Southern Illinois News

Illinois State Board of Education met Oct. 16.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

1. Roll Call

Chair of the Board Dr. Steven Isoye called the meeting to order at 10:38 a.m.

Chair Isoye announced that the Board meeting was being audio-cast live over the internet and video recorded.

Chair Isoye asked the clerk to call the roll. A quorum was present with eight members attending in person and one attending via video conference. Superintendent Dr. Tony Sanders was also in attendance.

Chair Isoye stated that members would consider the participation via video conference of Dr. Sherly Chavarria due to employment purposes. In accordance with the bylaws of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Board may permit a member to participate by other means if they cannot physically attend a meeting because of employment purposes.

Dr. Anderson moved that the State Board of Education permit the participation of Dr. Chavarria via video conference. Dr. Nugent seconded the motion, and it passed by a unanimous roll call vote.

Members Present:

Dr. Steven Isoye, Chair of the Board

Dr. Donna Leak, Vice Chair

Dr. Christine Benson, Secretary

Dr. James Anderson

Dr. Sherly Chavarria (virtual)

Roger Eddy

Laura Gonzalez

Dr. Anna Grassellino

Dr. Patricia Nugent

Staff Present

Dr. Tony Sanders, State Superintendent

Jo Ireland, Board Services Coordinator

Kim Clarke, Executive Assistant to the State Superintendent

Isabel Schoeman, Special Assistant to the State Superintendent

Kristen Kennedy, Chief Legal Officer

Dr. Kimako Patterson, Chief of Staff

Dr. Jason Helfer, Chief Education Officer – Instruction (virtual)

Jennifer Saba, Chief Education Officer – Operations

Tassi Maton, Chief Internal Audit Officer

Melissa Oller, Chief Operating Officer

Edobor Efam, Chief Information Officer

Leslie Ward-Lamina, Principal Consultant of Wellness and Student Care

Lindsay Record, Press Secretary

Dr. Tiffany Burnett, Executive Director of Safe and Healthy Climate

Michael Gum, Director of School Business Services

Kristopher Pickford, Director of Federal and State Monitoring

Jennifer Lee, Supervisor of Multilingual/Language Development

Dr. Ronda Dawson, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning

Dr. Christine Paxson, Executive Director of Improvement and Innovation

Rae Clementz, Executive Director of Data, Accountability and Assessment

Dana Stoerger, Executive Director of Legislative Affairs

Kimberly Barnes-Cummins, Director of Student Wellness and Care

2. Public Participation

Chair Isoye reminded those in attendance of the Public Participation Policy and the sign-up procedures for today’s meeting.

Christopher Murphy, chief strategic growth and communications officer at Concept Schools, spoke on charter material modification and Horizon Science Academy McKinley Park (HSA). He explained to the Board that currently

HSA is at capacity with long waitlist of students who want to attend. He shared that earlier this week, HSA submitted a material modification application to ISBE’s charter school office for review containing two requests -- the relocation of high school students to a vacant building near the current campus and an increase of the total enrollment cap by 299 students over five years. Mr. Murphy expressed a desire for the application process to be fair and transparent given that current protocol allows for State Superintendent Sanders to decide on a material modification application without a Board vote. He shared the numerous community engagement efforts the school has made to gain the support of parents and students, as well as local and state leaders, for this initiative. He requested that Dr. Sanders approve HAS’s application.

Adam Seaney, vocational director at Galesburg Area Vocational Center, spoke on Career and Technical Education (CTE) funding. He expressed appreciation for the increase in CTE funding awarded for fiscal year 2025 and advocated for increased CTE funding in FY 2026. He asked the Board to consider an increase of $10 million in annual funding for FY 2026 and an allocation of $25 million for expansion and upgrades to Area Career Centers. He spoke on rising demand for CTE and the need to increase funding to meet demand, the numerous benefits of CTE, and the high return on investment for CTE funding.

Azul Pacheco, a student at Collinsville Area Vocational Center (CAVC), spoke on CTE funding. Ms. Pacheco shared the positive impact that working with CAVC has had on her and how her experiences at CAVC inspired her to teach. She stated that the experiences she gained in the Teaching as a Profession program at CAVC are unavailable to her elsewhere and changed her vision for her future.

Kaylee Carrico, a student at CAVC, spoke on CTE funding. Ms. Carrico said she is enrolled in the Teaching as a Profession course at CAVC, and the course has permanently changed her career goals. She shared that her experiences in this program were unique opportunities that have inspired and affirmed her passion for teaching, connected her with a community of educators, and honed valuable skills. She thanked the Board for supporting CTE at CAVC.

Joe McGinnis, director of CAVC and member of Invest CTE, spoke on CTE funding. He voiced his gratitude for the Board’s continued financial support of CTE. He said he can already see benefits of increased CTE funding for FY 2025 and pointed to the two previous public participants as an example of this success. He asserted a request for an additional $10 million in annual CTE funding for FY 2026 to increase access to CTE pathways and the quality of CTE in Illinois. He also requested a $25 million be put in a single fund dedicated to upgrading and improving Area Career Centers because current grants do not allow for capital improvements.

Denise Monnier, advocate for the Association of Illinois Montessori Schools, spoke on short-term licensure. She began by communicating her appreciation of the work done by Dr. Jason Helfer and his team to try to find a path for a Montessori endorsement for the Professional Educator License at ISBE. She requested that ISBE consider a broader range of qualifications for the short-term licensure pathway after an otherwise qualified teacher in a Montessori school could not assume a position due to the narrow definition of content knowledge needed for short term approval to teach. She believed that broadening the scope of the definition of content knowledge would be a revenue-neutral action that would provide more opportunities for teachers to enter Montessori schools and other education institutions.

3. Presentations

A. Student Advisory Council Introductions

Principal Consultant of Wellness and Student Care Leslie Ward-Lamina presented on the Student Advisory Council (SAC).

Each student introduced themselves, sharing their experience on the advisory council and their career aspirations.

Dr. Sanders thanked Ms. Ward-Lamina and the ISBE team for their work in selecting a diverse group of students for the SAC that represents the state of Illinois. Chair Isoye welcomed both new and returning students to the SAC.

B. Olympia Community School District Presentation

Olympia Superintendent Laura O’Donnell presented on Olympia Community Unit School District 16. Before the presentation began, Chair Isoye thanked Ms. O’Donnell for her hospitality.

Ms. O’Donnell began with a brief overview of Olympia CUSD 16. She noted that it is a consolidated rural district, and the original vision for consolidating was to provide children in the region from small towns with opportunities they would not be able to receive elsewhere. She highlighted the district’s well-developed strategic plan, strong extracurriculars, and reputation for being innovative and forward-thinking. She also shared her pride in things such as the school culture that has been cultivated, the math growth that has been achieved, the impressive staff, and the district’s strong strategic partnerships. Ms. O’Donnell then gave the floor to students from the district’s middle and high school to discuss their positive experiences with Olympia’s robust Agriculture Department and FFA program. Ms. O’Donnell concluded by sharing the recent passing of a referendum to preserve the district’s swimming pool and plans to build a new science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) agriculture center.

State Superintendent Sanders thanked Ms. O’Donnell and her team for helping set up for the Board meeting on a holiday and for opening their doors to the Board. He shared his admiration for Ms. O’Donnell’s leadership and the math scores that Olympia students have been able to achieve.

Chair Isoye expressed gratitude that Ms. O’Donnell agreed to host the Board and commended her for showcasing her schools well and providing the Board with a new perspective. He also congratulated the students who presented at the Board meeting and stated his appreciation for learning about other districts and the community they’ve built.

C. Strategic Plan Update

Chief of Staff Dr. Kimako Patterson presented updates to ISBE’s Strategic Plan.

Dr. Patterson thanked Dr. Jason Helfer and Dr. Christine Paxson for their help with this project and stated the importance of continuously monitoring the living document. She then gave an overview of the number of goals set for each fiscal year, altogether totaling 48 goals to be accomplished between FY 2024 and FY 2027. These goals are accompanied by 48 action plans with project teams from within the agency. So far, all six of the goals set for FY 2024 have been completed, including working with all Regional Offices of Education (ROEs) to ensure they have one reading and one math coach, establishing the statewide system of support and a continuous improvement model with stakeholders, piloting the resilient schools safety program, completing IT infrastructure investment, and continuing to support districts using the Teacher Vacancy Grant. She added that the districts participating in this grant program will convene at a summit, and Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Dr. Ronda Dawson confirmed the summit will take place on Nov.13. Dr. Patterson then shared that one of the goals for FY 2025, rural leadership development, has also already been completed. She finally articulated her plans to give regular updates to the Board on progress pertaining to the Strategic Plan.

Mr. Eddy stated his interest in the Teacher Vacancy Grant program and understanding what evidence based strategies the 170 pilot districts are using beyond funding to improve teacher shortages. He stated his belief that sustainability and equity in improving the number of teachers across districts will depend on innovations outside of additional funding. Dr. Sanders said that as part of the funding, there is an analysis being conducted with the University of Illinois to examine how resources were spent and what their impact was. He noted a pattern of districts using funds to invest in long-term improvements to grow their teacher pipeline, which Dr. Patterson confirmed. Mr. Eddy said the Board needs to focus on those initiatives and highlight strategies that can be replicated and sustained without repeatedly receiving large sums of money. Dr. Patterson promised to continue to update the Board and emphasized ISBE’s encouragement of innovation. She also expressed her excitement for the summit of districts participating in this program and her hope that they use the event to create a network with one another.

Dr. Sanders thanked the entire team that has worked on the Strategic Plan, sharing that the collaboration on the plan this year has been a unique process for ISBE in which anyone who has an idea for the plan had an opportunity to provide input. He expressed his appreciation for their openness to his ideas, including a state numeracy plan to match the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan. He updated the Board members, telling them that they are invited to an additional summit for students where they will be able to provide their input on the numeracy plan in March. Dr. Patterson added that ISBE also is working with ROEs to host a wellness summit in April of 2025. Dr. Sanders thanked the ROEs and Intermediate Service Centers for their partnership in improving Illinois schools.

Dr. Nugent asked for the date of the student numeracy summit. Dr. Sanders answered he believes it will take place on March 13 and promised to have that date shared with the Board as soon as possible. Dr. Nugent asked if there is a Board meeting that day. Executive Assistant to the State Superintendent Kim

Clarke confirmed that the Board meeting will occur the day prior. Dr. Patterson confirmed that the student summit will take place in Bloomington, and Board Services Coordinator Jo Ireland confirmed the Board meeting will take place in Plainfield that month.

4. Closed Session

Dr. Grassellino moved that the State Board of Education go into closed session for the following exception items:

A. The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees, specific individuals who serve as independent contractors in a park, recreational, or educational setting, or specific volunteers of the public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee, a specific individual who serves as an independent contractor in a park, recreational, or educational setting, or a volunteer of the public body or against legal counsel for the public body to determine its validity. However, a meeting to consider an increase in compensation to a specific employee of a public body that is subject to the Local Government Wage Increase Transparency Act may not be closed and shall be open to the public and posted and held in accordance with this Act. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1)

B. Litigation, when an action against, affecting or on behalf of the particular public body has been filed and is pending before a court or administrative tribunal, or when the public body finds that an action is probable or imminent, in which case the basis for the finding shall be recorded and entered into the minutes of the closed meeting. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(11)

She further moved that Board members may invite anyone they wish to be included in this closed session. Ms. Gonzalez seconded the motion, and it passed with a unanimous roll call vote.

The open meeting recessed at 11:47 a.m. to go into closed session. The open meeting reconvened at 12:22 p.m. The Board attended the Leadership Luncheon at 12:23 p.m. The plenary session resumed at 1:08 p.m.

5. Public Participation

There was no further public participation.

6. Consent Agenda

Chair Isoye reviewed the items under the Consent Agenda. He stated that the Board would be pulling item 6.C - *Approval for Publication – Part 180 (Health/Life Safety Code for Public Schools) Various Updates from the agenda because it was not yet ready for approval. He added that the Board had remaining questions about item 6.F - *Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Request for Sealed Proposals for Contractual Monitoring for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) District 299 after the Finance and Audit Committee meeting the day prior and gave Dr. Sanders the opportunity to clarify. Dr. Sanders noted that Chief Education Officer – Operations Jen Saba and Director of Federal and State Monitoring Kristopher Pickford were present to answer any additional questions that the Board might have. He gave a statement clarifying that ISBE’s Federal and State Monitoring field staff currently monitor 842 districts in addition to several hundred community-based organizations that receive ISBE funds, but in addition, ISBE works with two outside organizations to ensure ISBE’s compliance with federal monitoring requirements. Dr. Sanders specified that the Board today would be approving a request to release sealed proposals whereby one outside entity would be awarded a contract to conduct monitoring services of CPS, as the current vendor’s contract expires in December 2024. He listed the exact monitoring responsibilities of the vendor and that the funding comes from federal grants provided to Chicago, which he also listed. He emphasized that this item would not approve any additional support to CPS but instead approve an initiative to monitor its fiscal responsibility with funds it has received. Dr. Leak thanked Dr. Sanders and the ISBE team for preparing that statement.

Mr. Eddy moved that the State Board of Education hereby approve the Consent Agenda with removal of item 6.C - *Approval for Publication – Part 180 (Health/Life Safety Code for Public Schools) Various Updates.

Dr. Benson seconded the motion, and it passed with a unanimous roll call vote.

The following motions were approved by action taken in the Consent Agenda motion with the removal of item 6.C - *Approval for Publication – Part 180 (Health/Life Safety Code for Public Schools) Various Updates:

Approval of Minutes

Plenary Minutes: Sept. 19, 2024

The Illinois State Board of Education hereby approves the Sept. 19, 2024, meeting minutes.

Approval for Publication

*Approval for Publication – Parts 228 (Transitional Bilingual Education) and 680 (State Seal of Biliteracy) Various Changes

The State Board of Education hereby authorizes solicitation of public comment on the proposed rulemakings for: Part 228 (Transitional Bilingual Education); and

Part 680 (State Seal of Biliteracy)

Including publication of the proposed rules in the Illinois Register to elicit public comment.

*Approval for Publication – Part 180 (Health/Life Safety Code for Public Schools) Various Updates This item was pulled from the consent agenda.

Approval for Adoption

*Approval of the Fall 2024 Waiver Report

The State Board of Education hereby approves all waiver requests, with the exception of Sycamore CUSD 427’s request for a modification of ISBE Rule Ill. Admin. Code 180.500(e). This request from Sycamore CUSD 427 is denied because granting this modification would in effect be granting a waiver of the School Code. A decision such as this should be made after public debate in the General Assembly.

Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million

*Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Additional McKinney-Vento Homeless Children and Youth Grant Program Funding

The State Board of Education hereby authorizes the state superintendent to award $2,354,393 in additional McKinney-Vento Homeless Children and Youth Grant Program funds to seven subgrantees (six area subgrantees and Chicago Public Schools District 299) in FY 2025 and to approve upward amendment requests in accordance with these additional available funds. The State Board of Education further authorizes the state superintendent to award subgrants under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Children and Youth Grant Program in a total amount not to exceed $12,254,393 over the three-year grant cycle.

*Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Request for Sealed Proposals for Contractual Monitoring for Chicago Public Schools District 299

The State Board of Education hereby authorizes the state superintendent to release a Request for Sealed Proposals and to award a contract to the successful offeror to perform monitoring activities for Chicago Public Schools District 299. The contract term will be five years beginning July 1, 2025, and extending through June 30, 2030. The estimated cost of the total contractual period will not exceed $2 million, subject to appropriations.

7. Approval of ISBE Board Protocols

Chair Isoye discussed the process of reviewing the ISBE Board Protocols at the September Board retreat and said he updated the protocols accordingly. He stated that he included every suggestion agreed upon by the Board last month except for the inclusion of Board vision statements, as he discovered that the current Board had yet to articulate vision statements.

Dr. Leak expressed her appreciation for Chair Isoye’s work on the Board Protocols.

Dr. Leak moved that the State Board of Education hereby approves the ISBE Board Protocols. Mr. Eddy seconded the motion.

Dr. Nugent asked if the protocols state where the Board will meet. Dr. Leak found this provision under the Board Meetings section. Dr. Nugent said she could not remember the number of meetings that would be held in Chicago annually. Chair Isoye said there was not a set number and instead wrote there would likely be one meeting each year in Chicago. Dr. Nugent articulated her approval for the language Chair Isoye included.

The motion passed with a unanimous roll call vote.

8. Approval of ISBE Code of Conduct

Dr. Isoye stated that there were no changes to the ISBE Code of Conduct after the Board reviewed it at the September retreat.

Ms. Gonzalez moved that the State Board of Education hereby approves the ISBE Code of Conduct. Dr. Nugent seconded the motion.

Dr. Nugent emphasized her desire to assemble a new Board member packet, including the pieces members just approved. Chair Isoye confirmed that he plans on doing that and agreed that it is an important project. Dr. Nugent referenced Dr. Leak’s previous comments on Board sustainability and stated that’s why the Board establishes these protocols. Dr. Leak agreed that it’s important because it maintains Board sustainability and prevents work from having to be redone for future Boards to establish culture.

The motion passed with a unanimous roll call vote.

9. Announcements and Reports

Superintendent/Senior Staff Announcements

Dr. Sanders provided updates on his Back to School tour, sharing that he and Chair Isoye visited Greenfield CUSD 10, Edwardsville CUSD 7, and Jersey CUSD 100. He expressed his admiration for each of these districts and highlighted Greenfield’s FFA program. He stated he also went with Ms. Saba to visit Polo CUSD 222 and Oregon SD 220, which were also great visits.

Dr. Sanders then updated the Board on the assessment and accountability tour. He shared he already presented assessment and accountability changes to the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA) and briefly updated the Large Unit District Association. He listed some of his upcoming tour engagements, including speaking to the Illinois Principals Association and the personnel association. He emphasized that there is a concerted effort underway to ensure that no school is unaware of the changes to assessment and accountability.

There were no senior staff announcements.

Chair of the Board’s Report

Chair Isoye began by thanking everyone at Olympia CUSD 16 for its hospitality, including Superintendent O’Donnell, the principals, the teachers, students, and staff. He noted how impressed he was by the school tours, student presentations, and the FFA program.

He then shared that he went to the launch of a Korean American Community History for Youth book hosted by the Korean School Association of Midwest, which he thought was a lovely event. He acknowledged their long effort to put together the book as an initiative for the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act. Chair Isoye said he also attended the IASA Conference in Springfield with other Board members, and he enjoyed his school visits with Dr. Sanders this past month. He expressed that he appreciates seeing how Evidence-Based Funding is supporting schools and how schools are utilizing those dollars.

Chair Isoye provided an update that two FY 2026 budget hearings have occurred thus far, and there is one remaining budget hearing on Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. He anticipated an influx of participants at the final hearing because attendance was low at the first two.

Chair Isoye shared that he went to a grant awards ceremony at the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, which provides money to school districts and other organizations that support schools. It was the first time someone from ISBE had attended this ceremony, and Chair Isoye said he appreciated the opportunity and congratulated the grant award winners.

Chair Isoye then thanked ROE 17 for the reception it hosted for the Board the night before and for all it does in conjunction with ISBE.

He finally thanked ISBE staff for all of their preparation for the Board meeting and ensuring it happens smoothly.

Member Reports

Dr. Leak said the Board will be attending the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) conference next week and reminded everyone that Dr. Benson is the outgoing president of NASBE. Dr. Isoye is running unopposed for the area director role. She expressed her excitement for the conference and her pride in Illinois’ leadership within the association.

10. Information Items

ISBE Fiscal & Administrative Monthly Reports

Freedom of Information Act Monthly Report

11. Motion for Adjournment

Chair Isoye announced that the next Board meeting will be held on Nov. 21, 2024, at the ISBE Chicago office. Dr. Nugent moved to adjourn the Oct. 16, 2024, meeting of the Illinois State Board of Education.

Dr. Anderson seconded the motion, and it passed with a unanimous roll call vote. The meeting adjourned at 1:27 p.m.

https://go.boarddocs.com/il/isbe/Board.nsf/files/DATNVM61C9D7/$file/DRAFT%20Plenary%20Minutes%20-%20October%2016%202024.pdf