Board members in attendance: Richard Calo, Angela Sanfilippo, Lisa Lin Ying, Scott Hoffman, Thomas Eckert, Charles Callahan, Roger Biagi, Sherryl Weems, Carolyn French, Gerard Pierce, Richard Mills, Linda Angello, Greg Moreland, Paul Cole, Paul Slobodian, Jeffrey Boyce, Michael Hoffman, Roderick Dressel, Carol Eaton, Michael Kauffman, Dan Richardson.

1. Chairman Calo opened the meeting welcoming new member, Dr. Carol Eaton, SUNY Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges. He acknowledged the effort of board members on several different subcommittees over the past year and indicated the primary focus of the meeting would be to bring all board members up to date on the status of the Work Readiness Credential and to seek full board guidance on aspects of the project

2. Dan Richardson and Paul Slobodian provided a the System Integration Subcommittee report out. The subcommittee reviewed two different documents and heard from interested parties, including local boards and vocational rehabilitation staff, which provided a foundation for development of a plan to identify opportunities for stronger integration of employment and training services for individuals with disabilities, with a goal of increasing employment outcomes for this population across the workforce system.

   Paul Slobodian made a motion, seconded by Paul Cole, to pursue the following project:

   The SWIB Systems Integration Subcommittee, with the support of key staff from DOL, SED and OCFS and facilitators as needed, will assist the SWIB in creating a service integration strategy for New York State by:

   • Making recommendations on the goals for employment of persons with disabilities in New York State;
   • Outlining specific actions the workforce partners can take to achieve these goals, creating a service integration strategy for New York State.
   • Identifying outcome measures and milestones for evaluating the implementation of the strategy;
   • Reporting action and timeframe recommendations to the SWIB.

   The motion was unanimously adopted.

3. A national project update on the Equipped for the Future Work Readiness Credential was provided to the full Board. Chariman Calo indicated that two board subcommittees have been working on this project diligently and consensus needed to be reached to proceed forward. Of particular concern was that the Credential not be seen as a disincentive for youth to complete high school.

   Richard Mills indicated that, on behalf of the Board of Regents and himself, he could not derail the emphasis on higher academic standards and that he was not opposed to a product for individuals beyond high school which would demonstrate work readiness.

   A discussion followed on the options available to the State Board to limit the use of the credential to certain age cohorts; on whether to call it a credential or certificate; and on whether the Credential could be seen as competing with the high school diploma.

   Chairman Calo put forth the following motion, seconded by Dan Richardson:

   1. The State Board will move forward and pursue for New York State a Work Readiness Credential
   2. That it be called a credential.
   3. That we position the Credential in a manner that is respectful of and not dispositive to the high school diploma.
   4. That we limit the access to the credential to those 18 and older.

   After extensive dialog the motion was voted down with Board members Pierce, Angello, Moreland, French, Slobodian and Calo voting in the affirmative; and Board members Ying, Eckert, Scott Hoffman, Callahan, Biagi, Weems, Dressel, Richardson, Kauffman, Sanfilippo, and Eaton in the negative. Board member Mills abstained.

   Gerard Pierce put forth a new motion, seconded by Richard Mills:

   1. The State Board will continue to move forward with the other states on the national project.
   2. The State Board’s designee to the national project, Sherryl Weems, is authorized to move forward with the assessment development and to indicate at the national Policy Oversight Council that the State Board fully supports credentialing.
   3. The State Board will meet with the Regents to resolve any issues they may have with moving forward.

   This motion was carried with Board members Pierce, Callahan, Eckert, Ying, Sanfilippo, Mills, Moreland, Dressel, Kauffman, Richardson, Eaton, Richardson and Hoffman voting in the affirmative. Board members Calo, Angello, Biagi, French and Weems voted in the negative.

   Greg Moreland motioned to adjourn, seconded by Dan Richardson.