FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2003
State Board of Education to test Web-based
system for processing state and federal grant applications
Electronic system will streamline process
and eliminate paperwork
The State Board of Education will pilot test its Web-based
eGrant Management System (eGMS) this summer with the cooperation
of 16 school districts selected from across the state.
The new electronic system is being developed by the State
Board and its consulting partner, The Innovation Group,
to replace the current paper-based grant application process.
When fully functional, eGMS will provide a consistent,
streamlined application process for all grant programs.
Participants will complete all steps in the process electronically,
from design and publication of grants, through application
and review, to approval and disbursement of funds.
Complete electronic capability will require that eGMS
interface with the State Board’s Web Application
Security System (IWAS) and the existing Financial Reimbursement
Information System (FRIS). The fully integrated system
is expected to substantially reduce staff time devoted
to preparing and processing grant applications for both
the State Board and school districts.
According to State Superintendent Robert E. Schiller,
"Enabling schools to apply for grants online will
provide a quicker turnaround for grant applications. With
the State Board of Education redefining a traditional
paper process, local schools as well as the state education
office are better served through a more efficient online
system via the Internet. Once this system has been fully
tested, the agency will start phasing in more than 115
grant programs online over the next couple of years."
Pilot testing in the 16 districts will take place during
June and July. State Board staff will be able to use the
grant designer part of the system in September 2003 and
will train eligible applicants during fall 2003. In early
2004, grants for the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
and a select number of other grants will be available
through eGMS so that districts can use the system to complete
grant applications for the 2005 fiscal year. Between July
2004 and June 2005, additional grants for the 2006 fiscal
year will be added.
School districts participating in the pilot test are
Quincy School District 172; Altamont Community Unit School
District 10; Ramsey Community Unit School District 204;
Belvidere Community Unit School District 100; Litchfield
Community Unit School District 12; Community Consolidated
School District 62, Des Plaines; Maine Township High School
District 207, Park Ridge; Murphysboro Community Unit School
District 186; Community Unit School District 300, Carpentersville;
Streator Township High School District 40; Decatur School
District 61; Peoria School District 150; Belle Valley
School District 119, Belleville; Springfield School District
186; Delavan Community Unit School District 703; and Danville
Community Unit School District 118.
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