Proviso Township HSD 209 finance committee reviews $5.4M in grants; some funds on hold pending agreements

Proviso Township High School District 209's finance committee reviewed the district's current federal and state grants portfolio, totaling about $5.4 million, and discussed plans to spend down Title I, II, III and IV funds before their grant periods end.

Shailan, executive director of overseas grants, told the committee, "Right now, we're working on the TAAC, the children's alternative, education plan," and reviewed a consolidated-district-plan (CDP) approach that groups multiple federal formula grants under one submission to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

The review identified how much the district has received and how much remains available: Title I is about $1.7 million for the Sept. 1'to'025 grant year, with about $900,000 expended as of April 20 and roughly $300,000 in encumbrances that include administrative salaries and supplies. Title II was cited at $257,917 with about $94,000 expended; Title IV at $244,560 with $14,000'$15,000 expended and roughly $124,000 shown for contracted services; after-school programming had $127,000 allocated with about $105,000 already spent. The district reported receiving roughly $730,000 in IDEA (IDEA flow-through) funds; staff said those funds are in process for extension and coding.

Committee members discussed a $300,000 grant (referred to in the meeting as the "WEIRD" grant) whose remaining funds are on hold because an intergovernmental agreement with the Illinois State Board of Education has not been finalized. Shailan said the hold stems from an outstanding intergovernmental agreement required by ISBE.

The committee also reviewed the district's eligibility numbers for application thresholds. Staff described outreach that adjusted the district's Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) direct-certification percentage: "It was about 60% of our students were part of that CEP," Shailan said; that caused the district's low-income measure to update in PowerSchool to about 61 percent. Staff noted the district still plans additional family outreach to increase form completion for other grant thresholds.

Members discussed competitive grants the district is targeting, including the TAAC application (deadline noted as June 9) and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant (referred to in the meeting as the "20 first century" grant). Staff warned the committee that some competitive grants require high low-income thresholds and intensive application work. One staff member described the 21st Century grant as "a challenging grant" that can fund roughly $150,000 or more if awarded but requires extensive needs assessments and data.

Superintendent Mohib emphasized spending discipline for formula funds: "It's like we're just spending just to be spending so we can spend the funds. We wanna make sure that those resources, those funds are based on the kids," he said, urging earlier expenditures rather than end-of-year rush spending that can jeopardize future allocations.

The committee discussed allowable uses and administrative caps. Staff explained Title I carryover rules and that the district aims to expend 85 percent of Title I funds in-year to avoid returning funds, while Title II and Title IV have more carryover flexibility. Staff also said the district previously charged some administrative salaries to Title I but expects fiscal-year changes that will require different staffing allocations to ensure full use of Title dollars.

No formal votes or final approvals were taken during the committee discussion. Staff reported that teams will be formed to pursue upcoming competitive grants and that many of the district's grant applications and budget amendments will be presented on the consent agenda at the next regular board meeting for formal action.

The discussion also covered translation supports for family engagement: staff noted the district previously purchased "pocket talk" translation devices using Title III and Title I funds and said they will inventory those devices to support evening events and after-school programming for English learners.

The meeting closed with staff identifying next steps: assemble grant-writing teams, continue outreach to improve CEP and low-income counts in PowerSchool, and prepare required documentation for ISBE approval where necessary. No committee motions or votes were recorded in the transcript segment provided.