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Higley board hears assurances that IGA quality metrics won’t withhold funding; IEP transport clarified
Summary
District staff told the board the IGAs contain quality metrics in the satellite agreement but said those metrics will not be used to reduce the district’s pass-through funding during the one-year term; staff also clarified transportation rules for students with IEPs.
Board members raised concerns about whether EVIT’s proposed quality metrics could reduce the district’s funding for satellite programs. District staff said they negotiated protections so that the quality metrics would not be used to penalize Higley funding under the one-year satellite IGA.
"The quality metrics are not, in a way that they can penalize anything that we do to take money away from us," a district official said, explaining the district insisted on separate, clearly defined quality provisions and that the financial apportionment for satellite programs is set in the agreement.
Board members also asked how transportation differs for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Staff explained that if transportation is written into a student's IEP as an accommodation, the district remains responsible for ensuring that transportation is provided as required by the IEP; if transportation is not part of the IEP accommodations, the student would not automatically be assigned EVIT transport under the new arrangement.
The board accepted the staff explanations and approved the IGAs; staff pledged to continue monitoring program performance while the one-year contracts are in effect.
