Proposed CBFAC Process

As the Citizen’s Budget and Finance Advisory Committee, we have been asked by the school board to prepare a report that includes the following:

1. An analysis of how the changes will impact student reporting for ELL;

2. The impact on funding for 2004-05 through 2008-09;

3. Recommendations for changes to the legislation that could or should be proposed by the district;

4. Recommendations on the use of transition revenue through fiscal year 2008 in light of these changes and the overall budget picture;

5. Recommendations for funding alternatives after the transition revenue sunsets.

Based on this year’s CBFAC meetings with ELL policy makers and practitioners and the issues discussed in the book Meeting the Needs of Second Language Learners by Lessow-Hurley, I believe that ELL students are going to have significant public policy (NCLB) and financial implications for SPPS, not to mention, on the lives of the children who lack the English skills to succeed academically.

As a citizen’s group, we have had the following speakers present at our bi-monthly meetings:

· Lois Rockney - General Budget Overview

· Valeria Silva – SPPS ELL Program

· Steve Schellenberg/Larry Shomion – Student Demographics and Revenues

· Leigh Schleicher – Minnesota Department of Education ELL Mandates

· Mary Gilbert – SPPS ELL Legislation

· Evelyn Belton-Kocher/Valeria Silva/Maria Lamb – ELL Test Data for NCLB

· TBD – ELL researcher (e.g. UofM)

Since the objective of these presentations were to provide CBFAC members with a general understanding of current status and issues regarding ELL within SPPS, I would like to propose the following in an attempt to gather some background information we can reference in our final report:

· Send a questionnaire to each of the presenter to gather pertinent information in written form (Februrary)

· Compile the questionnaires looking for similarities and differences based upon area of expertise (March)

· Develop CBFAC recommendations for use of the transition revenue through 2008 and beyond (April)

· Invite the principals and interested staff from the ELL elementary schools not making AYP for feedback (May)

· Prepare final presentation for the school board (May)

Here is my proposed questionnaire:

1. Based on your understanding of the 2003 legislative changes to ELL funding, provide CBFAC quantifiable data regarding its impact to SPPS. Please provide data from 2002-2003 (pre-2003 legislative changes) as a base year for comparison.

2. Since the transition revenue enables the district to reallocate funds from several different categorical aids to other programs, how would you allocate the transition revenues in 2004-05 through 2008-09 given the accountability measurements of NCLB?

3. What legislative changes at a state and local level would you recommend regarding ELL education policy and funding?

4. What ELL “best practices” should be continued or implemented within SPPS?

5. Assuming the barriers impacting change in public education didn’t exist (e.g. legislative mandates, limited funding, labor relations), what programs/people would you fund/implement to improve the academic success of ELL students? What would you measure to demonstrate the results?

6. What message(s) should CBFAC’s report on ELL Funding communicate to the school board and the Saint Paul community?

7. Educators use terminology that is often confusing to the general public. Please provide us with a list of the words and their definitions that you would recommend that we include in our report’s glossary.

Colleen Hartmon Bollom

651-298-1661 (work)

651-699-3012 (home)

colleen.h.bollom@pjc.com