June 19, 2018 at 3:00 PM - Executive Committee Meeting

Discussion:  Call to order at 3:00 PM.

Staff:  David M Ludwig, Deb Hericks
 

Discussion:  Executive Director shared the overall budget is pretty good.  Losing over $27,000 in funds between Core Services and DEC Allocation.  Innovation Grant ends this coming year.  Concerns about budget cuts, no growth in several years and cuts the past two years.  ESUCC Staff do a lot of work via Zoom, could the home base for each employee be their home?  Dave reviewed each budget category of the lease, phone, internet for current lease agreements.  If everyone would work from home it save $48,370.  Executive Director shared the deficit for Coop cotinues to decrease over the years.  By making everyone's home base their home this will also free up an additional $47,627 for contracted services for SRS.  this would also be potential of Coop to be the only deficit in our budget for next year.  The would be for all staff.  This is a balance between the budget cuts and policy and procedures this would be a good move.  If staff can work effectively and efficiently work for home, this would be a good idea to free up resources.  Executive Director worked toward moving all staff to one building and this is not a possibility for us working  all across the state.  We can not expect ESUs to carry the cost of staff if we can free up this amount of money by having us work from home.  This would free up travel expenses for Executive Director.  Staff continues to reduce travel costs.  Create a policy/procedure about staff working from home.  Executive Director would meet weekly with staff.  Concerns are it will take more time for Executive Director to cover those additional conversational, poor work habits at home.  NASB will be building a new building, possibility to bring that staff to ESU 3.  Now is the time to expore the options we have.  Executive Director tries to keep extra dollars within contracted services.  Need to come up with an effective plan to track work progress.  Don't sacrifice staff to keep dollars in contracted services.  With the Innovation Grant coming to an end, we will need to figure out to help cover the costs of the 1.5 salary that is currently within the grant.  There will be a possibility of an Innovative 2 grant, to hopefully incorporate the MTSS and toher portions of SRS.  The EdReady will not be in the Innovation Grant because it is no longer innovative.  Discussion that NROC/EdReady not going back to the schools for payment, it will probably not happen.  There is a lack of support at the NDE level. Send survey out to school districts on their thoughts on NROC/EdReady.  We will need to revisit the MOU with NDE for next year services.  Stay focused on needs.  Update the Mastr Service Agreement, how we use the money smarter and wiser.  Executive Director will continue to work to get meetings scheduled with NDE.  We need to wrote a letter to the Commissioner regading our standpoint of NROC/EdReady.   

Discussion:  Meeting adjourned at 4:08 PM.