Regular meeting on April 19, 2022, the Freeport School District Board of Education:

The Board Received Numerous Reports that will be detailed in the Board Meeting Minutes:

• Update on Restraint / Time-Out Reduction: A list of committee members who will develop a plan for FSD has been finalized. Disaggregated data has been prepared to support school-level analysis as we develop reduction targets and plans. The District’s legal counsel has helped to develop new parent notification letters that comply with additional requirements under the new rules for what information must be provided to parents. Pursuant to the annual training requirement, the District is also meeting with a vendor to determine whether there is an online professional development course that can be made available for staff to support our training efforts.

• EBF (Evidence Based Funding) Update: A contractor for the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) made a coding error in the spring of 2018 during the initial development of the enrollment verification system for Evidence-Based Funding (EBF). The code began with the fiscal year 2019 EBF distribution. Apparently, CPS was overpaid $87.5M and that amount came from the allocation that should have gone to other districts. After learning of the error, ISBE put additional protocols in place to ensure accuracy moving forward, as well as initiated the process to pursue an external audit of the entire EBF formula. The Illinois General Assembly authorized a supplemental appropriation for EBF that will allow ISBE to make an immediate adjustment to the EBF distribution in the current school year to remedy the error. All organizational units that are owed more than $10 will receive a letter from ISBE shortly notifying them of the approximate amount they are owed by the state. 

• Last Day of School will be June 1st, with an Institute Day for staff June 2nd. This will go to the official calendar when ISBE opens the year-end calendar on May 1st.

• HB3573:passed its 3rd reading in the Senate. This bill changes the e-learning day provision to remote learning days, but are still in place for emergency days.  It streamlines and makes the process for approval of the plan simpler.  There are some criteria that must be followed, but the plan approval is by the district superintendent.  Additionally, it has language about paying support staff for remote learning days, even if they do not work.  That language mirrors the language in HB1167 (COVID bill).

• ESSER II:  ESSER Recipient Data Collection Year 2 Report Now Available in IWAS, ISBE’s  Web Application Security system. Entities receiving allocations from the U.S. Department of Education's ESSER fund must complete the Year 2 Data Collection Report. The report is essential for providing insight into how funds were used by ISBE and Local Education Agencies to support students and educators in addressing the impact of COVID-19 and ensuring accountability with respect to these unprecedented levels of federal investment.                                                           Due date: May 16, 2022.

• Monthly Financial Report was presented  - as of end of month March 2022. 

• Early Childhood Framework was presented. 

Took Action in Favor Of Previously Presented Items:

• 2022-2023 Board Meeting Schedule
• New Courses: 5th Grade band, choir and orchestra; AVID Excel: 7th & 8th grade Strategies

The public is always invited and encouraged to attend Freeport School District Board of Education meetings. ​The next scheduled regular meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at 6:00 PM.  Meetings can be accessed virtually and information on joining the meetings can be found here.