Board approves updated contribution schedule for Collaboration for Early Childhood

The Oak Park Elementary School District 97 board approved revised financial contributions to the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) that funds the Collaboration for Early Childhood, endorsing a phased increase in baseline support, an annual adjustment mechanism tied to inflation, and a planned drawdown of a reserve held at District 97 to smooth the transition.

Mary Reynolds, executive director of the Collaboration for Early Childhood, told the board the IGA refresh responds to nearly a decade of flat partner contributions that left the Collaboration operating with unstable funding. Reynolds said the governing work group recalculated contribution ratios using an "adjusted primary fund" that backs out noncomparable costs across the village and school districts, and recommended resetting the Collaboration's baseline share to 0.8% of that figure (down from an original 0.85% baseline used in earlier years) while adding an annual adjustment mechanism similar to PEL but with a lower cap.

"This gives us a stable foundation," Reynolds said, describing how the change would avoid another 10-year flat-funding period and allow the Collaboration to plan staffing and services with more predictability. She also described a reserve account held administratively at District 97; the work group recommended drawing that reserve down to smooth partner increases over a transition period rather than requiring a sudden jump in a single year.

Board members asked about the stability of the proposal and the risk of future shortfalls. Reynolds noted the Collaboration has an additional nonprofit reserve for emergency needs and said the proposed approach balances long-term predictability with short-term smoothing to reduce budget shocks. She also said the Collaboration had used ARPA and state grant funding to bridge prior gaps and that ARPA funding ends on Dec. 31 of the year noted in the presentation.

The board approved the recommended contribution schedule and funding phase-in as presented and seconded by board members; the transcript records unanimous "yes" votes but does not list individual board member names for each recorded vote. Board members additionally discussed returning the final IGA document for review and formal approval once legal review with partner jurisdictions (including D200 and the village) is complete; the administration said the full IGA will be placed on the August meeting agenda for final signature.

Why this matters: The Collaboration runs early-childhood outreach and services (including Blast Off to Kindergarten and screenings) that district leaders and parents said improve kindergarten readiness and connect families with resources. Board approval of the funding reset aims to give the Collaboration predictable revenue to sustain and expand those services.

What the board will do next: The board approved the contribution numbers at this meeting. The administration will return the finalized IGA for approval after partner legal review; the full intergovernmental agreement and signature routing were described as forthcoming at a future meeting (expected in August).