral disorders, along with visual impairment. They will have intense needs while enrolledat TSBVI, and will require more indirect services to help ensure their success in local schooldistricts.

The proportion of students who need vocational instruction and independent living skills willincrease.

Federal and state education and special education regulations will require more services and imposemore standards that our School will be expected to meet.

The new building program will require a higher level of technical expertise for building systems suchas security, building controls, plumbing mechanical and life safety. There are additional staterequired inspections and service by licensed professional for elevators, plumbing, fire protection andsuppression, natural gas line (both exterior and interior), boilers, pest control and food services aswell as best practices inspections for electrical, air conditioning and plumbing systems. Theseincreased required inspections are accomplished through contracts with licensed professionals, thetraining of current staff where possible for certification and hiring licensed and certified technicians.

There is a critical need for database management and process automation at TSBVI. Coupled withincreased reliance on technology, both to execute the school’s core mission and to assist in allsupport activities, the School anticipates a need for more highly skilled technical staff.

Future Workforce Skills Needed for Critical Functions

The mission of TSBVI and its key goals are unlikely to change in the coming years. The criticalfunctions will continue to be the direct and indirect provision of services to the visually impaired,school-aged children of Texas. While the mission will remain the same, it will be implemented with achanging student population and within a changing regulatory environment, by an evolving staff. Assuch, we anticipate the following future workforce skill needs:

TSBVI will continue to have a steady demand for certified VI and O&M teachers, but will also needteachers who are certified in VI along with auditory impairment, math, science, ESL, and geography.

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We will continue to need certified or licensed professionals in the related services areas, but withparticular emphasis on counseling and assessment personnel because of (a) anticipated attritionthrough retirement in this area, and (b) the need for more intensive services related to studentbehavioral disorders and severe emotional needs.

We will need educational administrators with a strong background in education of the visuallyimpaired as well as administrative and leadership skills.

We will need managers in non-educational areas with strong leadership skills in addition to expertisewith their own functional areas (facilities, business, technology, etc.).

All staff who provide direct services to students, whether professional or paraprofessional, mustdevelop skills to manage students’ behavior and emotional problems.

All staff must have an adequate working knowledge of technology appropriate to their assignment. TSBVI will need staff who have bilingual skills and cultural awareness.

Anticipated Changes in the Number of Employees Needed

TSBVI anticipates a need for targeted skill areas, including staff with bilingual skills and culturalcompetence, staff with systems analysis and database management expertise, and training staff withexpertise in creating computer-based teaching classes specifically geared toward visual impairment aswell as more general development.

It is difficult to forecast future enrollment, because we cannot ordinarily predict how many or whichstudents will be referred to TSBVI, and we cannot know the extent of their needs until they have beenassessed. A referral from a local district to TSBVI can take place at anytime, and it is a complex, highlyregulated process which does not give us much flexibility to decline to accept students we do not feeladequately staffed to serve. Nevertheless, we do not expect a decline in enrollment or demand for otherservices.

IV. Gap Analysis

Anticipated Shortage of Employees and Skills

The following gaps are either likely or possible based on a comparison between the current staff profileand anticipated future staffing and skills needs:

Staff will need to continue to increase the knowledge and skills required to work with studentswho are presenting increasingly challenging disabilities.

We will have an insufficient supply of VI teachers, educational administrators and related serviceprofessionals due to retirement and other attrition.

We will have an insufficient supply of professionals in the fields of visual impairment anddeafblindness who are available to travel as statewide consultants.

Flexibility will be required of the school’s grounds, building, and custodial staff as the campuscontinues to transform with new buildings going up and old buildings coming down. Tomaintain the new buildings and grounds to a high standard, it may be necessary to reclassifyexisting staff in addition to hiring additional maintenance, custodial, and grounds staff.

The need for data management and process automation will require us to either hire additionaltechnical professionals or contract for this service.

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As technology becomes more integral to most jobs, staff will need to increase their technicalcompetence accordingly. In addition, in some jobs, the required competence level will be quitehigh due to the complex technology related to visual impairment.

To ensure that training needs related to behavior, technology, VI core curricular areas, and othercontent are met, we need to utilize computer-based training rather than traditional instructor-ledtraining to reach more staff at times convenient to their schedules. We also need for staff to havetime to be trained.

V. Strategies for Workforce Transition

Succession Plan

The core of TSBVI’s institutional knowledge is held by (1) its professional staff members who providedirect services to students on campus and indirect services to students throughout the state throughfamilies and other educators; and (2) its administrators and managers. Emphasis in this succession planis given to those two groups.

At TSBVI, we take a three-pronged approach to succession planning:

(1) We believe that a diversity of professional educational approaches enriches our programs;therefore, we strive to recruit broadly to bring highly qualified professional staff from outsideour school.

(2) The large number of paraprofessional positions at TSBVI provides a supply of staff who havedemonstrated good basic skills and a genuine interest in working with children with disabilities.Some of these individuals decide that they want to make a professional career of teaching visu-ally impaired children, which we encourage and support. Our VI teachers can pursue furthercareer development, with our support, by obtaining additional subject matter certification,becoming administrators, or becoming related services specialists.

(3) We seek to disseminate key institutional knowledge throughout the organization both laterallyand vertically by means such as cross-training and documenting work processes. There are keypositions at our School that, because of the nature of the job and the size of the department, donot have potential internal successors.

Direct Instruction and Service

1. VI Teachers

Action steps to ensure adequate supply of VI teachers:

a. Continue to administer the VI teacher preparation project established by legislative rider.This includes continuing to financially support the Texas universities (Texas Tech andStephen F. Austin) that offer VI teacher preparation in return for their assurance of a mini-

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mum number of graduates per year, providing mentors for teachers in training, and providingworkshops for new teachers to minimize attrition.

b. Work to assure the continued funding of the VI teacher preparation project by documentingthe outcomes of the program and communicating them to the funding sources.

c. “Create” VI teachers from TSBVI staff:

(1) Identify and encourage degreed paraprofessionals (e.g., teaching assistants) whocould complete alternative teacher certification in Special Education through theRegion XIII Education Service Center program. After completion of this program,employ them (if vacancies occur) as first year classroom teachers to fulfill theirinternship.

(2) Hire promising teacher candidates who already have Generic Special Education orother related certification.

(3) Require all teachers hired under both circumstances to obtain VI certification over adesignated period of time. Provide tuition reimbursement for those who completecoursework toward VI certification.

2. Related Service Professionals and Teachers with Additional Certification

Action step to ensure adequate supply of related services professionals (e.g., EducationalDiagnosticians, Speech/Language Pathologists) and specially certified teachers (e.g. English asa Second Language, Science)

a. Continue to identify “high need” credentials based on actual and expected attrition.b. As funding permits, utilize the existing procedure that provides for teachers to receive tuition

reimbursement for completing coursework toward credentials designated by the School’smanagement as “high need.”

c. Actively solicit interest among current VI teaching staff in these opportunities.d. Actively recruit and train interns.

3. Outreach Specialists

The majority of outreach specialists are highly experienced VI teachers or professionals in thefield of deafblindness. A person would typically progress to this position from an earliersuccessful career as a provider of direct instruction; in other words, they are nearer retirement agethan the average employee. It is estimated that a significant number of staff in this group will beeligible to retire within the next five years, whether they choose to do so or not. The classroomteacher staff at TSBVI provides a natural “training ground” for future outreach specialists;however, many teachers would not be interested in this role due to the extensive travel and longerwork year. Generally, vacancies in this area require a national or at least statewide search.Fortunately, the very nature of the outreach specialist job involves extensive networking in thefields of visual impairment and deafblindness, both on a state and national basis. Our Outreachprogram is well known, and potentially suitable candidates for vacancies in this area are usuallywell known to us.

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In summary, effective succession in this area will be accomplished by a combination of drawingupon a pool of highly qualified internal applicants and cultivating a ready-made network.

Management

1. Educational and residential program administration:

a. Superintendent: The Superintendent was hired within the last five years and is expected toremain in this position for the foreseeable future.

b. Principals/Assistant Principals/Outreach Director/School & Student Services Director:Several employees in this area have already retired and returned to work. It is possible thatone-third of these positions will retire for a final time within the next five years. It is ex-pected that succession will be accomplished through (1) re-organization or consolidation ofsome functions or (2) filling vacancies with current employees who will meet MQ’s or (3)conducting a national search for outside candidates. Our practice of developing lead teachershelps ensure our future supply of educational leaders.

c. Residential Directors/Dorm Managers: Attrition at the residential director level is not ex-pected within the next five years. Turnover among dorm managers is routine and successionis expected to be accomplished through the competitive selection of outstanding ResidentialInstructors.

2. Management of Support Functions:

It is likely that two to three of the top five non-programmatic management positions will bevacated within the next five years. Although these are critical and highly skilled positions, they –unlike the educational administrator positions – do not require educational certification, and theyhave counterparts in other state agencies. It is expected that both internal and external applicantswill compete for most of these positions. Meanwhile, the emphasis in these areas is ondocumenting institutional knowledge to ensure the smoothest possible transition to successors.

Other Goals for Workforce Transition

The first three goals, below, concern staff training. The first one addresses: 1) The need for trainingconcerning students with increasingly challenging disabilities. Workers, even professionals, do notarrive at our doorstep with these skills. It is imperative that we are able to rely on our own training tomeet the complex needs of the students we serve. 2) The need for annual supervisory training for alldorm managers, supervisors, and department heads. It is imperative that decision-makers receive thelatest information concerning employment laws that affect every day personnel decisions. Even the mostseasoned managers need a refresher to minimize legal risk.

The second goal will facilitate having an involved and well-informed staff by ensuring that 1) all staffreceives information in an accessible format, and 2) all staff acquires the technical skills to use comput-ers in their jobs.

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The third goal considers the possibilities for expanding internal training efforts.

The fourth goal focuses on retention through continuing development of career and salary progression.

The fifth and final goal recognizes that we cannot meet all of our needs by training, promoting, andretaining our existing staff. The expanding and changing needs of our school will demand that we addstaff in certain areas. This goal does not necessarily imply that the overall staff or contract workforcesize must increase, since some positions may be able replace other, less critical ones.

Goal 1: 1) Ensure that all staff who work with students have adequate knowledge andskills in working with students with increasingly challenging disabilities.2) Ensure that all employees in a supervisory role receive employment lawtraining on an annual basis to minimize potential legal pitfalls.

Goal 2: 1) Ensure that all employees in all departments receive information in an ac-cessible format. 2) Ensure that all employees have the technical skills and theaccess to consistently use the intranet and e-mail for necessary information.

Goal 3: Explore the possibility of establishing a comprehensive staff developmentprogram that would serve the needs of TSBVI staff at all levels as well as non-TSBVI professionals.

Goal 4: Improve our ability to attract and retain staff.

A. Continue efforts to develop career progression programs tied to training completion and/or educationadvancement.

B. Continue to develop criteria to utilize our authority to make salary adjustments for purposes ofinternal and external equity, particularly for under-compensated job groups such as nurses.

C. Work to identify more funds for merit salary increases so that deserving staff can be moved upwardthrough the salary ranges for their jobs.

D. Continue to follow our Highly Qualified Recruitment and Retention Plan, which provides incentivefor teachers to obtain visual impairment certifications.

E. Increase marketing efforts on the benefits of employment at TSBVI.

F. Encourage paraprofessional staff who are interested in a career path as a Teacher of the VisuallyImpaired or Orientation and Mobility Specialist to pursue the required credentials and experience.

Goal 5: Assure we are sufficiently staffed for new or expanded initiatives.

A. Continue to refine our determination of areas in which we will need to add staff as funding permits,and then prioritize those areas (e.g., physical plant support, training, direct care, technology).

B. For each identified need and in order of priority, work toward a decision of whether and how to fundstaffing for the need or how to meet the need in an alternative way.

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Appendix F:

TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND & VISUALLY IMPAIRED

SURVEY OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT RESULTS

In November of 2012, TSBVI participated in the Survey of Employee Engagement (SEE) administeredthrough the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work. We are pleased our response rate of59% was higher than the response rate of 42% the last time TSBVI participated in the survey (2008).

At 59%, our response rate is considered average. According to the SEE, average rates mean that manyemployees have a reasonable investment in TSBVI, want to see TSBVI improve, and generally have asense of responsibility to TSBVI.

The SEE consists of five Workplace Dimensions that capture the total work environment. EachWorkplace Dimension is composed of several Constructs designed to broadly profile areas of strengthand concern.

The Workplace Dimensions are: Work Group Accommodations Organization Information Personal

The Constructs are: Supervision Team Quality Pay Benefits Physical Environment Strategic Diversity Information Systems Internal Communication External Communication Employee Engagement Employee Development Job Satisfaction

According to the SEE’s guidelines for interpreting scores, on all but four of the 14 constructs included inthe five dimensions, TSBVI’s scores indicated areas of substantial strength for the organization or areasabout which employees felt more positively than negatively. The areas of strength for TSBVI includeSupervision (defined as aspects of leadership, the communication of expectations, and the sense of

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fairness), Strategic (defined as the mission, vision, and services provided), and Employee Development(defined as the priority given to employees’ personal and job growth needs). The areas of concern forTSBVI include Pay (defined as the overall compensation package offered), Information Systems(defined as computer and communication systems), and Internal Communications (defined as the flow ofcommunication from the top-down, bottom-up, and across divisions/departments).

In the “Employee Attitudes Regarding TSBVI” section of this and previous versions of the StrategicPlan, we have contended that the low number of internal grievances and external complaints filed byemployees supports the notion that TSBVI is considered a good place to work by most staff. Some of theSEE constructs on which we received higher scores lend further support to this belief.

In addition to the areas of strength listed above, the constructs that were areas of substantial strength forus were:

Team Quality Benefits Physical Environment Diversity External Communication Employee Engagement Job Satisfaction

In summary, we were mostly pleased with the survey results but recognize that we have room forimprovement. Our plans to address these concerns are as follows:

A. Work harder to publicize the SEE and improve response rate when it is next administered to gain amore accurate picture of staff attitudes.

B. Continue to make efforts to improve compensation and communicate these efforts to staff. Clearlydocument and consistently inform staff of all compensation programs that are in place. Clearlydistinguish the factors that are and are not within local agency control.

C. Continue to use the School’s intranet as a means of communicating important information to staff.Ensure that all staff, including staff who do not routinely use computers in their jobs, have the accessand the knowledge to use a computer so we can instill regular checking of the Intranet into staffroutines.

Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired · * Percent of recent high school graduates...

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