Illinois State Board of Education, Education Policy Planning Committee met Aug. 3.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
Chair Donna Leak brought the meeting to order at 12:38 p.m. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present with two members. Chair Leak and Dr. Nugent were physically present.
Members Present
Chairperson Donna Leak
Dr. Patricia Nugent
Members Absent
Dr. Anna Grassellino
Other Board Members Present
Dr. Steven Isoye, Chair of the Board
Staff Present
Dr. Tony Sanders, State Superintendent
Kim Clarke, Executive Assistant to the State Superintendent
Jo Ireland, Board Services Coordinator
Dr. Kimako Patterson, Chief of Staff
Kristen Kennedy, Interim Chief Legal Officer
Dr. Matt Seaton, Chief Financial Officer
Carisa Hurley Davis, Director of Early Childhood Development
Jennifer Saba, Executive Director of Improvement & Innovation
Irma Snopek, Chief Policy and Communications Officer
Dr. Jason Helfer, Chief Education Officer – Instruction
Dr. Jennifer Kirmes, Executive Director of Teaching & Learning
Madan Damodaran, Director of Software Solutions
Barbara Moore, Director of Special Education Operational Support
Dr. Sean Clayton, Director of Assessment
Kim Barnes-Cummins, Director of Wellness
Dr. Christine Paxson, Director of School/District Improvement
II. Public Participation
There was no public participation.
III. Approval of the June 6, 2023, Meeting Minutes
Dr. Patricia Nugent moved that the Education Policy Planning Committee approve the June 6, 2023, meeting minutes. Chair Leak seconded the motion, and it passed by a unanimous roll call vote.
IV. Review of August Board Action Items
A. Approval for Publication – Part 1 (Public Schools Evaluation, Recognition and Supervision) Homeless Dispute Resolution Rules
Ms. Barnes-Cummins discussed this item.
Chair Leak asked about informing school districts and regional offices of these changes. Ms. Barnes-Cummins said ISBE would make sure to update districts.
B. Approval for Adoption – Part 256 (Career and Technical Education) Green Career and Technical Education Pathway Grant Program
Dr. Kirmes discussed this item on behalf of Marci Johnson, Director of CTE.
Chair Leak asked to confirm that there would be no financial impact from these rules. Dr. Kirmes confirmed that that was the case.
C. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Dolly Parton Imagination Program Dr. Helfer discussed this item.
Chair Leak expressed appreciation for the fact that it was a global program.
Dr. Nugent asked if this program would be administered through Local Education Agencies (LEAs). Dr. Helfer responded that local sponsors administer the program with the help of local and statewide coordinators who develop community relationships, but that LEAs may help spread word about the program. Dr. Nugent inquired about access in rural areas. Dr. Helfer confirmed that there would be rural access and mentioned the excitement among many families in Illinois about this program.
D. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Grant to YouthBuild Illinois
Dr. Kirmes discussed this item.
Chair Leak remarked that understanding the return on investment in this program would be important for strategic planning. Dr. Kirmes said that she would provide supplemental data in a board update before the August Board meeting. Chair Leak and Dr. Kirmes discussed the fiscal year 2023 funding increase for this program. Dr. Sanders remarked that this funding would have been added back into the budget as the program is a member initiative; Dr. Kirmes confirmed that this was correct.
Dr. Nugent asked about qualitative data on why some rates might be low. Dr. Kirmes discussed the organization’s end of year report, saying she could look through it for additional information.
E. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Grant to It Takes a Village
Ms. Hurley Davis discussed this item.
Chair Leak asked when provision of services could begin, given that Board approval was still needed. Ms. Hurley Davis confirmed that the program still needs to submit for approval through IWAS but could have a July 1 start date. She mentioned that the funding under consideration is only a fraction of the funding received by the organization and that services are ongoing. Chair Leak stated that the high need for early childhood programs makes it particularly important that programming not be interrupted. Ms. Hurley Davis said that ISBE was working to expedite the process in IWAS.
Chair Leak said that she would be curious to see data on outcomes for children who attended preschool and those who didn’t, in addition to comparisons along ethnic and socioeconomic lines. Dr. Nugent mentioned that perhaps such programs could be expanded if the data suggested they worked particularly well.
F. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Grant to Early CHOICES Project
Ms. Hurley Davis also discussed this item.
Chair Leak asked to confirm that this grant would push the funding for the Early CHOICES Project above $1 million. Ms. Hurley Davis said that this grant brings the project’s funding above $2 million. Chair Leak reemphasized the value of data to measure the early childhood progress produced by this project, as such information could impact future Board action and should be shared with others.
Dr. Sanders thanked the committee for expediting these items to the August agenda.
V. Review of September Board Action Items
A. Approval for Publication – Part 680 (State Seal of Biliteracy) Assessment Updates
Dr. Jason Helfer discussed this item.
Chair Leak expressed appreciation that the date had been adjusted to September 15 rather than July 31 to allow school districts more time to prepare.
B. Approval for Publication – Part 271 (Computer Science Equity Grant Program) New Part Dr. Kirmes discussed this item.
Chair Leak asked when schools would be able to complete a competitive application for funding, given that the Board would only approve this item in September. Dr. Kirmes said that rules would be posted for public comment as soon as possible. The rules will be presented to the Board in January or February after analysis of public comment, with the grants being released once the final rules are approved. Dr. Kirmes noted the tight turnaround for these FY 2024 funds, saying that she would explore using the Grant Recovery Act to extend the period of availability for FY 2024 funding, possibly for use over the summer, and that all options would be investigated. Chair Leak encouraged ISBE to keep districts updated on this grant program. Dr. Kirmes mentioned that there would be plenty of details available in the draft rules that districts could use to prepare, even before final Board approval.
C. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – Approve the Release and Award of the Request for Sealed Proposals for Student Information System Contractual Team
Dr. Sanders spoke on Mr. Damodaran’s behalf. Chair Leak mentioned the amount of funding invested in this purpose and asked to confirm that it would last into the next decade. Dr. Nugent clarified that the contract would go through 2027 with the option to renew.
Mr. Damodaran returned to discuss this item later in the meeting. Chair Leak clarified that this item was necessary because of a previously canceled contract due to a protest determination. Mr. Damodaran shared that the request for sealed proposals (RFSP) would be ready to go out immediately after Board approval.
D. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Sole Source Grant to After School Matters Ms. Barnes-Cummins discussed this item.
Chair Leak expressed support for the program and asked to confirm that these were additional funds dedicated to the After School Matters program. She also inquired about data from the program, noting that it involved only Chicago Public Schools. Ms. Barnes-Cummins said that she would obtain a better understanding of the data at an upcoming meeting with After School Matters. Chair Leak asked her to share what she learns, and Ms. Barnes-Cummins agreed.
E. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of FY 2024 Continuation School Improvement Grants Dr. Christine Paxson discussed this item.
Dr. Nugent asked about the effect of these funds and measuring school progress. Dr. Sanders said that ISBE had preliminary data on how districts have progressed, including data on some districts that have moved out of the Comprehensive Support category, and said that he could send this data to the Board.
F. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Sole Source Grant to Illinois State University for its National Board Resource Center for National Board Certified Teachers
Dr. Kirmes discussed this item and the following two items.
Chair Leak asked about demographics, noting that only 12% of Board Certified teachers are African American or Hispanic. She also mentioned the need to garner interest among students of color in going into education and consider diversity in efforts to bolster the teacher pipeline. Chair Leak suggested discussing this topic further during strategic planning.
Dr. Nugent requested information on which districts incentivize National Board Certification and whether there might be demographic differences between these districts. Dr. Kirmes said that ISBE could work with the National Board Resource Center to set ambitious participation targets in the grant application, provide the center with data to inform targeted outreach and recruitment, and make these efforts an expectation.
Chair Leak suggested looking at student outcome data in Board Certified teachers’ classrooms, which could help motivate districts to provide incentives. Dr. Kirmes said that she would work with the Data Strategies and Analytics team to find ways to tie teacher data to student achievement. Chair Leak emphasized that student outcomes are the most important metric.
G. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Sole Source Grant to Teach for America
Chair Leak asked about the estimated numbers appearing in the Board memo, which suggested a decrease in the number of students impacted by the program. Dr. Kirmes said she would check if final numbers were available and hypothesized that decreased student numbers could mean more elementary school placements.
H. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Sole Source Grant to the Southwest Organizing Project Parent Mentor Program
Chair Leak asked when the Coronavirus Urgent Remediation Emergency (CURE) Fund would be completely exhausted, and Dr. Kirmes said she would check. Chair Leak underscored the need to provide for sustainability after CURE funding is used up. Dr. Kirmes mentioned that ISBE staff had been developing close relationships with this project and could provide the Board with information on future plans.
Dr. Nugent mentioned the expansion to rural western Illinois using CURE funds. Chair Leak added that ISBE should look for correlations between engaged parents and student success. Dr. Kirmes agreed and mentioned the importance of adapting the program to be successful in various contexts.
I. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Illinois Autism Learning and Supports Upward Amendment for FY 2024 and Extension through FY 2026
Ms. Moore discussed this item.
Chair Leak inquired about the funding and extension possibilities for this program. Ms. Moore confirmed that this flat funding would allow for extension through FY 2026, totaling $3.7 million over the next three years, and noted upfront charges for training and materials.
J. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of FY 2024 Assistive Technology Device Loan and Evaluation Project Upward Amendment
Ms. Moore also discussed the next two items.
Chair Leak asked whether this item would support districts struggling to contract for services. Ms. Moore responded that this funding would be used to hire a speech language pathologist who could travel throughout the state to support speech language therapists and help with assistive technology. Chair Leak asked how districts would be informed of this opportunity; Ms. Moore mentioned professional development and conferences as opportunities to spread the word.
Dr. Nugent inquired about the fact that only one additional speech language pathologist would be hired and asked how many speech language pathologists were on staff currently. Ms. Moore noted that some of the funding is to be used for assistive devices, in addition to travel time throughout the state and the fact that individual students might require multiple visits. Dr. Nugent asked if this could be clarified in the memo.
K. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of FY 2024 Philip J. Rock Center and School Upward Amendment
Chair Leak asked to confirm that this project would break ground in November, and Ms. Moore said that it would. Dr. Nugent inquired about the waitlist. Ms. Moore noted that the school provides coaching and consultation services beyond the student body.
L. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – Approval to Release and Award an RFSP for ISBE to enter a Competitive Bid for the Administration of the Illinois High School Accountability Assessments
Dr. Clayton discussed this item.
Chair Leak asked to clarify that this item would seek proposals for three years of testing starting in FY 2025, but that high schools would continue with the current SAT testing for FY 2024. Chair Leak inquired about the timeline for procurement and other circumstances, such as protests. Dr. Clayton shared that, following September Board approval, ISBE would release the RFSP by early October. The RFSP is already being reviewed within the agency. Chair Leak advised that by spring 2024, schools should already know which assessments to plan for, which might require staff training, support, and curricular needs.
M. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – Approval to Request for Proposals IDEA, Part B Preschool Discretionary Grant Project-STAR NET
Ms. Hurley Davis discussed this item. There were no questions.
N. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million - Approval of Request for Sealed Proposals - Early Childhood Block Grant Regional Community Systems Development
Ms. Hurley Davis also discussed this item.
Chair Leak noted that there were 78 Birth to Five Action and Family Councils across the state and expressed an interest in their locations and people served, especially given recent information on preschool deserts. Dr. Helfer mentioned the 39 recently published local needs assessments, looking at capacity and coordination to make Illinois’ mixed delivery system more accessible. Chair Leak suggested creating a chart to help visualize where different pockets of funding may come into play, as ISBE had done for social and emotional learning.
O. Approval of State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board (SEPLB) Attendance and Continued Service Review
Dr. Kirmes discussed this item on behalf of Emily Fox, Director of Educator Effectiveness.
Dr. Nugent asked about the SEPLB members up for review and how far into their three-year terms they were. Dr. Kirmes noted that one member had just started a second term, while the other has one year left in his first term. Dr. Nugent also asked if these members had struggled with attendance in previous years, and Dr. Kirmes said that this was not the case. Chair Leak encouraged continued monitoring.
VI. New Business: Items for the Next Agenda
Chair Leak suggested discussion on preschools as an upcoming item.
VII. Next Meeting: September 7, 2023
VIII. Adjourn
Dr. Nugent moved to adjourn. Chair Leak seconded the motion, and it passed by a unanimous roll call vote. Chair Leak adjourned the committee at 2:12 p.m.
https://www.isbe.net/Documents_Board_Meetings/20230803-EPP-Minutes.pdf
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