Grundy Reporter

Illinois State Board of Education Finance and Audit Committee met Aug. 10.

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 three members.

Members Present

Chairperson Chris Benson

Roger Eddy

Dr. David Lett

Other Board Members Present

No other Board members were present.

Staff

Dr. Carmen I. Ayala, State Superintendent

Kirsten Parr, Board Services Coordinator

Kim Clarke, Executive Assistant to the State Superintendent

Dr. Jennifer Kirmes, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning

Dr. Dana Kinley, Executive Director of Systems of Support

Robert Wolfe, Financial Officer

Dr. Ernesto Matias, Education Officer

Tassi Maton, Internal Audit Officer

Kristen Kennedy, Acting Exempt Legal Officer

Dr. Erica Thieman, Director of Standards and Instruction

Christine Paxson, Director of ESSA/IL-EMPOWER

Oriana Wilson, Executive Director of Programs

David Neff, Project Manager of Project Management

Carisa Hurley, Director of Early Childhood (virtual)

Shayla Grantham, Supervisor for Wellness (virtual)

Cara Wiley, Director of Wellness (virtual)

Irma Snopek, Policy and Communications Officer (virtual, via phone line)

Dr. Brenda Dixon, Research and Evaluation Officer (virtual)

II. Public Participation

No public participation at this time.

III. Approval of Minutes: June 1, 2021

Mr. Eddy made the motion for the Finance and Audit Committee to approve the June 1, 2021, meeting minutes. Dr. Lett seconded the motion, and it passed by roll call vote.

IV. Review of Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million – for September Approval

A. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Sole Source Contract with OneGoal for Postsecondary Transitions

Chair Benson asked Dr. Kirmes to confirm that this is a sole source process, and Dr. Kirmes stated that this is correct. Mr. Wolfe added that under the Illinois Procurement code, there is a process for sole source grants and explained the process in more detail.

Chair Benson asked for more background on OneGoal and its strategies and projects, and she received more clarification on the organization. Dr. Kirmes noted that OneGoal has a two-pronged approach that focuses on developing capacity both at the school leadership level and the classroom level.

Mr. Eddy wanted to know how school districts apply, and if all schools and districts will have the opportunity to apply. Dr. Kirmes noted that the team is identifying districts based on postsecondary outcome data from the research team. She mentioned that the team will narrow the pool based on need and opportunity for impact. There will be a process within that pool for districts to indicate their interest and willingness.

Chair Benson asked if there are going to be any efforts to look at regional representation; she was reassured that there will be since the team is looking at the six regional office areas. Mr. Eddy followed up by noting that there will be opportunities for sharing and replication for best practices that occur in the districts selected within that region through the Regional Office of Education. He shared that this could impact a lot of districts.

B. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million -- Approval of ESSER II Bridging/Transitions - Early Childhood Jump Start Kindergarten and First Grade

Ms. Hurley provided information on this item.

Mr. Eddy brought up how the allocation gives Chicago Public Schools (CPS) 39% of the funding, and he thought that CPS usually receives less. Ms. Hurley explained that this allocation was based on per people enrollment ($596 per child).

C. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million -- Approval of Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund II Grant with Illinois Action for Children

Chair Benson recapped the initiative and stated that it is a need from the Covid-19 pandemic. She said that the team plans to expand the services and reach more children statewide. Dr. Dixon confirmed that this is all correct.

D. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million -- Approval of FY 2022 Title I, Part A, Section 1003 School Improvement Grant Allocations

Dr. Kinley provided information on this item.

There were no questions for this item.

E. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million -- Approval of YouthBuild Illinois Grant

Ms. Grantham presented on behalf of Cara Wiley.

Chair Benson asked if this was an initiated program that came from ISBE or a Public Act, and she was told that it was a Public Act.

F. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million -- FY22 Digital Equity Formula Grant

Dr. Thieman provided information on this item.

Chair Benson asked if this grant is for getting hardware into student hands and for the service to be provided. She was informed that there will be another grant or fund source for that.

G. Contracts and Grants Over $1 Million -- Request for Approval to Release an RFSP & Award of contracts for the Next Generation of IL-EMPOWER Learning Partners

Ms. Paxson and Dr. Kinley provided information on this item.

Mr. Eddy asked if there will be an evaluation for current providers for their performance. Dr. Kinley said yes, and that it is going on now based on measurement need. Mr. Eddy asked to look at rubrics and evaluations and see what criteria are being used for the current partners. Dr. Kinley said she could share the external evaluation.

Chair Benson noted that there are two cohorts that might be working with different providers, but there seems like there is a lot of flexibility with the transition. She asked about providers that will not continue, and how the team plans to find new providers. Dr. Kinley noted that some providers will move to new procurement, but there will also be an opportunity to bring in new talent and a diverse menu of Local Educational Agencies (LEAs). Some contracts might end but there will be a reason for that, and coordinators will help transition LEAs to a new provider. Dr. Matias mentioned that the team members focus on their data and on paying attention to what the data is saying. He stressed that they do not want to just give money away.

Mr. Eddy asked if there are new vendors and talents. Dr. Kinley noted the team has noticed gaps, and it plans to be more strategic in procurement.

Dr. Lett reinforced Mr. Eddy’s question pertaining to whether there are new vendors. The answer was yes.

H. Approval of the Extension of the Oversight Panels for North Chicago and East St. Louis Mr. Wolfe provided information on this item.

Mr. Eddy expressed that this is a pretty long period of time for a district to improve. He asked what the target and matrix are and when will the oversight end. Mr. Wolfe noted that the legislation required financial and strategic plans for five years and required progress reporting. The language provides a framework for the Board to gauge the progress of the districts. He mentioned that the action to extend could take a maximum of 10 years. Mr. Wolfe also noted that there is financial progress, but significant special appropriations were given to these districts.

Mr. Eddy asked how these two districts compare to other districts that are not receiving these funds. Dr. Lett followed up and asked in terms of legislation, was it ISBE’s decision to extend? Mr. Wolfe noted that there is a maximum time of 10 years, and -- with the approval of the Board -- funding can be extended for up to another 10 years.

Dr. Lett asked if the two districts are still welcoming the extension and oversight, and the answer was yes.

Dr. Lett asked what the districts need to get to and what is the target and mentioned that he did not notice a clear target. Mr. Wolfe stated that the money is there, and both districts developed strategic and financial plans for five years. Mr. Wolfe explained that the Board can determine how the districts are performing based on watching their five-year strategic and financial plans. Mr. Lett asked what they should be shooting for.

Mr. Eddy brought up the $73.3 million has been appropriated for these districts, plus the $12.1 million in Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) and asked if there would be more additional funds beyond the embedded money. The answer was no. Dr. Lett asked if the $73.3 million was before EBF. Mr. Wolfe said yes that it has been there since 2012 and then provided more clarification.

Mr. Eddy asked for clarification of what the goal is, and when a district on financial oversight achieves a status and stops being on oversight. He also asked about the financial indicators and stressed that there should be goals for them. Mr. Wolfe said that he can provide information on historical districts and historical matrixes.

Dr. Lett wanted an idea of the amount of potential man hours, agency resources, and time devoted to the oversight. Mr. Wolfe noted that there is a lot of oversight, but much less than in 2012. Dr. Ayala then stressed that sustainability is needed with these initiatives. They might meet a goal, but sustainability is still needed after the goal is met.

V. Internal Audit Updates

A. Forthcoming Reports

Ms. Maton shared that Acceptance Item A will remain tentative, and the team will probably have to remove it from August Board meeting agenda. The team is working on that report. It is waiting on other agencies.

a. Acceptance Item --- State of Illinois Single Audit Report for the Year Ended June 30, 2020 (as needed)

B. Current Audits

Ms. Maton noted that both audits are underway, and the auditors are currently doing fieldwork. She asked for the Board’s input as to when it would like to receive feedback on the compliance report finding follow up. She suggested quarterly. Board members agreed that quarterly is sufficient.

a. FY21 Financial Audit

b. FY21 Statewide Single Audit

VI. Discussion Items

A. FY 2022 Budget Development Process

Mr. Wolfe provided information and feedback on the budget process. He noted that the memo should say FY 2023 instead of FY 2022. The parameters for the hearings include one speaker per organization and one opportunity to provide testimonies that can last up to three minutes. He noted that there is an opportunity to discuss the format in terms of timing, number of hearings, and whether the committee prefers virtual or on site. He wants to know what the Board desires for the FY 2023 budget.

Chair Benson found virtual meetings conducive to everyone presenting, but she also mentioned that an in-person meeting could be beneficial, too.

Dr. Lett proposed that ISBE host one session in-person in a central location and noted that a virtual meeting can be just as efficient. He did not want people to travel too far for a short testimony.

Mr. Eddy liked the combination idea of an on-site and virtual meeting, depending on the comfort of participants being in-person. He also liked the three minutes per participant format.

Chair Benson found that everyone had been heard regardless of the format. Chair Benson also asked if GoToMeeting is the most efficient platform. Mr. Wolfe said yes, and it is used for participation. He explained that the budget submission system is a separate platform for those who would like to submit testimonies. Unfortunately, there cannot be just one system for this process.

Chair Benson noted that there were three sessions last year and four sessions the year before. She proposed that for this year, there be one session in-person in Springfield and two virtual sessions. Mr. Wolfe noted that there were more sessions in the past because they all were in-person and participants had several geographic preferences, so this would not be as applicable if some meetings are held virtually this year. He shared that in the past, there were more than 180 online submissions. Also the virtual option allowed the budget hearings to be held earlier in October, whereas in the past the in-person meetings were not completed until December.

Mr. Eddy asked if in Chicago the team worked with III (Triple I), and Mr. Wolfe said yes. Mr. Eddy then agreed with two virtual sessions and one in-person hearing in Springfield.

Mr. Wolfe then brought up the next steps, which include working on logistics with Ms. Parr and then informing the rest of the Board. Chair Benson proposed that other Board members could attend virtually if they preferred.

B. Competitive Grant Schedule Update

Dr. Matias and David Neff presented on the grant schedule update. They are currently tracking competitive Request for Proposals grants, non-competitive grants, and intergovernmental agreements, and they shared updates with the committee. They also shared the grant process improvements and showed the SharePoint grant tracker (with demo data only), which gives updates on where the grants are and if they are on track.

There were no questions following the presentation.

Chair Benson thanked the ISBE staff for all the support and guidance this year. She is excited to be in person and is happy that teachers can be in-person as well.

VII. New Business: Items for the Next Agenda

There were no comments at this time.

VIII. Next Meeting: August 31, 2021

IX. Adjourn

Dr. Lett moved to adjourn. Mr. Eddy seconded, and it passed by roll call vote. Chair Benson adjourned the committee at 11:01 a.m.

https://www.isbe.net/Documents_Board_Meetings/20210810-FA-Minutes.pdf