DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO CONTRIBUTE?
If you are interested in contributing to the IAASE Blog, PLEASE reach out. We want to hear from YOU! We can accommodate a one-time entry, a monthly entry, etc. We are excited to work with you. Please reach out to Tarin Kendrick at tkendrick@ntdse.org or Nicole Maxwell at nicole.maxwell@d428.org.
SB1821 - PLEASE TAKE ACTION
We are asking for your help regarding SB1821. This bill will be of particular interest to members who serve high school students and districts. SB1821 affords all students with disabilities who aged out of a program between March 17, 2020, and the end of the 2021-2022 school year the opportunity to extend their eligibility and participate/return to your transition programs for the entire 2021-22 school year as compensation for services lost due to the pandemic. It requires specific outreach and written notification requirements to parents informing them of this right. This bill does not include exceptions for districts/cooperatives that have provided in-person/hybrid or remote transition services. We know that our members have been working extremely hard on behalf of their districts/cooperatives to continue to provide FAPE during this past year of the pandemic. This bill discounts those efforts and instead extends eligibility for an additional year for all students aging out between March 17, 2020, and the end of next school year, regardless of programs and services provided. This would also include students aging out that have been in private placements. There are no additional appropriations associated with the bill and it encourages districts to use their federal COVID relief funds for this purpose. We encourage you to read the current bill here.
SB1821 is sponsored by Senator David Koehler. The IAASE legislative committee has been actively negotiating on this bill, but it has passed out of the Senate Education Committee. Now we need your help. Please call Senator Koehler's office at (217) 782-8250 or (309) 677-0120 to voice your opposition to SB 1821. Talking points include - this is not best for students who have aged out into adulthood and will have tremendous staffing and resource impact while lacking acknowledgment of the tremendous efforts districts/cooperatives have provided through programs and services throughout the past year. In addition to Senator Koehler, please call and ask your own state senator to oppose SB1821 if it comes to the full Senate. Things are moving very quickly in Springfield, so please call today. Now is the time to make your voice heard.
SEAPAC UPDATE
Hey, why haven’t you joined? Now is the time to join SEAPAC! This has been a busy spring session and your support is critical!
Thank you to our SEAPAC Committee for making it easier to become a member. It is a $20 donation (minimum), and your contribution helps our legislative efforts. You can access a NEW feature and sign-up for SEAPAC online through Givebutter! Please consider signing up through this link. You can also text SEAPAC to (202) 858-1233 to get the link delivered directly to your phone. You will be able to pay with Venmo, Paypal, or via credit/debit card.
Thank you to Angela Armour who has recently answered the call to join.
WHAT DOES AN IAASE BOARD MEMBER DO?
Welcome to a small segment where we will highlight our committees and board members.
Finance Committee Co-Chairs: Gene Olsen and Scott Hogan
During the past two years, the Finance Committee has revised membership fees, conference fees, and structure as well as moving the organization forward with 21st-century banking tools and resources for better clarity, access, and leverage with our funds. Other responsibilities (as noted on the website) include:
Provide a budget analysis of the present and future financial needs of IAASE. The Committee makes recommendations to the IAASE Executive Board for the development of an IAASE Budget that encompasses the long-range IAASE Strategic Plan and short-range goals and actions.
Coordinate membership fees with IAASE finances and budget recommendations.
Provide by March 1, a proposed IAASE fiscal operating budget for review and action by the IAASE Executive Board and the membership.
Serve as a monitor to the financial status of IAASE.
Select and recommend an audit firm for IAASE.
Assure that an annual audit is conducted by the contract audit firm and submitted to the Executive Board for approval.
Committee co-chairs want you to know, “Come one come all! Let Norma know your interest.”
ASK an ATTORNEY
Please continue to send us your questions. We look forward to answering.
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