Illinois State Board of Education Finance and Audit Committee met Feb. 1.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
I. Roll Call
Chairperson Chris Benson brought the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present with four members. Chairperson Benson made the declaration, “An in-person meeting is not practical or prudent because of a disaster. Physical presence for the meeting is unfeasible due to the disaster.” All attendees joined via phone. She verified that each member could hear one another and follow the discussion, and that they were able to testify.
Members Present
Chairperson Chris Benson (virtual)
Roger Eddy (virtual)
Dr. David Lett (virtual)
Dr. Nike Vieille (virtual)
Other Board Members Present
Darren Reisberg, arrived at 10:08 a.m. (virtual)
Staff
Dr. Carmen I. Ayala, State Superintendent
Kirsten Parr, Board Services Coordinator
Kim Clarke, Executive Assistant to the State Superintendent
Dr. Brenda Dixon, Research and Evaluation Officer
Cara Wiley, Director of Wellness
Dr. Dana Kinley, Executive Director of Systems of Support
Dr. Jennifer Kirmes, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning
Dr. Ernesto Matias, Education Officer
Dr. Jason Helfer, Deputy Instructional Education Officer
Jennifer Saba, Executive Director of Regional Services
Krish Mohip, Deputy Operational Education Officer
Martin McGreal, Director of District/School Leadership
Melissa Oller, Operating Officer
Tassi Maton, Internal Audit Officer
Robert Wolfe, Financial Officer
Dr. Sean Clayton, Director of Assessment
Irma Snopek, Policy and Communications Officer
Oriana Wilson, Executive Director of Programs
Jeremy Duffy, Legal Officer
Christine Paxson, Director of ESSA/IL-EMPOWER
Sergio Hernandez, Director of Family and Community Engagement
Annie Brooks-Pearl, Executive Director of Regulatory Services
Marci Johnson, Director of CTE & Innovation
Scott Norton, Director of Software Solutions
Dr. Erica Thieman, Director of Standards and Instruction
Joanne Clyde, Director of Multilingual
II. Public Participation
There was no public participation.
III. Approval of Minutes: January 11, 2022
Dr. Lett made the motion for the Finance and Audit Committee to approve the January 11, 2022, meeting minutes. Dr. Vieille seconded the motion, and it passed by roll call vote.
IV. Review of Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – for February Approval
A. Contracts & Grants over $1 Million – Approval of FY23 Intergovernmental Agreement with Regional Office of Education #35 to support Capacity Builder Learning Series for Priority Learning Standards and Curriculum Evaluation Tool
There were no questions for this item.
B. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million -- Approval to award grant to Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) for the Parent Mentoring Program from federal Coronavirus Urgent Remediation Emergency Funds
There were no questions for this item.
C. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million -- Approval to release RFSP to procure qualified vendor to conduct IL EMPOWER program evaluation
Dr. Lett asked if the team used an outside contract before, and the answer was yes. Ms. Paxson explained there was a three-year contract with Measurement Inc. with an option for renewal. Dr. Lett asked if the team anticipates other vendors having interest, and the answer was yes.
D. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million -- Approval of Illinois Resource Center Professional Development and Technical Assistance Sole Source FY23-24
There were no questions for this item.
E. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of 21st Century Community Learning Centers – IFB - Professional Development and Technical Assistance
There were no questions for this item.
F. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of 21st Century Community Learning Centers-IFB Monitoring
There were no questions for this item.
G. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of 21st Century Community Learning Centers – Request for Proposals
There were no questions for this item.
H. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of McKinney Vento Homeless Education – Request for Proposals
There were no questions for this item.
I. Contracts & Grants over $1 Million – Approval of FY23 IGA Procurement for NIU to provide project management and staffing for the Data Warehouse Team for Business Continuity
There were no questions for this item.
V. Review of Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – for March Approval
A. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million -- Approval to enter Intergovernmental Agreement with Illinois Student Assistance Commission
Ms. Johnson and Jacqueline Moreno from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) provided information on this item.
Chair Benson noted that the memo states that there are 68 core members She asked that by retaining 20 members, if ISAC’s plan is to now have 88 members; this was confirmed as correct.
Chair Benson asked what outreach the team uses to identify students. Ms. Moreno noted that her team works with high schools directly, and currently has staff members in every county except for one. She also shared that her organization has a website where parents can ask questions. There is also a text message service so families can receive information. She stated that ISAC’s reach is statewide, and any student is eligible for services.
Chair Benson asked if team members ever have to prioritize students. Ms. Moreno shared that they have not yet been in a situation where they have had to prioritize, but they do like to reach out to schools with highest needs and with a large population of first-generation students.
Mr. Eddy asked about the number drops evident in the memo. Ms. Johnson noted that given the year the program is in now and given the late start, there is a smaller number this year because it is from now until June 30. She noted that next year the team will have a whole year to do the work, and she added $70,000 so the contract can last until Aug. 31, 2023. Mr. Eddy asked if this is new funding. and Ms. Johnson noted it is Governor’s Emergency Education Relief funding and it will expire. Mr. Eddy asked if this initiative occurred in prior years, and the answer was yes.
B. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Truants’ Alternative and Optional Education Program Grant Notice of Funding Opportunities/Request for Proposals
Ms. Saba provided information on this item.
Dr. Lett asked if this is a continuation for what has been budgeted for the Truants’ Alternative and Optional Education Program (TAOEP), or if this is new money. Ms. Saba noted that it is the same funding level that has been allocated by ISBE since 2009.
Mr. Eddy asked if this includes Corporate Personal Property Replacement Tax funding, which supports similar activities. Ms. Saba noted that the fiscal year 2023 budget includes a $12 million increase to the Regional Offices of Education (ROEs) services line item, which is targeted to ROEs and truancy intervention programs.
Mr. Eddy asked if TAOEP funding usually goes to ROEs. Ms. Saba shared that the funding goes to school districts, ROEs, and community colleges.
Mr. Eddy asked if there will be attempts to shift the funding to other providers for these grants. Ms. Saba noted that the team has some statutory constraints since TAOEP does define eligible applicants, which include ROEs. She added the team will run a competitive process and the scoring will not take into consideration other available sources of funds.
Mr. Eddy asked if this could potentially have the same split among providers with TAOEP funds as it has in the past. It was confirmed that is a possibility.
Dr. Lett asked what the team has in place to assure that the additional funds are going toward services. Mr. Wolfe noted that the ROE operations line item is distributed to ROEs. They submit a grant application, and ISBE has the ability to approve and review ROE plans. Mr. Eddy asked if this includes the same kind of quarterly grant reporting and audit. Mr. Wolfe noted it includes a submission of a quarterly expenditure report and one periodic performance report for FY 2023. Chair Benson asked if once the grant is awarded, is it being managed by the grantees and do the grantees complete the quarterly reports and evaluation reports. This all was confirmed as correct.
Chair Benson asked if the team anticipates an impact with the five additional mental health days. Ms. Saba noted the five mental health days will impact chronic absenteeism. She added that she does not anticipate a significant impact on what the grant needs to be used for but that also that remains to be seen.
Chair Benson asked if the funding has been sufficient. Dr. Ayala noted that there are social-emotional learning hubs across the state, $100 million in grant activities, and several supports that will assist students.
C. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval to enter into a new five-year Intergovernmental Agreement with the University of Wisconsin-Madison for Educational Research (WCER) for WiDA Consortium for the administration of ACCESS and alternate ACCESS for English Learners
Dr. Clayton provided information on this item.
Mr. Eddy asked if there is a reason for a substantial increase in FY 2027. Dr. Clayton noted that the pricing is directly related to student estimate count and it is based on estimates that are expected to go up. He noted that his team aligned those numbers with the costs of assessment.
Dr. Lett asked if there are any competing consortiums for this assessment. Dr. Clayton noted there are no other competitors to his knowledge, and Dr. Ayala added there are few consortiums to her knowledge. Dr. Dixon provided context as to why the team would like to continue the partnership with WIDA, specifically because it is a high-quality product and is also used in several other states.
Mr. Eddy asked how this assessment interacts with any other broader assessment changes that might take place. Dr. Ayala noted the these are assessments that English Learners have to take.
Dr. Lett asked if the additional funding is new federal funding, and the answer was yes. Mr. Wolfe added the team will fund the contract based on decisions throughout the period of the contract, but it is currently under Every Student Succeeds Act assessment funding and the team can also fund the contract with the General Revenue Funds assessment line item.
D. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval to enter into a new one-year Intergovernmental Agreement with the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University Carbondale for the administration of the Illinois Science Assessment
Mr. Clayton provided information on this item. Both Dr. Ayala and Mr. Clayton explained why this item is a one-year contract as well. Dr. Ayala noted that this decision positions ISBE to be able to extend contracts so that they all align at a point where the team can then look at a more efficient way to manage the state science assessment.
Mr. Eddy asked how the pricing will change with the decline of public school attendees. Dr. Clayton noted the pricing with scoring, the fixed prices with contract development, and the fixed prices with administration. He noted that his team is trying to have conversations in terms of cost savings for contract development at this time.
E. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Non-Competitive Grant to Illinois Principals Association to Continue the ED Leaders Network
Mr. McGreal and Susan Homes and Jason Leahy from Illinois Principals Association provided information on this item.
Chair Benson asked how the association evaluates program satisfaction. Ms. Homes noted that the team uses an ISBE-required evaluation form since many courses offer professional development credit.
F. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Non-Competitive Grant to Illinois Association of School Administrators for New Superintendent Mentoring and Transformational Leadership Academy
Mr. McGreal provided information on this item.
Chair Benson asked how the impact of professional learning on district-level leadership development and student achievement is evaluated and surveyed. Mr. McGreal noted that the team uses data on retention for principal mentoring. He shared that the team looks at superintendents’ satisfaction when evaluating superintendents with shorter contracts. The team looks at school improvement under IL-EMPOWER's accountability and standards when evaluating transformational leadership.
VI. Internal Audit Updates
A. Current Audits
1.FY21 Financial Audit
2.FY21 Statewide Single Audit
Ms. Maton noted that the team is still waiting for both the FY 2021 financial audit and the FY 2021 statewide single audit. She added that if she hears anything between and now and the next committee meeting, she will share any updates in a Board Weekly Update.
VII. New Business: Items for the Next Agenda
Chair Benson noted that some of the budget hearings will be completed by the next committee meeting, and asked staff to report any information.
Mr. Wolfe spoke about the legislative hearings and shared upcoming items on the calendar. He noted that ISBE staff has created the Budget Book based upon the Board’s budget recommendations.
Mr. Eddy asked, based on budget and revenue projections, does the team anticipate putting additional funding into Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) beyond what the Board has recommended? If that happens, what next steps does the committee have to take? Mr. Wolfe did not have any information about additional appropriations beyond what the Board has recommended for EBF and noted there is a tremendous gap of adequacy in place and the $350 million satisfies the minimum level.
Mr. Eddy asked if the committee has the flexibility to support a new budget recommendation regarding EBF if needed. Mr. Wolfe explained that the Board can decide to change the budget recommendation.
Dr. Lett asked if the February Board meeting will be in-person, and that was confirmed as correct. Mr. Reisberg asked if the legislative breakfast before the Board meeting will occur, and the answer was no.
VIII. Next Meeting: March 1, 2022
IX. Adjourn
Dr. Lett moved to adjourn. Mr. Eddy seconded, and it passed by roll call vote. Chair Benson adjourned the committee at 10:40 a.m.
https://www.isbe.net/Documents_Board_Meetings/20220201-FA-Minutes.pdf
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