Committee hears updates on UDRC data bridge, USIMS product domains and UtahGrama contract upgrade

Data director Aaron Brough summarized the proposed operational and legal framework for data sharing between USBE, the Utah Data Research Center (UDRC) and the Utah System of Higher Education. He said participating agencies retain ownership of their data and a technical "kill switch," and that parental permission will be required for student record transfers. Full implementation of the bridge is expected about a year out as APIs are piloted.

Jared Felt (IT director) and product owners reported USIMS/UCIMS progress: the educator domain is building assignment, employment and termination functionality; student "backpack" deployments are live in multiple PowerSchool districts; and finance domain work includes certification checks and Power BI visualizations for LEAs.

Rebecca Nielsen (grants administration) updated the committee on UtahGrama: REI Systems' contract runs through Sept. 6, 2026, with two one-year renewal options the agency intends to exercise as needed. Staff plan a Salesforce "3.0" back-end upgrade (to Lightning) and additional USBE-directed efficiency work, with FFATA/SAM.gov API reporting testing expected this month and broader upgrades targeted by March 2027.