Available funds and expenditures will be reported quarterly in NOVA and reviewed/discussed as a Consortium quarterly at the Consortium meetings (held monthly). 

Members submit documentation (in the form of a letter from district leadership and/or district board meeting minutes) to the Consortium authorizing designation of individuals to serve as official representatives of the Member agency to the Consortium. Those official designees are also listed in NOVA. Only official designees/representatives may vote in Consortium decisions. The MPAEC Steering Committee is made up of primary designees and alternate designees from each Member agency. 

Decisions are made at monthly Consortium meetings and are listed on meeting agendas as action items. If a Member’s Primary Designee is not present, a board-approved Alternate Designee may vote on the Member’s behalf. Quorum must be reached for action items to be brought forward for a vote. 

The MPAEC spent several monthly meetings discussing and revising its Bylaws in the 23-24 Program Year. The new Bylaws were voted on and unanimously approved by all Members on December 11, 2023. 

We host open and public monthly meetings online that follow the Brown Act. Every MPAEC meeting agenda allows time for public comment. 

We host public monthly meetings online; schedules are posted online on Members’ websites. We leave space in every meeting for public comment and those comments are taken into consideration before a vote is held.

Public comments will be included in meeting minutes and meeting recordings.

Education and workforce partners are welcome at and periodically invited to attend MPAEC Steering Committee meetings and retreats. MPAEC Members also attend regional WIOA partner meetings where regional issues and agency updates are discussed. 

Fund distribution schedules are discussed at Consortium Steering Committee meetings, voted on, and certified in NOVA by all Members. 

This process follows AB104 legislation and is outlined in our Bylaws. 

All eligible entities shall be a member of the consortium. Members must commit to participate fully in Consortium meetings and decision-making; participate in the development of the Consortium’s plans; and commit to reporting fiscal, programmatic, and student data.

Members may voluntarily withdraw from the MPAEC but must provide written notification thirty (30) days prior to divesting their membership. A Member may choose to be “Inactive” for a certain fiscal year without separating from the Consortium completely. An Inactive Member shall not have voting power during the period of inactivity. 

The MPAEC Steering Committee may take action to penalize or dismiss a Member if: 1. The Member no longer wishes to provide services consistent with the adult education plan; 2. The Member cannot provide services that address the needs identified in the adult education plan; or 3. The Member has been ineffective in providing services that address the needs identified in the adult education plan and reasonable interventions have not resulted in improvements. Possible penalties may include decreased or loss of funding, loss of voting power or forced inactivity, or dismissal from the Consortium. Any of these actions must be voted on by all other active Members. Such decisions will be communicated in writing to the penalized/dismissed Member’s superintendent, with an explanation of the reason(s) for penalty/dismissal.

20%

The MPAEC Bylaws approved in December 2023, which are aligned with CA legislation and CAEP guidelines, state the following: 

In the case that the Consortium has carryover (made up of all Members’ carryover) from one or more prior fiscal years exceeding 20 percent of its annual allocation, it shall collaboratively develop and submit to the State a written expenditure plan, including future corrective actions to reduce the Consortium’s carryover to below 20 percent.

If a Member has had excessive carryover for at least two (2) consecutive years and technical assistance and reasonable interventions have not eliminated the carryover, the Consortium may decide by majority vote to reduce a Member’s allocation (i.e. available funds) by reallocating the excessive carryover; however, the allocation may be reduced by no more than the amount of the Member’s carryover. The reduction shall only affect the prior year carryover, not future annual allocations.

The Steering Committee will monitor Members’ carryover on a quarterly basis and individual member carryover amounts that exceed 20 percent will trigger discussion and possible action. Technical assistance and reasonable interventions related to carryover will be determined by the Steering Committee on a case-by-case basis. Members may discuss and vote on the use of excessive carryover, which may include approval of the

encumbrance of funds for large expenditures (e.g. capital items) to be made in the future, as long as the Consortium as a whole is not in danger of exceeding 20 percent carryover. If the Consortium as a whole exceeds 20% at the end of fiscal year, the Steering Committee will collaboratively develop and approve a Corrective Action Plan to submit to the CAEP Office.

Members must effectively provide services that address the needs identified in the adult education plan. Members must also commit to full participation in Consortium meetings and decision-making; participate in the development of Consortium plans; and commit to reporting fiscal, programmatic, and student data that demonstrate member effectiveness. 

Revised MPAEC Bylaws were developed collaboratively by Members in Fall 2023 and approved unanimously by Members on December 11, 2023. In these Bylaws, member effectiveness is addressed in Article IV, Sections B-D, which cover matters related to Membership.