Prairie State Wire

Illinois State Board of Education Finance and Audit Committee of the Whole met April 16.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

1. Roll Call

Chair Dr. Christine Benson brought the meeting to order at 10 a.m. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present with six members attending in person. Dr. Benson, Dr. Patricia Nugent, Roger Eddy, Laura Gonzalez, Dr. Steven Isoye, and Dr. Donna Leak were physically present. Dr. Sherly Chavarria attended via video conference. Dr. James Anderson and Dr. Anna Grassellino were absent. State Superintendent Dr. Tony Sanders also was in attendance.

Chair Benson stated that members would consider the participation via video conference of Dr. 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. Leak 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

Chair Dr. Chris Benson

Dr. Sherly Chavarria (virtual)

Roger Eddy

Laura Gonzalez

Dr. Steven Isoye

Dr. Donna Leak

Dr. Patricia Nugent

Members Absent

Dr. James Anderson

Dr. Anna Grassellino

Staff Present

Dr. Tony Sanders, State Superintendent

Jo Ireland, Board Services Coordinator

Kim Clarke, Executive Assistant to the State Superintendent

Kristin Kennedy, Chief Legal Officer

Dr. Kimako Patterson, Chief of Staff

Krish Mohip, Chief Education Officer – Operations

Tassi Maton, Chief Internal Audit Officer

Dr. Matt Seaton, Chief Financial Officer

Edobor Efam, Chief Information Officer

Irma Snopek, Chief Policy and Communications Officer

Jason Helfer, Ph.D., Chief Education Officer – Instruction

Ann Whalen, Chief Advisor to Early Childhood Transition

Rae Clementz, Executive Director of Data, Accountability and Assessment

Madan Damodaran, Director of Software Solutions

Dr. Christine Paxson, Director of School/District Approval

Angela Foxall, Director of Assessment

Emily Fox, Director of Educator Effectiveness

Kim Barnes-Cummins, Director of Wellness

Melissa Oller, Chief Operating Officer

Jennifer Saba, Executive Director of Improvement and Innovation

Nicholas Heckel, Principal Consultant, School/District Improvement

Dr. Shawn Walsh, Director of District/School Leadership

Tom Bazan, Director of Budget and Financial Management

Kirsten Parr, Standards and Instruction Lead

2. Public Participation

Brian Gordon, director at Three Rivers Education for Employment system, spoke on the topic of Career and Technical Education (CTE). He discussed the power of CTE to positively impact students’ lives and create a stronger workforce. He attested to the value of CTE from an employer’s perspective and said that multiple return on investment studies have shown positive outcomes for money spent on CTE. He thanked Board members for their support of CTE in Illinois.

3. Approval of Minutes: March 12, 2024

Mr. Eddy moved that the Finance and Audit Committee of the Whole hereby approves the March 12, 2024, meeting minutes. Dr. Leak seconded the motion, and it passed by a unanimous roll call vote.

4. Superintendent’s Consent Agenda – April 17, 2024

Dr. Chavarria asked about the 21st Century Community Learning Center grants, noting the advocacy around the issue and the fact that ISBE had stated that future grant cycles could not be guaranteed. She asked how this year’s funding compares to previous cycles. Krish Mohip, chief education officer of operations, said that the fiscal year 2015 cohort, which is coming to an end this year, had received around $30 million per year, whereas this year’s cohort would have $35 million in total available over three years. He said that he could provide the specific numbers from each cohort.

5. Discussion and Approval

A. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval to Increase the Not-to-Exceed Pricing Based on the Awarded Offeror’s Pricing Proposal for the Statewide Administration of a High School Assessment

Director of Assessment Angela Foxall discussed this item.

Mr. Eddy asked if the per-unit cost is greater than it was previously. Ms. Foxall said that she has not seen the per unit cost yet because the contracts are still in the procurement stage. Dr. Sanders added that the procurement is currently under protest. Once the procurement is finalized, the procurement officer will share the details. At the moment, all that ISBE knows is that the total contract will cost more than it did in the previous round. Mr. Eddy asked why the assessment contract was on a six-year basis rather than an annual one. Ms. Foxall said that ISBE gives the vendors an estimated number of test-takers. Then the vendors propose the per-unit cost, which is fixed for all six years. She added that the contract is reconcilable, so ISBE will only pay for the number of students who actually take the test each year. Dr. Nugent asked how the estimated number of students was determined. Ms. Foxall said that it was an estimate of the highest possible volume of students in each grade taking the test, which was 145,000. She added that numbers will vary by grade level and year. Dr. Nugent said that, with populations declining, not all of the approved funding may be needed. Ms. Foxall agreed, saying that it is likely that there will be a reconciliation each year, but there will be protections in place in case there are more students than expected. Mr. Eddy stated that by approving this item, the Board would be setting a maximum spending amount. Dr. Sanders agreed, saying that this would help expedite the process once procurement is in place. Dr. Benson asked for clarification as to whether the agency is looking for the lowest responsible bidder. Dr. Sanders confirmed that it is.

Dr. Leak asked if projections for FY 2030 juniors are based on FY 2025 sixth grade enrollment. Ms. Foxall confirmed this, explaining that her department also considers incoming home-schooled children in ninth grade and declining enrollment in 11th and 12th grades. Dr. Leak asked to clarify that the previously requested state funding needs to be increased by about $4.6 million in order to meet the contract. Ms. Foxall confirmed this, stating that in order to move forward with contracting, ISBE must agree to the posted award notice. Dr. Benson asked if the Board needed to approve this amount in order for the contract to move forward. Dr. Sanders said that the contract needs to move forward either way, as Illinois is required to have a high school assessment. He added that the Board does not have a lot of discretion in this case, as procurement drives the process. Dr. Leak asked for clarification as to whether ISBE expects to test about 412,000 students per year, which would bring the rough per-student cost to $21. Ms. Foxall confirmed this and reiterated that the Board is only committing to paying for the testing volume that is utilized. Dr. Benson asked if the procurement officer reviewing the proposals has a financial background. Ms. Foxall said yes but that the proposals are evaluated independently by subject matter experts.

Dr. Leak requested that districts be informed as soon as possible whether they will need to adjust their curriculum to prepare for a different assessment, as well as which important assessment dates they should put on school calendars. Mr. Eddy asked what will happen if the protest is successful. Dr. Sanders said that would be up to the procurement officer, who may award it to the other bidder or restart the bidding process. Mr. Eddy asked if that would mean that the Board’s action to increase the not-to-exceed pricing would no longer apply. Dr. Sanders said that that depends on the outcome.

6. Upcoming May Board Action

A. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of FY 2025 Continuation School Improvement Grants Director of School / District Improvement Dr. Christine Paxson discussed this item. There were no questions.

B. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Renewal of Intergovernmental Agreement with Illinois State University to Administer the Illinois Teaching Excellence Program

Director of Educator Effectiveness Emily Fox discussed this item.

Dr. Nugent asked how the demographic breakdown of participants, who were 75% White, compared with the overall diversity of teachers in Illinois. Ms. Fox said that she believed that about 82% of current teachers in Illinois are White. She said that National Board Resource Center has started to work with Chicago Public Schools to increase recruitment in that area. Dr. Leak said that it also would be helpful to compare the breakdown by gender. Dr. Nugent added elementary, middle, high school teacher breakdowns to the list, as well.

7. Internal Audit Updates

Chief Internal Audit Officer Tassi Maton discussed these items. She said that the FY 2023 Financial Audit had been released in March, so it would appear on the Consent Agenda for the Board to vote on the following day, April 17. She said that there was one material finding, which was an improvement over the past year, which had three. She added that the FY 2023 Statewide Single Audit is still underway, with ISBE program areas responding to the auditors’ inquiries.

Dr. Benson asked whether the material finding would be easy to reconcile ahead of the next year’s audit. Ms. Maton responded that it is a finding that has appeared in a previous compliance examination and that ISBE is working on reconciling it and making improvements. She added that it may take a year or two to fully resolve, as each year the details of the finding have been different. Dr. Sanders added that this is a common finding at other agencies as well.

Dr. Nugent congratulated Ms. Maton and all the departments that have worked to address audit findings. Mr. Eddy echoed the praise. Ms. Maton said that it was thanks to the individuals and departments that have implemented corrective action.

8. Closed Session

The committee decided not to go into closed session.

9. New Business: Items for the Next Agenda

Dr. Leak said she would like to have an update on the assessment item.

Dr. Benson noted that Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding is ending later in the year and said that she would be curious to know how districts are handling this change. Mr. Mohip said that ISBE has been emailing all superintendents about obligation, liquidation, and extension dates; technical assistance; and webinars. Dr. Leak said that ISBE has made it very clear that there would be a funding cliff when ESSER funding runs out, and she said that much of this funding has been used for one-time purchases such as HVAC systems. She said that, based on her conversations with colleagues, there is a high level of awareness across the state and an emphasis on sustainability. Dr. Sanders added that he has seen many school districts make the pivot, focusing on blending and braiding. Mr. Eddy said he would be interested to know how much ESSER funding had been used for one-time expenses and what best practices and useful programs could be identified from the ESSER period. Dr. Nugent noted that these themes would be a good topic of discussion at the next Triple I Conference. Dr. Sanders added that the P-20 Council is planning a summit on lessons learned and that he would keep the Board apprised of the conference. Finally, Dr. Leak said she would be curious to know if the health and sanitation practices of the pandemic have resulted in better student health. Dr. Benson posed the questions: What has been learned from the ESSER era? And are schools better off for it?

10. Next Meeting: May 14, 2024

11. Adjourn

Dr. Nugent moved to adjourn. Ms. Gonzalez seconded the motion, and it passed by a unanimous roll call vote. Chair Benson adjourned the committee at 11:03 a.m.

https://www.isbe.net/Documents_Board_Meetings/20240416-FA-Minutes.pdf