Prairie State Wire

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has released the agenda for its upcoming regular business meeting scheduled for May 14 in Springfield. The meeting will commence at 9 a.m. and will be audiocast on the internet. Interested individuals can listen to the proceedings by clicking the "Listen in" link on the ISBE homepage under Top-Accessed Services.

For those wishing to participate, an online form will be available from 7:30 a.m. until the start of the meeting on May 14. This form is also accessible at 100 N. First Street in Springfield, allowing participants to indicate if they wish to speak in person or via phone. Phone participants can dial 571-317-3112 using access code 919-127-637.

The ISBE emphasizes accessibility and equitable participation opportunities for all public members, including persons with disabilities and those needing language translation services. Diana Torres, ISBE's Language Access Coordinator, is available for assistance via email at dtorres@isbe.net or by phone at (312) 814-5818.

The agenda includes various items such as roll call, pledge of allegiance, swearing-in of board members if needed, public participation sessions, recognitions for arts poster recipients across different school divisions, and presentations by the Student Advisory Council.

A closed session may occur to discuss topics such as employee matters or litigation involving the board. Public participation may resume if necessary following these discussions.

Consent agenda items include approval of minutes from April 16, contracts over $1 million with educational institutions like the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Illinois State University, approval of cut scores for licensure tests, and acceptance of compliance examination reports.

Further approvals involve continuation school improvement grants and funding opportunities for community learning centers under FY 2026 budgets.

Reports from the Superintendent and senior staff will follow announcements along with fiscal reports before adjourning the meeting.