2025-2026 MELA Minutes

 September 2025: Over 2,700 hours used . Because of the upward trend, ITS has recommended that the consortium add an addendum to the current contract to extend usage. Dr. LeBrun proposed adding 6,000 additional hours , which would provide enough flexibility to carry the consortium through the remainder of the fiscal year. She clarified that the consortium is only billed for hours actually used , so the addendum would request an additional $138,000 in spending authority , without requiring immediate expenditure. The current contract expires on June 30 , so this addendum would need to be executed first before initiating the renewal process for next year. Dr. LeBrun also noted that this matter was discussed with college presidents and presented at the presidents’ meeting last month to prepare them for a potential action item at the October 28th meeting. A motion was made by Ms. Buffy Matthews (MGCCC) to proceed with the contract addendum for an additional 6,000 tutoring hours . The motion was seconded by Ms. Michelle Mitchell (PRCC) and was approved by 14 community colleges . e. SmarterServices Renewal (Requires Action) : Dr. LeBrun provided an update on the SmarterServices contract , noting that the current agreement is set to expire on March 31st , with a start date of April 1st . She explained that she has been working to modify contract timelines so that they align with the start or end of academic semesters. Her goal is to avoid service interruptions in the middle of a semester. Dr. LeBrun noted that many major contracts, totaling several million dollars, begin on July 1st . To better balance workloads and timelines, she has been in conversation with SmarterServices about modifying the start date of this contract to January 1st , moving it away from the middle of the spring term. The document provided to the group, titled Product and Service , reflects what she referred to as a bridge contract . The plan is to have the current agreement conclude on March 31st and extend it through December 31st , adding nine additional months .

Dr. LeBrun shared that, after consulting with ITS , she could potentially process an addendum to extend the existing contract through December