CAEP Consortium Fiscal Administration Declaration: 2022-23 30 Mendocino-Lake CCD

 All Consortium members have stated their commitment to discuss any funds available to that member for the purpose of education and workforce services for adults and the use of those funds. The available funds will be discussed and evaluated at the May/June Mendocino-Lake Consortium budget planning meeting to reflect the school budget planning calendar cycle. This spring budget planning consortium meeting will be reported, and funds evaluated for all members  present or absent in written hard copy and electronic message form. Available CAEP funds will be evaluated with criteria for each expenditure: All funds used to support the planned program objectives of the CAEP program are reasonable and justifiable expenses.

Prior to monthly consortium meetings, any consortium member not able to attend will notify the CAEP-MLACE Director that they will not able to attend the meeting or if they will send a designee. A designee shall have the authority to vote by proxy on behalf of their member agency. Each member has only one vote even if multiple agency representatives are present in a meeting. The minutes of each consortium meeting will be sent to each member and posted on our website. Members will be formally approved by their own agency board. The request to each CAEP member agency is that their representative be given the authority to make a representative decision for their agency at each CAEP Consortium meeting. This will empower the CAEP Consortium to make timely decisions when solving time sensitive issues brought before the CAEP Consortium.

• All agendas and minutes from every Consortium meeting will be shared with all members and partners present or absent in a timely scheduled distribution cycle. A designee will receive the same consortium meeting minutes of each meeting they attend to assure all members of the consortium participate in any decisions made by the consortium.
• The voting power of each member is one vote. The current voting members are Mendocino College, Lake County Office of Education, Mendocino County Office of Education, Round Valley Unified School District, Anderson Valley Unified School District, Fort Bragg Unified School District, Leggett Valley School District, Ukiah Unified School District, Upper Lake Unified School District, Willits Unified School District and Kelseyville Unified School District. The consortium voted to ensure the CAEP Program Director will not vote on any decisions brought to the consortium for a vote. The CAEP Director will remain neutral as a facilitator and supporter of consortium governance process.

The Consortium decided on the decision making model by consensus. Each Member and partner at our meeting was asked to give their opinion on the most effective and efficient governance model.

The Mendocino-Lake Consortium will post all meeting Agenda’s publicly on the consortium website and on the door at the site of the meeting 72 hrs and electronically. in advance. Time will be made at each Consortium meeting for Public Comment. Meeting minutes will be made publicly available on the Consortium Website. (mendolakeace.org).

The consortium minutes will be available at our consortium website : mendolakeace.org.  The public will be provided with adequate notice of the proposed decisions and will be encouraged to submit public comments.

Members of the Public submitting comments will be publicly distributed through summarized minutes at all consortium meetings and on our website for public knowledge.

A list of all current public agencies in the adult education region providing education and workforce services will be created and posted on our website. This data base will be updated regularly and shared with consortium members and partners and on our consortium website. These would include local public agencies, departments, and offices, particularly those with responsibility for local public safety and social services; workforce investment boards; libraries; and community-based organizations.

The distribution schedule pursuant to Section 84913 will be determined by the Consortium. Funds allocated to support these seven program areas will be apportioned and voted for approval by the Mendocino-Lake full consortium membership. Our consortium was assessed for areas of current program implementation pursuant to Section 84913. Short Term and Long Term goals will be identified to ensure that services and resources are developed to serve our program areas of greatest educational need.

Members will join by stating in a written application form their intent and ability to meeting the AB 104 criteria for CAEP Membership. Members will leave the consortium by the criteria given by CAEP for member effectiveness: member can no longer provide services, member is unable to provide services or is not willing to provide services in the 7 CAEP program areas. The CAEP program director will conduct an exit interview with each leaving member. Members being dismissed from the consortium by the majority vote of the consortium voting members will participate in a documented due process and formalized agreement.

Consortia will follow their governance plan (#14 - How will members join, leave, or be dismissed from the consortium) and any additional language in their agreed upon by-laws regarding terminating membership. For new members, in addition to the governance plan, and by-laws, consortia will follow existing requirements in AB104 legislation (84905, 84906, 84914, 84916, 84917, and 84920). 

Consortium members receiving an allocation submit their yearly work plan and budget in NOVA. This plan outlines the budget and the activities for that fiscal year with a maximum threshold of 15% carryover. However, if the consortium member discloses to the consortium that it has carryover funds that are not used in their program by the end of the next fiscal year, then through the consortium annual review process, the member would be required to either spend the funds or return them to the fiscal agent.  These funds may then be accessed by any consortium member through our one-time proposal fund request process, which is acted upon and voted on quarterly at our consortium meetings.

MLACE consortium member who has carryover unused allocation in the period of the allocation allowable spending cycle (24 months) must disclose the carryover to the consortium. The carryover funds will be transferred to the one-time account administered by the fiscal agent. Every quarter, at the consortium meetings, the consortium members in need of additional funds for their programs, may submit a one-time fund request. The requesting member present their requests to the whole consortium and the request is then voted upon for approval by the consortium. Once approved, the fiscal agent disburses the funds to the requesting consortium member.

The above response to item 16 is taken from our agreed upon consortium bylaws that were voted and put into place in 2018.  This document is posted in item 20.1 and is also linked here: Policy for Carryover funds

Our consortium will follow the definition of member effectiveness is defined per the CAEP assurances listed (see attached list) and further defined/mandated by education code (84900 – 84920). Each CAEP consortium member agrees to follow the list of CAEP assurances when they certify their annual allocation via the Consortium Fiscal Administration Declaration (CFAD). When we "approve" these assurances and certification in the NOVA system each member of our consortium is confirming that he/she agrees to all the CAEP assurances listed under sections labeled: Membership & Decision-Making, Public Meetings, and Reporting Requirements. This also includes members certifying to any additional consortium rules and procedures and, as agreed upon by the consortium members (such as any additional by-laws, charters, etc.). The consortium will use the CAEP template for Member Effectiveness guidelines to update their agreed upon rules and procedures or consortium governance documentation to address member effectiveness and follow-up steps with an ineffective member. The consortium will monitor member performance related to the CAEP assurances and identify members for noncompliance. The consortium will provide members technical assistance and/or reach out to the CAEP Technical Assistance Project (TAP) as part of the reasonable intervention (EC 84914 (b) (1) (c)).

Accordingly, per CAEP guides, beginning July 1, 2021, If any of the consortium member has not met the specific reporting requirements, the consortium and the agency member will be notified by the State CAEP Office through CAEP TAP or CASAS (see attached list). If the member continues not meet the assurance(s), then the member will be deemed an ineffective member, which may result in a loss or reduction of CAEP funding.

 The consortium will use the CAEP template for Member Effectiveness guidelines to update their agreed upon rules and procedures or consortium governance documentation to address member effectiveness and follow-up steps with an ineffective member.

In addition, we have bylaws called our “operating guidance principles" which outlines what we will adhere to as member of the consortium and agency members providing educational services to our region: MLACE Consortium Guiding Principles.