Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District to trim underused CESA services, seeks to redirect administrative Title funds
Summary
District staff recommended dropping several optional CESA 11 service lines judged underused to save roughly $2,895 plus another approx. $4,000 for the science/math resource package; the district also proposes administering Title I/II/III reporting in-house to avoid an administrative fee of about 5% charged by the consortium.
District staff reviewed the annual Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA) 11 contract and recommended discontinuing several optional service components that the district does not regularly use to realize modest savings.
The administrator identified three recommended changes: drop district-level consulting (used sparingly), discontinue a Healthy, Safe & Respectful Schools evaluation option (based on limited attendance by staff) to save about $2,895, and stop paying for the science, math and technology resource center (previously used mainly for occasional services such as a visiting planetarium), which the administrator estimated would save about $4,000 for a district of this size.
Staff also recommended moving away from contracting CESA to administer Title I, II and III on the district’s behalf—CESA charges an administrative fee (described in the meeting as just shy of 5%)—and instead submitting required reports in-house, which would allow more Title funds to be used for staff and program costs under federal guidelines.
The committee discussed the Title III consortium question and whether grant funding would change the net savings; staff noted the consortium grant structure and low local need for Title III services (few English-language learners) as factors. The district will present a recommended contract packet for board consideration.
