BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
Allan Brenner, President
Thomas B. Scott, Vice President
Judith Karau, Board Member
Alice Hackney, Dept. of Rehab. Designee
Jeff Neidich

BOARD STAFF PRESENT
Jane Brackman, Executive Officer
Albert Balingit, Staff Legal Counsel

GUESTS
Sherrill Neidich
Jackie Matthews
Shannon Burke

GUIDE DOGS OF THE DESERT INTERNATIONAL [GDDI]
Roccie Hill
Carol Moon
Brian Van Dusen
Ann Mercer
Mindy Romero
Katryn Robinson
Jill Browning
Emily Carey
Kim Laidlaw
Dixie Gadapee
Stephanie Loraas
Jim Klocek

President Brenner called the meeting to order at 2:10 p.m. and welcomed all attendees. Roll was called and the present five members constituted a quorum for doing business. Tom Scott moved and Alice Hackney seconded that the minutes of the August 21, 2006 meeting minutes be adopted as written.

EXECUTIVE OFFICER REPORT: 1) Per regulation s 2280 schools will be notified that it is necessary to inform the Board of all changes in licensed personnel; 2) DCA pro rata fee structure explained; 3) Consumer satisfaction survey project introduced; 4) web site to be in compliance with SB 796 by January 1, 2007 deadline; 5) Open Meeting Law and Administrative Procedure Act explained by Albert Balingit; 6) Canine cancer article in Scientific American referenced; 7) Strategic plan reviewed; 8) New GDDI Executive Director Roccie Hill gave a school progress report; 9) Guide Dogs for the Blind inspection discussed and financial statement reviewed; 10) FY 2005/2006 guide dog board expenses explained and discussion about how board budget would change in regard to potential fluctuations in schools' expenses; The Board currently has 14 months reserve in the guide dog fund. Each two day board meeting costs about $5000 to $6000 including travel, hotel, per diem and misc. expenses for five to seven members and one staff person. Jane Brackman will prepare a summary and analysis of typical expenses for the next monthly report.

SCHOOL FEES: Jane Brackman related that Guide Dogs for the Blind believes it is being penalized for spending more money on its program than the two other schools. Because GDB had no representatives at the meeting, the Board tabled the discussion for the April 2007 meeting, asking the EO to make sure that the school be not only present, but prior to the meeting prepare a position paper so that the board members will be thoroughly briefed on the topic.

GUIDE DOG DAY: The April 14, 2007 event will consist of the standard guide dog school public relations events usually consisting of graduates, puppy raisers and school staff with demonstrations each half hour, perhaps a few under blindfold. Because 2007 marks the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the Guide Dog Board, 60 years of regulation will be the theme, providing an opportunity to discuss why regulation is essential to safety. In addition, it would provide a platform to discuss how important the training is and how rigorously it is regulated and why.

SCHOOL STANDARDS: Jane Brackman reported that two schools, GDA and GDDI, responded to the draft of the inspection procedure checklist.

Break 3:40 Meeting Resumed 3:55

REGULATIONS: There are two regulations that need to be reviewed. The first one, s 2274. Health Certificate. All persons desiring to enter a school to receive instruction in the use of a guide dog shall present to the school a certificate from a licensed physician or surgeon stating that the applicant is free of contagious or communicable diseases, is questionable regarding compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA] and privacy laws. The second one, s 2277. Physical Defects. All instructors of blind persons in the use of guide dogs shall be free of defects or disabilities that prevent or interfere with the proper training of guide dogs or instruction of blind persons in the use of such dogs, is also questionable as to ADA compliance and in fact, may be something that the Board has no jurisdiction over anyway. After discussion and a request for a response from the audience, Tom Scott moved and Alice Hackney seconded that the board begin the process to repeal both statutes. Anonymously passed.

LICENSING REPORT: Recognition of out of state licenses. Many Boards such as accountancy, psychology and nursing use reciprocity to recognize out of state licenses. It's been suggested at previous meetings by the schools that the Board consider using membership in the International Federation of Guide Dog Schools as a means of reciprocity. Brief discussion ensued about what kind of a fee out of state schools would be charged. Jane Brackman said she would look into some possible solutions and present them at the April meeting.

PRACTICAL EXAM: The Office of Examination Resources has scheduled the practical exam workshop for the third week in January 2007. Nancy Linn replaces Linda Hooper as our contact. Five to seven subject matter experts will be invited. The purpose of the meeting is to create new guidelines for the practical exam so that it is updated to the 2005 Occupation Analysis.

PUBLIC FORUM: Guide dog puppy-in-training and accessibility laws: Alaska, Arizona, Tennessee, Texas and Nevada have laws that ensure accessibility for puppy raisers. "Why is there no law in California?" asked Puppy Manager Carol Moon from GDDI. Jane Brackman said this topic was on the agenda a few years ago, and that she would look into it and report back at the next meeting.

2007 CALENDAR: Since January 2006, the Board met February 15 (by teleconference), April 6, August 21, and December 5. Members discussed the importance of maintaining four meetings annually to make sure they remain informed and that because of the nature of the issues, there needs to be consistency. Although meetings could be teleconferenced to save money, the Board would rather meet with the public in person. The EO said she would bring detailed expenses pertaining to meetings to the next board meeting.

The next meeting is April 13, 2006, location to be announced.
At 4:50 p.m., with no further business, the meeting adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,