Peoria Standard

Illinois State Board of Education met Jan. 15.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

1. Roll Call

Chair of the Board Dr. Steven Isoye called the meeting to order at 9 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 six members attending in person. Dr. James Anderson attended via video conference. Roger Eddy and Dr. Anna Grassellino were absent. Superintendent Dr. Tony Sanders also was in attendance.

Chair Isoye stated that members would consider the participation of Dr. Anderson via video conference due to a personal illness. 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 a personal illness.

Dr. Benson moved that the State Board of Education permit the participation of Dr. Anderson via video conference. Dr. Leak 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 (virtual)

Dr. Sherly Chavarria

Laura Gonzalez

Dr. Patricia Nugent

Members Absent:

Roger Eddy

Dr. Anna Grassellino

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

Dr. Matt Seaton, Chief Financial Officer

Tassi Maton, Chief Internal Audit Officer

Melissa Oller, Chief Operating Officer

Edobor Efam, Chief Information Officer

Irma Snopek, Chief Policy and Communications Officer

Ann Whalen, Chief Advisor to Early Childhood Transition

Miguel Calderon, Chief Operating Officer

Dr. Ronda Dawson, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning

Lindsay Record, Press Secretary

Marci Johnson, Director of CTE

Joyce Gronewold, Executive Director of Specialized Instruction

Madan Damodaran, Director of Software Solutions

Emily Fox, Director of Educator Effectiveness

Dana Stoerger, Executive Director of Legislative Affairs (virtual)

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

Tom Bazan, Director of Budget and Financial Management

2. Public Participation

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

Todd Bringuet, CEO of Ace Sign Co., spoke on Career and Technical Education (CTE). He shared his positive experiences working with the Capital Area Career Center (CACC) in Springfield and community colleges in the area across a variety of disciplines. He stated working at Ace Sign Co. requires a wide variety of skillsets, and

CTE helps to bring individuals from different paths into the industry. He spoke very highly of the growth prompted by participation in CTE programs.

Matthew Sell, an employee of Pegasus Manufacturing Inc., spoke on the Galesburg Area Vocational Center (GAVC) and CTE. Mr. Sell shared that he is a GAVC graduate and that he has noticed within his industry that it is challenging to find skilled workers. He expressed that the GAVC program is critical in establishing a pipeline of skilled employees for Pegasus. He said for GAVC to properly train future workforce members, it must be able to adapt with evolving technology. He added that this leads to a need for additional funding; increased funding is an investment for the students as well as the community as a whole and will help to develop the advanced manufacturing industry.

Melissa Maldonado, an Illinois policy analyst at Start Early, spoke on Early CHOICES. Ms. Maldonado expressed her appreciation for the Board’s commitment to young children and their families and her excitement about the superintendent’s recommendation for a $75 million increase to the Early Childhood Block Grant for fiscal year 2026. She articulated the mission of Start Early to develop programs for inclusive early childhood education, and she expressed concern over the funding requested in the FY 2026 Early CHOICES Request for Proposals (RFP). She requested that the Board increase funding for the Early CHOICES program by $500,000 through any available federal IDEA Part B Preschool Discretionary dollars. She emphasized that the program is still in need of additional funding to continue its impactful work, and that despite the upcoming transition to an Illinois early childhood agency, ISBE will continue to hold the responsibility for providing preschool special education services. She acknowledged that this request will not address all needs for early childhood special education in the state; however, there is an urgent need in FY 2026 to maintain the occupational capacity of this program.

3. Resolution | Dr. Christine Benson, ISBE Board Member

Dr. Leak read a resolution honoring ISBE Board member Dr. Christine Benson.

Dr. Leak moved that the State Board of Education hereby approves the resolution for Dr. Benson. Dr. Nugent seconded the motion.

Dr. Benson thanked the Board for the recognition and shared her pride in the important work that the Board has done over the past six years, attributing the success of each initiative described in the resolution to a group effort. She reflected on the growth she has undergone during her time on the Board, expressed gratitude for the experience, and reminded the Board to remember the students. She concluded by dedicating her service to her mentor, Dr. Calvin C. Jackson, and one of her teachers, William L. Leighly.

Dr. Nugent expressed her thanks for Dr. Benson as a mentor and acknowledged her leadership on the national level. Chair Isoye echoed the sentiment about her representation on the national level and commended her for spending her time off from the Board in the summers with students. He wished her well going forward. Ms. Gonzalez agreed with what had been said, expressed her personal gratitude for Dr. Benson, and shared excitement for her future. Dr. Chavarria said it was a pleasure to serve with Dr. Benson and stated that Dr. Benson established a tone and culture of collegiality within the Board that she greatly appreciates. Dr. Leak reflected on being sworn in with Dr. Benson and the amount of work they’ve been able to accomplish over the past six years and shared her respect for her consistency in focusing on the children. Dr. Benson said she will miss being on the Board. Dr. Sanders recognized Dr. Benson for always centering student voices in her work on both the state and national level.

The motion passed by a unanimous roll call vote.

4. Closed Session

Dr. Chavarria 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 anincrease 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. The purchase or lease of real property for the use of the public body, including meetings held for the purpose of discussing whether a particular parcel should be acquired. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5)

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

The open meeting recessed at 9:32 a.m. to go into closed session. The open meeting reconvened at 9:56 a.m.

5. Public Participation

There was no further public participation.

6. Consent Agenda

Chair Isoye reviewed the items under the Consent Agenda.

Dr. Anderson moved that the State Board of Education hereby approve the Consent Agenda. Dr. Nugent seconded the motion, and it passed with a unanimous roll call vote.

The following motions were approved by action taken in the Consent Agenda:

Approval of Minutes

*Plenary Minutes: Dec. 18, 2024

The Illinois State Board of Education hereby approves the Dec. 18, 2024, meeting minutes.

Approvals

*Approval of FY 2026 Board Meeting Calendar

The State Board of Education hereby approves the FY 2026 dates for State Board of Education meetings.

Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million

*Approval of Two Developers for Educator Effectiveness Applications

The State Board of Education hereby authorizes the state superintendent to approve an order against the state’s joint purchase master contract for Technology Operations Professional Services provided through the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology to procure the services of two developers to work on existing and future data systems, including the Educator Licensure Information System and the Annual Program Report, which are utilized by the Educator Effectiveness Department. The total contract over a three-year period shall not exceed $1,734,760.

*Approval of Invitation for Bid – One Developer for Nutrition Systems

The State Board of Education hereby authorizes the state superintendent to release and award an Invitation for Bid to procure the services of one developer to assist in the development and maintenance of existing and future data systems as they pertain to projects related to child nutrition. The initial term of the contract will begin July 1, 2025, and extend through June 30, 2028. There will be one possible two-year renewal contingent upon sufficient appropriation and satisfactory contractor performance in each preceding contract year. The estimated contract total costs, including renewal, will not exceed $1 million.

*Approval of Request for Proposals IDEA, Part B, Preschool Discretionary Grant Project - STAR NET

The State Board of Education hereby authorizes the Early Childhood Development Department to release and award an FY 2026 RFP to STAR NET for six regions (up to six awards) in the amount of $3,229,050.

*Approval of Request for Proposals IDEA, Part B, Preschool Discretionary Grant Project - Early CHOICES

The State Board of Education hereby authorizes the Early Childhood Development Department to release and award an FY 2026 RFP to Early CHOICES as one statewide award in the amount of $409,000.

*Approval of Budget Amendment -- Qualified Language Interpreters Training

The State Board of Education hereby authorizes the state superintendent to amend a total of $261,996 over the next three fiscal years (fiscal years 2025, 2026, and 2027 to the Qualified Language Interpreters Training intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. This will increase the total IGA from $4,968,218 to $5,230,214 over the life of the IGA. The budget was amended to reflect requested additional funding for FY 2025, FY 2026 and FY 2027.

*Approval of eGMS System Upgrades Request for Sealed Proposal

The State Board of Education hereby authorizes the agency to release and award a Request for Sealed Proposals for the electronic Grants Management System with effective dates of upon execution to June 30, 2029, and an option for a total of a five-year renewal at a cost not to exceed $9,000,001.

*Approval of Illuminative Strategies Contract for Phase 2 Work

The State Board of Education hereby authorizes the approval of the contract with Illuminative Strategies for Phase 2 Business Processes Optimization for fiscal years 2025 through 2027. The total will not exceed $1,434,570.

7. Approval of the Fiscal Year 2026 Superintendent’s Budget Recommendation

Dr. Sanders thanked the budget team, fiscal team, all of the agency staff who participated in the budgeting process, and every member of the public who provided input on the budget. He stated that the FY 2026 budget recognizes tight fiscal projections from the state but continues to invest in Evidence-Based Funding (EBF), maintain proration levels for Mandated Categoricals (MCATs), fund early childhood learning in line with Governor JB Pritzker’s Smart Start initiative, and fund CTE programming in addition to other programs. He expressed appreciation for the governor’s and legislature’s commitment to supporting education even during tight fiscal years. Dr. Leak thanked the ISBE team for its efforts in creating this recommendation. Chair Isoye also thanked the team for prioritizing EBF, MCATs, and early childhood education while supporting the Strategic Plan.

Ms. Gonzalez moved that the Illinois State Board of Education hereby recommends an FY 2026 General Funds appropriation of $11,390,316,600. She further moved that the Illinois State Board of Education hereby authorizes the state superintendent to make changes to the “Other State Funds” and “Federal Funds” recommendations outlined in Exhibit B or for new funding opportunities, as appropriate, until the budget has been enacted.

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

8. Announcements and Reports

Superintendent/Senior Staff Announcements

Dr. Sanders welcomed the Board, ISBE team members, and Illinois students to a new year. He introduced Miguel Calderon as the new chief operating officer and said he will be taking over for Melissa Oller when she retires soon. Dr. Sanders also acknowledged it was the last Board meeting for Director of CTE Marci Johnson and thanked her for her service. He additionally shared that he visited Regional Office of Education 26 in Macomb and stopped by Macomb Middle School and West Prairie Junior/Senior High School and thanked them for the kind invitation to visit.

There were no senior staff announcements.

Chair of the Board’s Report

Chair Isoye did not have any announcements.

Member Reports

Dr. Nugent shared that she was invited to join the National Association of State Boards of Education Early Childhood Education Governance focus meeting, which will meet virtually on Jan. 22. She thanked the agency for providing her with talking points on the early childhood agency transition.

9. Information Items

ISBE Fiscal & Administrative Monthly Reports

Freedom of Information Act Monthly Report

10. Motion for Adjournment

Dr. Nugent moved to adjourn the Jan. 15, 2025, meeting of the Illinois State Board of Education.

Ms. Gonzalez seconded the motion, and it passed with a unanimous roll call vote. The meeting adjourned at 10:05 a.m.

https://go.boarddocs.com/il/isbe/Board.nsf/files/DDNME45AD41F/$file/DRAFT%20Plenary%20Minutes%20-%20January%2015%202025.pdf