Policy and Research Committee and Fiscal Committee Board of Early Education and Care April 1, :00 AM 11:30 PM

Transcription

1 Policy and Research Committee and Fiscal Committee Board of Early Education and Care April 1, :00 AM 11:30 PM Department of Early Education and Care 51 Sleeper Street Boston, MA MINUTES Members of the Committee/Board Present: Joni Block, Board Member Sharon Scott Chandler, Board Member JD Chesloff, Board Chairperson Beth Childs, Board Member (arrived at 11:30 a.m.) Mary Walachy, Board Member (by phone) Joan Wasser Gish, Board Member/Policy and Research Committee Chair Tom Weber, EEC Acting Commissioner Ex- Officio Member EEC Staff Present: Gwen Alexander, Program Quality Specialist William Concannon, Deputy Commissioner for Administration and Finance (arrived at 11:30) Carmel Sullivan, General Counsel Jay Swanson, Policy Analyst Members of the Public Present: Pam Kuechler, Executive Director of Massachusetts Head Start Association Abby Weiss, Manager Child and Youth Readiness Cabinet, Executive Office of Education Emily Levine, Strategies for Children/Early Education for All The meeting was called to order at 10:12 a.m. Disclosures: Joni Block disclosed that she works for the Brockton Public School System and they receive EEC funding. Review of Policy Committee Minutes: The Policy and Research Committee members approved the minutes from the March 4, 2013 meeting. 1

2 Agenda Items for Discussion: 1.) Resetting the Policy and Research Committee- Discussion The Policy and Research Committee discussed the recent changes in EEC leadership, and how this will affect the Committee s mission going forward. Gwen Alexander, Program Quality Specialists and EEC liaison to the Committee, reviewed a draft of Purpose and Goals for the Policy and Research Committee, which states: The Policy and Research Committee of the Board of Early Education and Care reviews and monitors both internal and external research to inform the Board s decision making and policy development. The Committee s work aligns and intersects with that of the Fiscal, and the Planning and Evaluation Committees of the Board, as they work to implement a system to improve and support quality statewide, and to offer an array of high quality, comprehensive, and affordable programs designed to meet the diverse, individual needs of children and families. Ms. Alexander also stated that she, committee Chair Joan Wasser Gish, and EEC Director of Policy Carol Nolan, reviewed the Policy and Research Committee s past twelve months of agendas. They identified the agenda items that remain a priority for the Committee, as well as other issues that will be pertinent in future discussions. These items include: Participation in a process for the Board to conduct a search for a new commissioner Quality and Improvement System (QRIS) Massachusetts Kindergarten Entry Assessment (MKEA) Workforce Development Rate Reform and Market Rate Study Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) and expanding access to high quality preschool Birth to 3 rd Grade Licensure One member of the Committee asked how we determine which issues fall into which committee. Acting Commissioner Weber responded that we will need to do an assessment as there may be an overlap of the committees. One member of the Committee replied that we should look at things holistically, that all agenda items are connected. Acting Commissioner Weber suggested that we consider collaborating among the three committees when organizing the agendas. One committee member suggested that the other two committees also review their past agenda items and work on re-setting their purpose and goals. Ms. Weiss, Manager of EOE s Child and Youth Readiness Cabinet, asked if the Committee discusses internal and/or external EEC policies. Ms. Wasser Gish replied that the Committee reviews both. One committee member stated that the Fiscal Committee is looking into internal controls, and there will likely be some overlap with the Policy and Research Committee. Another committee member added that the Policy Committee may also have to discuss additional access to programs and/or transportation at a future meeting. Ms. Wasser Gish stated that the Policy and Research Committee has begun to create preliminary agendas in advance and this will allow us to be more thoughtful, as well as to include relevant stakeholders in discussions. Another committee member added that as the Board works on the Strategic Plan, the Policy and Research Committee will need to make sure that their priorities are aligned with the Strategic Plan. 2

3 2.) Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK)- Discussion Jay Swanson, EEC Policy Analyst, presented an update on FY14 Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK). He shared a map of where the UPK programs are located across the state, which showed that the largest concentrations are in Worcester, Lawrence/Lowell and the Metro Boston areas. Mr. Swanson stated that UPK for FY14 is a renewal grant, however there are some clarifications needed on a few of the criteria. The Committee noted that $6M was allocated and it was not all spent [slide 3]. They inquired about the remainder of the money and Acting Commissioner Weber stated that the previous commissioner had set some funds aside for UPK related projects. EEC will have to review the items and decide how to maximize those dollars. The Committee asked what the clarifying language means in Criterion 7 [slide 6]. Mr. Swanson replied that not all UPK programs are completing all of the data fields across all of the domains. He also stated that some programs have also been slow submitting their data, while others are doing this well. The Committee also asked what we are doing with the data. Mr. Swanson responded that we are using it for federal reporting and that EEC does not yet have a plan for what we will do with the data long term. Acting Commissioner Weber added that EEC needs to strike a balance between what we are requiring and able to capture, and what forms of data will be most helpful when we have a longitudinal system to analyze it. The Committee asked if it is possible to break up the data to indicate how many classrooms per program are in UPK. The Committee also asked if there is still a cap in place that no more than 2 classrooms per program can be in UPK. Mr. Swanson responded that the UPK grant only allows two classrooms per program. He also stated that he would do an analysis of how many classrooms per program are in UPK. The Committee discussed changing policy for FY15to allow entire programs. Acting Commissioner Weber stated that the Committee will have to consider the implications that diffusing the funding could have on quality. The Board will need to spend some time working on clarifying the message of UPK. The Committee asked if some UPK programs will not make the qualifications when criterion 8 requires programs to be at Self-Assessed Level 3 in QRIS[slide 7], and criterion 9 further defines high needs children [slide 8]. Acting Commissioner Weber replied that a substantial number of programs will be declared ineligible, and EEC has to decide how we want to treat this, perhaps we need to push back the deadline. The Committee asked why the programs are having difficulty with the criteria and why EEC should make more allowances. Mr. Swanson stated that some of the programs are having difficulty with meeting the workforce requirements. Ms. Alexander added that EEC has had limited support for providers looking for help with QRIS until recently, and that we have made a lot of changes to QRIS that have confused the providers. We need to review our policies and make sure that the foundation of QRIS is solid. The Committee asked how clear EEC has been in communicating the QRIS Self-Assessed Level 3 deadline to UPK programs. Mr. Swanson responded that we have been very clear. One committee member suggested that we allow programs to submit an improvement plan if they are not at Self-Assessed Level 3. Another committee member stated that lowering the bar is not the answer. Acting Commissioner Weber said that we need to find an appropriate balance- give the programs the opportunity to keep moving along, while also allowing time for EEC to work on QRIS policies and supports. Mr. Swanson reported to the Committee that some of the UPK programs asked for a parental consent form [slide 10]. He stated that if parents are given the option to opt out, some programs could lose funding. Acting Commissioner Weber said that we don t have the ability to capture the data right now, so we should defer the 3

4 discussion about parental consent until UPK FY15. Mr. Swanson summarized that EEC will keep the requirements the same as FY13; programs will create a unique anonymous I.D. for the children, and parental consent forms will not be implemented. The Committee expressed an interest in broadly revisiting the UPK program in FY15. The Committee also discussed the FY14 budget for UPK. Mr. Swanson stated that if all programs submit with 5 high needs children per classroom, the total ask could be as much as $6,649, [slide 10]; this is higher than the $6M budget. 3.) Developing a Search Process for the New Commissioner- Discussion Committee Chair Joan Wasser Gish explained that the Policy and Research Committee will be discussing the search process for a new commissioner, including weighing in on the timing, scope and elements of the search process. She stated that based on advice from EOE the Board will have to consider two tracks; the first track is if Acting Commissioner Weber is not available to continue on in this role long term leading to an open search, and the second track is if he is available to continue on in this role long term. One committee member stated that we would have to define long term, and we will need to ask Acting Commissioner Weber if he is able to continue on in this role long term. The Committee discussed the implications of Governor Patrick s term coming to an end in Issues included: will qualified candidates be interested in this position knowing that it could come to an end in 2014? does the Board want to do an open search for a new commissioner now with the possibility that we will have to do this again at the end of Governor Patrick s administration? What should the timing of a completed search be? The Committee voiced concerns about the caliber of candidates EEC could attract and counseled against an open search. Committee members expressed that the Board should vote on a candidate to recommend to the Secretary in June, and no later than six months from now. One Committee member noted that it is best for EEC if the Commissioner has a good relationship with the Governor s office. The Committee asked if there is a contract with this position. Carmel Sullivan, general counsel replied that there is not a specific contract; there is a letter with terms. The Committee stated that there are three stages when thinking about what the agency needs from a Commissioner: 1. Immediate term-stability for EEC and the Legislature working on the budget 2. Medium term - moving the EEC agenda 3. long term - vision and strategic plan. The Committee noted that Acting Commissioner Weber has already brought stability. This is important if we are going to move the budget forward. The Board will need to consider if the Acting Commissioner is the right person for the job, and if so, we will have to put a process in place for him to stay on. Ms. Weiss stated that the Governor s office will want EEC to take some action. She recommended that the Board look at the way other Secretariats have handled similar transitions. One committee member suggested that the Board look for consistencies in the contracts of past commissioners. Another committee member suggested that they establish benchmarks for Acting Commissioner Weber and check in every three months. The Committee also discussed the implications being an acting commissioner and expressed the importance of having a permanent commissioner installed. The Committee agreed that they 4

5 will continue to work on a formal, transparent process that builds in accountability. This process will engage staff, the community, the Secretary and the Governor s Office. The meeting adjourned at 11:57 a.m. 5