October 1, 2018
Report submitted by: Laurel Bernier, Grants Officer
Major projects completed:
- Completed annual AmeriCorps Program Monitoring Reports for RSU14 Windham Raymond Schools, and LearningWorks. Began monitoring process for Eastern Maine Development Corporation (EMDC) and Maine Conservation Corps.
- Ongoing work on AmeriCorps program startup, including reviewing and approving member position descriptions, technical assistance regarding the Corporation for National and Community Service’s (CNCS’) enrollment requirements, and communicating updates to and from CNCS.
Issues to be aware of:
- Grants Task Force and Commission members voted to cancel RSU14’s grant scheduled to begin in August 2018, due to issues with noncompliant records and National Service Criminal History Checks.
- Some programs have had challenges with enrolling members by the date they were scheduled to start service, because of CNCS’ pre-enrollment process, requiring online certification of background check, citizenship, & social security number statuses. Issues stem either from programs having to wait for CNCS to approve & verify member information, or from program staff still learning the ropes since CNCS launched the requirement on July 2. Commission staff will be asking programs to submit their enrollment policies & procedures in October, to ensure their plans account for all required steps.
Major focus of effort for the next month:
- Reviewing and approving AmeriCorps program end-of-year reports, ahead of federal report due 10/31.
- Completing final monitoring reports for EMDC and Maine Conservation Corps.
- Continued assistance with program start-up.
- Wrapping things up before leaving my position at the Commission.