Lompoc Unified School District Report

Lompoc Unified School District Staffing and Organization Review December 21, 2012 Joel D. Montero Chief Executive Officer Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM December 21, 2012 Gregory Kampf, Superintendent Lompoc Unified School District 1301 North A Street Lompoc, CA 93436 Dear Superintendent Kampf: In June 2012, the Lompoc Unified School District entered into a study agreement with the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT). Specifically, the agreement states that FCMAT will perform the following: 1. An organizational and staffing review that will include but not be limited to the district’s central office maintenance, operations and transportation departments. The maintenance, operations and transportation component will only include a review of management level employees. The review will consist of the following departments: superintendent’s office, business services, personnel, educational services, maintenance & operations, and transportation. 2. The Team will provide comparative staffing data for six comparative school districts of similar size and structure and provide recommendations to improve the efficiency of the district. The district office and department level comparison will include at least six comparable school districts located in the geographical region and may include comparable districts utilized in the collective bargaining process by the Lompoc Unified School District. 3. The Team will review job descriptions for all department positions, interview staff and make recommendations for staffing improvements and suggested staffing levels. All recommendations will include estimated and calculated values for any proposed position reductions or enhancements to the organizational structure. 4. The Team will evaluate the current work flow of departments and provide recom- mendations for improved efficiency, if any. FCMAT Joel D. Montero, Chief Executive Officer . . 1300 17th Street - CITY CENTRE, Bakersfield, CA 93 . 301-4533 Telephone 661-6 . 36-4611 Fax 661-63 . 6-4647 422 Petaluma Blvd North, Suite. C, Petaluma, CA 94952 Telephone: 707-775-2850 Fax: 707-775-2854 www.fcmat.org Administrative Agent: Christine L. Frazier - Office of Kern County Superintendent of Schools This final report contains the study team’s findings and recommendations in the above areas of review. FCMAT appreciates the opportunity to serve the Lompoc Unified School District, and extends thanks to all the staff for their assistance during fieldwork. Sincerely, Joel D. Montero Chief Executive Officer i Table of conT enT s Table of contents About FCMAT .........................................................................................iii Introduction ............................................................................................1 Background ......................................................................................................1 Study Guidelines ............................................................................................2 Study Team.......................................................................................................2 Executive Summary ........................................................................3 Findings and Recommendations .....................................................5 Organizational Structure ............................................................................5 Central Office Department Staffing .........................................................7 Superintendent’s Office ..........................................................................................7 Business Services Department ...........................................................................10 Human Resources Department ..........................................................................27 Educational Services Department .....................................................................33 Maintenance and Operations Department ....................................................43 Transportation Department ................................................................................45 Staffing Comparisons .................................................................................47 Appendices ............................................................................................59 Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict ii Table of conT enT s Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM iii about FCMat About FCMAT FCMAT’s primary mission is to assist California’s local K-14 educational agencies to identify, prevent, and resolve financial and data management challenges. FCMAT provides fiscal and data management assistance, professional development training, product development and other related school business and data services. FCMAT’s fiscal and management assistance services are used not just to help avert fiscal crisis, but to promote sound financial practices and efficient operations. FCMAT’s data management services are used to help local educational agencies (LEAs) meet state reporting responsibilities, improve data quality, and share information. FCMAT may be requested to provide fiscal crisis or management assistance by a school district, charter school, community college, county office of education, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, or the Legislature. When a request or assignment is received, FCMAT assembles a study team that works closely with the local education agency to define the scope of work, conduct on-site fieldwork and provide a written report with findings and recommendations to help resolve issues, overcome challenges and plan for the future. Studies by Fiscal Year 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 92/93 93/94 94/95 95/96 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict seidutS fo rebmuN FCMAT also develops and provides numerous publications, software tools, workshops and professional development opportunities to help local educational agencies operate more effec- tively and fulfill their fiscal oversight and data management responsibilities. The California School Information Services (CSIS) arm of FCMAT assists the California Department of Education with the implementation of the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) and also maintains DataGate, the FCMAT/CSIS software LEAs use for CSIS services. FCMAT was created by Assembly Bill 1200 in 1992 to assist LEAs to meet and sustain their financial obligations. Assembly Bill 107 in 1997 charged FCMAT with responsi- bility for CSIS and its statewide data management work. Assembly Bill 1115 in 1999 codified CSIS’ mission. AB 1200 is also a statewide plan for county office of education and school districts to work together locally to improve fiscal procedures and accountability standards. Assembly Bill 2756 (2004) provides specific responsibilities to FCMAT with regard to districts that have received emergency state loans. In January 2006, SB 430 (charter schools) and AB 1366 (community colleges) became law and expanded FCMAT’s services to those types of LEAs. iv about fcmat Since 1992, FCMAT has been engaged to perform nearly 850 reviews for LEAs, including school districts, county offices of education, charter schools and community colleges. The Kern County Superintendent of Schools is the administrative agent for FCMAT. The team is led by Joel D. Montero, Chief Executive Officer, with funding derived through appropriations in the state budget and a modest fee schedule for charges to requesting agencies. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 1 introduction Introduction Background Located in Santa Barbara County, the Lompoc Unified School District has a five-member elected governing board and serves approximately 9,800 students in kindergarten through 12th grade living in the city of Lompoc, Vandenberg Village, Mesa Oaks, Mission Hills, Vandenberg Air Force Base, and rural areas adjacent to these communities. The district has nine elementary schools, one independent study (K-12), two middle schools, two comprehensive high schools and one continuation high school. There also two charter schools in the district: Manzanita Elementary, which is an independent charter school, and Olive Grove, which is an independent study dependent charter based in Los Olivos. All schools operate on a traditional calendar, except for two elementary schools that run on a single-track, year-round calendar. The district is geographically isolated from other metropolitan areas; the next closest city, Santa Maria, is 27 miles away. This isolation affects the district in several ways, including the cost of goods and services, the size of the available labor pool, and the lack of exposure the district and its employees have to other school districts of similar size and structure. The district’s enrollment peaked in 2002-03 at 11,617 and steadily declined by approximately 2% each year from 2004-05 through 2010-11. The 2011-12 school year saw a 0.8% decrease in enrollment, and the district anticipates a 1.7% reduction for the 2012-13 school year. Data avail- able through the California Department of Education for 2010-11 shows approximately 23% of the district’s students were English learners, and 60% were eligible for free and reduced-priced meals. Each year, the No Child Left Behind Act requires the state and the district to review the academic progress of federally funded Title I schools and to identify schools and districts in need of improvement. All schools and local educational agencies that do not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) are identified as being in program improvement under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The ESEA requires all states to implement statewide account- ability systems based on challenging state standards in English language arts and mathematics, annual testing for all students in grades three through eight, and annual statewide progress objec- tives to ensure that all groups of students reach proficiency by 2013-14. Assessment results are disaggregated by socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, disability, and limited English proficiency. Local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools that fail to make AYP are subject to improvement and corrective action measures. Once in program improvement (PI), a school or LEA that fails to make AYP will advance further in PI status. According to the 2011 AYP report, the district has been in PI since 2008-09, and all of its schools that accept Title I funding are in PI. Two are in year two of PI, one school in year three, three in year four, and five in year five. In June 2012, the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) received a request from the district for management assistance. The study agreement specifies that FCMAT will perform the following: 1. An organizational and staffing review that will include but not be limited to the district’s central office maintenance, operations and transportation departments. The maintenance, operations and transportation component will only include a review of management level employees. The review will consist of the following Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 2 introduction departments: superintendent’s office, business services, personnel, educational services, maintenance & operations, and transportation. 2. The Team will provide comparative staffing data for six comparative school districts of similar size and structure and provide recommendations to improve the efficiency of the district. The district office and department level comparison will include at least six comparable school districts located in the geographical region and may include comparable districts utilized in the collective bargaining process by the Lompoc Unified School District. 3. The Team will review job descriptions for all department positions, interview staff and make recommendations for staffing improvements and suggested staffing levels. All recommendations will include estimated and calculated values for any proposed position reductions or enhancements to the organiza- tional structure. 4. The Team will evaluate the current work flow of departments and provide recommendations for improved efficiency, if any. Study Guidelines FCMAT visited the district on August 1-3, 2012 to conduct interviews, collect data and review documents. This report is the result of those activities and is divided into the following sections: • Executive Summary • Organizational Structure • Central Office Departmental Staffing • Staffing Comparisons • Appendices Study Team The study team was composed of the following members: Julie A. Auvil, CPA, CGMA Eric D. Smith, MPA FCMAT Fiscal Intervention Specialist FCMAT Fiscal Intervention Specialist Bakersfield, CA Templeton, CA Laura Haywood Rick Robinett* FCMAT Technical Writer Assist. Supt., Personnel & Educational Services Bakersfield, CA San Luis Coastal Unified School District San Luis Obispo, CA *As a member of this study team, this consultant was not representing his employer but was working solely as an independent contractor for FCMAT. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 3 executive summary Executive Summary In response to unprecedented cuts to school revenues that began with the 2008-09 fiscal year, districts throughout the state have been searching for ways to trim budgets. The Lompoc Unified School District is no exception. With a $14.9 million/23.5% reduction in revenue limit funding since the 2007-08 fiscal year, the district has reduced expenditures, including staff. As reported by the Education Data Partnership, the district has decreased its staffing from 998 employees in 2007-08 to 888 in 2010-11. The implementation of the expenditure/personnel reductions by the prior administration left many in the district with feelings of dissatisfaction. Recognizing this, the current superintendent has made every effort to include stakeholders in discussions about the district’s budgetary decisions. Despite these efforts, FCMAT’s interviews revealed an overwhelming sentiment that the district needs to continue to improve internal communications. This has been an ongoing challenge for the current administration since they took over in 2009. District administrators have been dili- gent in their efforts to improve communications with district staff; however, based on employee input, there are additional steps to be taken in this area. FCMAT conducted an organizational and staffing review to provide the governing board and district administration with an independent and external review of its district office and of management positions in maintenance, operations and transportation to identify areas of redun- dancy, improper segregation of duties between departments, and inappropriate staffing levels based on industry standards and comparisons to other districts of similar size and composition. Six comparative districts were selected using Ed-Data, a collection of statistical performance, demographic and financial data supplied by California school districts. Ed-Data provides a unique information database through the cooperative efforts of the California Department of Education, EdSource and the Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team. Industry standard dictates that the district should be staffed according to basic theories of organi- zational structure and standards used in other school agencies of similar size and type. The gener- ally accepted theories of organizational structure include span of control, chain of command, and line and staff authority. Based on a review of comparison districts and interviews with the staff, Lompoc Unified is overstaffed in the following areas and should consider the proposed recom- mendations: • Eliminate the administrative assistant II position in the human resources department and transfer those duties to the department’s executive assistant II. • Reduce the director of classified personnel position to 0.50 FTE or eliminate this position and transfer those duties to the assistant superintendent, human resources. • Eliminate the personnel assistant position and transfer those duties to the personnel analyst (classified). • Reduce the work calendar for the administrative assistant in the English Learner (EL) program to match that of the supervisor for this program. • Reduce the work calendar of the two language assessment technicians in the EL program to match the testing calendar of the program. • Reduce the work calendar of the two bilingual district community liaisons in the EL program to match that of the supervisor for the program. Alternatively, the district could also consider eliminating the open bilingual district community liaison position. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 4 executive summary • Eliminate one accounting technician position. • Eliminate the district attendance technician position. • Eliminate the supervisor, printing and publications position and transfer those duties to the manager, purchasing and stores. The district was understaffed in other areas and should consider the proposed recommendations: • Add the position of director of information technology to provide the necessary daily supervision of this department. • Add the position of assistant superintendent, educational services to provide concentrated efforts to improve the district’s educational programs and lead it out of Program Improvement (PI) status. • Add a program specialist to assist with the special education department and IEP workload. • Add a maintenance supervisor to provide additional supervision to the district’s 16 maintenance workers and 11 grounds staff. • Consider an internal analysis of whether the district should add a dispatcher position to the transportation department, allowing the current transportation manager to more closely supervise transportation staff. FCMAT also recommends that the district expand the duties of the manager, payroll and employee benefits to include the entire department and change the title to manager, accounting and budgeting. With the retirement of the printing and publication supervisor, the district has an opportunity to restructure that department. Along with the recommendation to transfer the duties to the manager, purchasing and stores, the district should consider creating a lead offset press operator position. Job duties within the departments were also examined. Some processes were found to be redun- dant. Duties found among multiple positions need to be consolidated under one position, such as TB testing, fingerprinting and processing of substitute positions. Other duties are performed by a department that would not typically perform them, such as the processing and administra- tion of workers’ compensation injuries. Examination of some duties revealed deficiencies in essential items such as the lack of a district office emergency plan. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 5 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Findings and Recommendations Organizational Structure A school district’s organizational structure should establish the framework for leadership, lines of communication and the delegation of specific duties and responsibilities for all staff members. This structure should be managed to maximize resources and reach identified goals and should adapt as the district’s enrollment increases or declines. The district should be staffed according to basic, generally accepted theories of organizational structure and the standards used in other school agencies of similar size and type. The most common theories of organizational structure are span of control, chain of command, and line and staff authority. (Principles of School Business Management, Association of School Business Officials, Inc.) Span of Control Span of control refers to the number of subordinates reporting directly to a supervisor. While there is no agreed-upon ideal number of subordinates for span of control, it is generally agreed that the span can be larger at lower levels of an organization than at higher levels because subordinates at the lower levels typically perform more routine duties, and therefore can be more effectively supervised. Chain of Command Chain of command refers to the flow of authority and communication process in an organization and is characterized by two significant principles. Unity of command suggests that a subordinate is only accountable to one supervisor, and the scalar principle suggests that authority and respon- sibility should flow in a direct vertical line from top management to the lowest level. The result is a hierarchical division of labor. Line and Staff Authority Line authority is the relationship between supervisors and subordinates. It refers to the direct line in the chain of command. For example, the assistant superintendent of business services has direct line authority over the director of fiscal services, and the director of fiscal services has direct line authority over the fiscal services department staff. Conversely, staff authority is advisory in nature. Staff personnel do not have the authority to make and implement decisions, but act in support roles to line personnel. The organizational structure of local educational agencies contains both line and staff authority. The purpose of the organizational structure is to help district management make key decisions to facilitate student learning while balancing its financial resources. The organizational design should outline the management process and its specific links to the formal system of communica- tion, authority, and responsibility necessary to achieve the district’s goals and objectives. FCMAT’s review of the district’s organizational chart found that the district has not updated the chart to reflect changes that have occurred in its organizational structure. For example, the chart was last updated on August 3, 2010, and the district upgraded a director to an assistant superin- tendent in the human resources department for the 2011-12 fiscal year. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 6 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Closer examination of the chart reflects that lines of authority are not shown to extend below the supervisorial staff level in many departments. In the few departments that include positions below the management level, only one position is shown. Other charts list the services provided by the department. A well-crafted organizational chart should reflect all positions. Excluding lower level staff sends a message that they are not a part of the organization and makes it difficult for staff to understand the chain of command. A separate chart can reflect the program/services in each department to minimize confusion. The process of creating an organizational chart can also expose unclear chains of command, such as instances where one position reports to more than one person for the duties assigned to them. FCMAT’s interviews with district staff uncovered examples of positions where the employee reported to multiple supervisors, as discussed with regard to individual positions in this report. An employee who reports to more than one supervisor can become confused and power struggles among supervisors may occur. Each of these situations will be discussed in further detail under each departmental heading. Recommendations The district should: 1. Review and revise its organizational chart as changes occur. 2. Revise its organizational chart to include all positions. 3. Ensure that each employee reports to only one supervisor. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 7 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING Central Office Department Staffing Superintendent’s Office Superintendent: The superintendent has been with the district three and a half years and serves as chief administrative officer of the district. His educational career spans 41 years, with 11 years as a superintendent of a K-8 district and previous positions as a district administrator, school principal, teacher, instructional aide and noon supervisor. He provides overall leadership in the attainment of district goals and objectives, implements the policies of the governing board, and serves as secretary to the board. The superintendent began working for the district in the aftermath of severe budget cuts. In many of FCMAT’s interviews with district personnel, they expressed that the cuts by the prior administration were poorly handled, and staff resentment of the process still lingers. Although the district is still grappling with the fallout of the state’s fiscal crisis, the superintendent has made significant efforts to include stakeholders in budget reduction decisions and to make the district’s financial picture clearer. Although many staff applaud the district as being fiscally transparent, some feel that the district’s communication systems still need improvement, including its hiring practices. Several district staff members FCMAT interviewed indicated the superintendent’s management style is not collaborative and that the district office does not operate as a team. Management believes that this is an organizational culture fostered in prior administrations and that the current administra- tion is making positive strides with both internal and external communications to staff. Classified staff identified a division between classified and certificated staff and do not believe their contri- butions are recognized. Staff indicate that decisions made regarding proposed budget reductions by the superintendent and his assistant superintendents are not effectively communicated to school sites and departments. As a result, many staff rely on each other to obtain information. Some staff remarked that the best way to determine what was happening at the district was to consult the local newspaper. However, the district’s board agenda undergoes an agenda review process one week prior to each scheduled board meeting whereby a representative from both district employee groups, a parent, district office directors and assistant superintendents review the agenda with all of its attachments, including warrants. Agendas are then finalized and posted at school sites, the district’s website, and published in the local newspaper to provide all parties, including district staff, with the opportunity to comment on items coming before the district and the board. District administration also meets individually with both employee groups once a month to discuss nonbargainable topics in an attempt to ameliorate potential and actual work- place concerns. Some of the staff FCMAT interviewed cited a lack of teamwork as a continuing obstacle confronting the district. This lack of a sense of team is pervasive and has affected the attitudes of many district office employees. During fieldwork, FCMAT was informed of district staff members who refused to carry out tasks that were not specifically identified in their job descrip- tions, who balked at learning new procedures and dismissed the notion of “other duties as assigned,” even though the language was in their job descriptions. FCMAT interviews indicated that both staff and administrators have these concerns: • Staff members are unwilling to work together. If one person is overloaded, no one else will offer to help. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 8 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING • Staff members are unwilling to help department or site personnel as follows: • Clerical staff members state that certain tasks are not their responsibility. Some elaborated that even if it is their job, they don’t know how to do it and are not going to learn. • There is indifference about a fellow staff member’s request to help the public. Instances were cited where a request for help was ignored and forced someone with limited expertise to try to provide assistance. Effective communication is essential in providing a sense of stability and effective leadership during these difficult economic times in K-12 education. Without open and regular communica- tion, inaccurate information may circulate and be assumed accurate. During interviews, many district staff members indicated there is a lack of communication in the district office. While the district office conducts monthly staff meetings, FCMAT interviews showed that not all who attend feel the lines of communication are open at these meetings and that questions are welcome. Some district office departments have no meetings. Some departments do not partici- pate in cross-department meetings or receive information about decisions that affect them. When information is to be disseminated to departments/sites, the district relies heavily on the site/administrator/department head to provide their employees with the information. This results in the inconsistent dissemination of information. Regular communications from the superin- tendent would also allow for recognition of the work of all staff: management, certificated and classified employees. Senior Executive Assistant: The senior executive assistant has 25 years of experience with the district and has been in the current position for four years. The job description for the position states that it was established for the purpose of “assisting the Superintendent in the daily opera- tion of the district as well as the planning, implementing, directing and maintaining of District programs by providing a wide variety of complex and confidential administrative and secretarial support; analyzing requests and providing recommendations for action; communicating informa- tion on behalf of the district and the board to its staff, other districts and public agencies.” The senior executive assistant is the chief administrative support position to the superintendent and the board. This position is charged with preparing board meeting and administrative meeting agendas, taking minutes, maintaining board policies and administrative regulations, coordinating the calendars of the superintendent and the board, and performing other miscel- laneous tasks as required. The district uses the California School Boards Association’s GAMUT board policy service to manage board policies. However, a review of the board policies posted on the district’s website shows it has been as long as six years since many were updated. Board policies should be updated continually to reflect changes in statutory and case law. FCMAT also noted that the district’s board agenda and minutes are not translated into Spanish even though the student population is 23% English learners. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 9 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING Recommendations The district should: 1. Consider customer service training for district office staff to assist them in helping the public and other district employees. 2. Provide an open agenda for regularly scheduled district office staff meetings, and require monthly meetings in all departments to improve communication, consistently disseminate information, and explain decisions. 3. Use e-mail blasts, newsletters or other means to keep school sites and depart- ments informed of what is happening in the district and at the district office. 4. Have the superintendent follow up with administrators and managers on team-building at the district office through interdepartmental meetings and projects. 5. Celebrate the accomplishments of classified, certificated and management employees. 6. Continue to update board policies and administrative regulations to reflect current law. 7. Translate board agendas and minutes into Spanish to include the Spanish- speaking community. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 10 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING Business Services Department Assistant Superintendent of Business Services: The Business Services Department is overseen by the assistant superintendent of business services, who has served for three and a half years in this capacity with the district and reports directly to the superintendent. Over approximately the past 18 years, this person has served in various capacities in the educational community, including at the county office level, and in teaching and administrative positions in technology and at school sites. The department consists of the executive assistant II, the director of fiscal services, the manager of payroll and employee benefits, 2.0 FTE budget analyst positions and 6.75 FTE accounting technician positions. As with most districts, the assistant superintendent of business services oversees several depart- ments. These include business services, purchasing, maintenance and operations, food service, transportation and information technology services (IT). The job descriptions of the assistant superintendent, director of fiscal services and manager of payroll and employee benefits show that the assistant superintendent is responsible for supervising the director/manager level employees in the departments listed above, as well as the business department’s executive assistant and the switchboard receptionist. However, the district no longer has a switchboard receptionist position. Instead, the district utilizes a district receptionist-bilingual who is supervised by the assistant superintendent, human resources. The IT department operates without a director-level position because the previous director retired. The position was not rehired in an effort to save money, and all employees in this depart- ment are now supervised by the assistant superintendent of business services. The department consists of five full-time and one part-time computer/electronic technicians, three IT engineers, a student information database administrator, a district information specialist and a staff secretary. Unfortunately, the location of the IT department relative to the assistant superintendent’s office does not allow the assistant superintendent to effectively supervise department employees. Additionally, the department is split between two locations in the district office, with the student information database administrator and the district information specialist located in the educa- tional services area. District staff consistently reported that IT personnel were observed not working productively at their desks, playing games on their computers or wandering the hallways spending most of their day in personal conversations. This has resulted in district work not being accomplished, as was noted in two projects brought to FCMAT’s attention. The flat screen TVs purchased for the district office for use in obtaining information during emergencies or large, local news events and the scanners purchased for the DataDirector system have not been made operational. The flat screen TVs are awaiting connectivity, both electrical and cable. The scanners purchased were incorrect and by the time they were connected to the system, the warranty had expired, new ones needed to be purchased and a year of paid customer support was lost and could not be refunded. The next issue relates to personal use of district property. The district’s governing board has adopted board policy/administrative regulation 4040 regarding employee use of technology, which states that employees are to be responsible for the appropriate use of technology and that the district’s technological resources are to be used only for purposes consistent with the educational mission of the district and in accordance with all applicable policies and regulations. However, the district does not require employees to sign an acknowledgment of their receipt of an acceptable use policy. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 11 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING These behaviors raise the question of whether there is sufficient work to justify the number of employees in the department. However, the IT department was not included in this study, and the district or an outside vendor would need to further investigate workloads. Based on FCMAT’s interviews and its limited observations of the IT department, closer supervision of staff is needed. The estimated cost for a district technology officer would be approximately $104,000 per year, including salary, statutory benefits and health and welfare benefits. The estimate was calculated using step one of the salary schedule for the district technology officer classification as listed on the classified management and confidential salary schedule for 2012-13 (with furlough adjustments) under the assumption that the district would hire a new employee. If a current district employee were chosen for this position, the cost could increase to include a higher step on the salary schedule and a possible longevity stipend. The IT department includes the positions of student information database administrator and district information specialist. However, the work performed by these positions primarily relates to educational services. These positions are located in the Educational Services Department on the opposite side of the district office from the IT Department. Their inclusion in the Educational Services Department and supervision by the director of pupil support services would be more organizationally appropriate. Executive Assistant II: The executive assistant II has been with the district since 1994 and in the current position for the past four years. This position reports directly to the assistant superinten- dent of business services, and a variety of tasks cross this employee’s desk, from minor in nature to complex. FCMAT’s inquiries regarding the position’s job duties revealed that this employee serves in the district office’s incident command center during emergencies such as fires, power outages, storms, or tsunami warnings. All of these situations have occurred at the district in the recent past; however, this duty is not listed in the job description. While one of the position’s essential duties is to act “… as a liaison in coordinating matters between departments/offices by interacting with district administrators, managers, principals, staff, parents and/or with other external stakeholders on a wide variety of routine to highly complex, sensitive, confidential or urgent inquiries, complaints, and other issues for the purpose of providing information and/or direction as may be required,” a disaster is not the same as an urgent inquiry. FCMAT’s queries regarding the district office’s emergency plans for these types of situations revealed that no written plan exists. A district emergency plan is essential, along with revised job descriptions to accommodate the duties assigned by the plan. The district has placed this position on the classified management and confidential salary schedule and has included in the job description that it provides “complex and confidential administrative and secretarial support to an assistant superintendent.” It is a common mistake for a district to assume that a position is confidential because it has access to information that the public cannot or should not see, such as some portions of personnel files or correspondence of a sensitive legal nature. Under Government Code Section 3540.1, a position is confidential only if it has access to the employer’s collective bargaining information and the employee holding that position could not be part of any bargaining unit. If the executive assistant II has access to this type of information, takes or maintains notes in bargaining sessions or strategy sessions, or types and maintains drafts of bargaining positions, the job description should state this to clarify that it is a confidential position and not eligible to belong to one of the district’s bargaining units. Director, Fiscal Services: The employee in this position was first hired by the district in 1994 as an accounting clerk, later advancing to accounting technician. In 2005, this person left the district to become the business manager of a neighboring district but returned two and a half Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 12 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING years later to become the district’s accounting manager and was promoted to the position of director, fiscal services three years ago. At that time the position of accounting manager was eliminated. The job description states that the position directs “business programs and financial services; providing information and serving as a resource to others; achieving defined objectives by planning, evaluating, developing, implementing and maintaining services in compliance with established guidelines; supervising and evaluating the performance of assigned personnel; and serving as a member of the leadership team.” The director directly supervises the manager of payroll and employee benefits, two budget analysts, two full-time accounting technicians, one part-time accounting technician, and the district attendance technician. The position also oversees the purchasing department, which is comprised of the purchasing and stores manager, one buyer, one purchasing technician and one warehouse/delivery driver. The elimination of the accounting manager position brought most of the tasks that were previously performed by that position to the desk of the director. Adding these duties to the normal duties of the director presents a tremendous challenge to complete all the work. Many of the accounting manager duties could be performed at a lower level, which would help the district to better comply with rules and regulations and produce more accurate financial transactions and reports. FCMAT reviewed various financial documents provided by the district for this study, and found these issues: • The audited financial statements for the year ending June 30, 2011 included findings regarding: • Approximately $52 million of construction in progress projects that had not been placed into service on completion, which resulted in fixed assets being improperly reported pursuant to Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement No. 34 and underreporting depreciation of approximately $2.1 million. • The district not having performed an inventory since 2003 of items whose current market value exceeds $500 per item pursuant to Education Code Section 35168; items delivered to sites are not tagged for inventory; and the movement of items from one location to another is not tracked. • The 2010-11 unaudited actuals reflected the following: • The cafeteria fund’s (Fund 13) cash balance exceeded the three months of average expenditures allowed by 7CFR, Section 210, Subsection 210.14. • The district’s capital facilities fund (Fund 25) is allowed, pursuant to Education Code Section 17620(a)(5), to use up to 3% of the developer fees collected in a given fiscal year to reimburse administrative costs incurred by the district in collecting the fees. For Lompoc Unified, had this provision been followed, $6,398 would have been captured by the general fund in 2010-11; $14,052 for 2011-12 based on the estimated actuals, and $7,500 for 2012-13 based on the adoption budget. • Sections relating to the cost of the district’s single audit and employment separation costs were left blank on the Indirect Cost Worksheet (Form ICR). • Exhibit A to the Form ICR reflects that the district is not charging indirect costs to resources that encroach on the general fund such as special education and transportation. Districts often take this approach because the application of the indirect cost rate would increase the encroachment; however, it misreports the true cost of these programs. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 13 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING • The 2012-13 budget showed the following: • The School District Certification form (Form CB) and the Workers’ Compensation Certification forms were printed on Sunday, June 24, 2012 at approximately 10 p.m., and the remainder of the budget reflects printing on Monday June 25, 2012 at approximately 8:15 a.m. The board’s public hearing regarding adoption of the budget was held on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 and commenced at 4:30 p.m. District administration reported that the board received a complete copy of the Standardized Account Code Structure (SACS) forms on Monday; however, one day is an insufficient time to digest 140 pages of forms that are complex and do not necessarily report information in user-friendly terms. The district reported it was late in providing the forms to the board because staff ran out of time to pull them together and, while there are PowerPoint presentations to the board, there is not enough time to provide more straightforward information. This review of three financial documents provided by the district serves as an example of how tasks can be pushed aside or not completed in their entirety when the job duties of two positions are combined into one. While the board receives compulsory information, it is not in the most user friendly and readily understandable form. The district has recently accepted the retirement of the manager of payroll and employee benefits, which presents the opportunity to review and revise the duties of that position in conjunction with the director’s position. FCMAT’s recom- mendations regarding this reconfiguration will be discussed in that portion of the report relating to the manager. In addition to duties that should be performed at a lower management level, the director performs duties and the job description contains duties that can be accomplished at a classi- fied support staff level. These include preparation of expenditure reports for state and federal programs, initial development of budgets by resource, balancing resources, resource variance analysis, internal audits and maintenance of files. FCMAT’s recommendations as to the transfer of these duties will be discussed in that portion of the report relating to the district’s budget analysts. Manager, Payroll and Employee Benefits: This employee is retiring after 32 years of service and after holding every position in the payroll department. This position is supervised by the assistant superintendent of business services for duties related to workers’ compensation, and by the director of fiscal services for all other duties. This is an unclear chain of command as discussed in the Organizational Structure section of this report. This person supervises four accounting technicians who all perform payroll duties. A manager of accounting and budgeting position could supervise all budget analysts, accounting technicians and the district attendance technician. This position would supervise payroll and also assume duties that were previously assigned to the accounting manager and now rest with the director, as well as general duties that encompass the entire business office. The manager of payroll and employee benefits position would not be filled. Examples of the additional duties that would be assigned to the manager of accounting and budgeting are: • Audit and approval of accounts payable batches. • Audit and approval of payroll pre-lists. Even though this more logically resides with the manager of payroll and benefits, it is often performed by the director. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 14 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING • Preparation of the district’s revenue limit calculations. • Preparation of the district’s federal impact aid calculations. • Initial preparation of negotiations calculations. • Initial preparation of district budget. • Initial preparation of SACS reporting forms. • Approval of requisitions. • Review of expenditure reports for state and federal programs. • Review of attendance reports filed with the state. • Review of all tax forms such as the sales and use tax and fuel tax returns. • Reconciliation of position control to payroll on a schedule that more closely matches when changes are made rather than the current daily process. Little movement occurs with the certificated staff once school begins, so a quarterly reconciliation may be a better use of time. However, classified personnel normally change more frequently, which may merit monthly reconciliations. • Preparation of year-end GASB 34 entries. FCMAT’s review of the duties reported by the manager and the position’s job description reveal that the following items should be performed by others: • Analyzing and monitoring workers’ compensation injuries/illnesses as well as working with workers’ compensation administrators and legal counsel on litigated claims. These are duties that traditionally fall into the human resources department and should be transferred to that department. • Providing salary and benefit calculations to administrators/department heads for budget preparation. This function should move to the district’s budget analysts so they can prepare budgets based on programs/resources. • Serving on the district’s negotiations team. The district has two business administrators on its team for classified negotiations and three on the team for certificated negotiations. This is redundant. The departure of the manager of payroll and benefits, gives the district an opportunity to review the composition of its negotiations teams. Only one or two business employees are needed on these teams. This would allow the manager to provide the calculations and the director to review and analyze them before they are utilized. The new manager of accounting and budgeting also should be assigned to develop a policies and procedures manual for the business office. This reference would diagram internal controls and written standards for the business office, school sites and other district departments to follow. District administrators and staff stated that no such handbook exists and no training on policies and procedures has been provided to the departments/sites for several years. Each employee(s) tasked with a set of duties (i.e. payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash, revolving fund, travel/conference requests, etc.) could be assigned the job of providing a draft of the procedure for their set of responsibilities. This would help shorten the timeline for producing the manual. The same plan can also be utilized for the in-service training, with each duty section providing instruction. After the initial production of the manual and in-service, the district should update the manual annually. An annual in-service for departments/sites would help keep them up-to-date on processes. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 15 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING The loss of such a long-term employee emphasizes the need for cross-training so that when there is a vacancy due to illness, vacation or separation, another employee can fill in during the absence or assist a temporary employee. This allows the district to continue essential business office func- tions without interruption. District administrators and staff indicated that some positions have had cross-training and some have not. Desk manuals that include step-by-step procedures for each position’s duties are important to ensure proper internal controls and provide a better understanding of job responsibilities. The district should develop these manuals for each district office employee and ensure that each includes a step-by-step procedure for all assigned duties. The estimated savings for this change would be approximately $23,000 for the 2012-13 fiscal year, including salary and statutory benefits. The district’s portion of the health and welfare benefits was not a factor in the calculation as it would continue at the same level regardless of the title of the manager in place. The estimate was calculated using step one of the salary schedule for a Level III Manager as listed on the classified management and confidential salary schedule for 2012-13 (with furlough adjustments) under the assumption that the district would hire a new employee. The step one salary was compared to the step under which the current employee is paid. If a current district employee were chosen for this position, the cost could increase to include a higher step on the salary schedule as well as a possible longevity stipend. Budget Analysts: The district has two full-time budget analysts who both work under the same job description, although each has a specific area of focus. One handles categorical programs and the other handles the accounting associated with the district’s $38 million bond measure (Measure N) approved by voters in 2002. Measure N currently has approximately $1 million left to expend, and duties regarding the projects associated with it have been diminishing and will continue to do so. These positions were created approximately three years ago when the accounting manager position was eliminated. Their basic functions are to “… perform a variety of highly complex financial analysis functions; perform difficult and technical accounting and budget functions; assist in the development and revision of the District’s budget, revenue projections, cost analysis, and financial reports; audit and distribute monthly fiscal activity printouts to business and/or site managers; develop, analyze and review projections/forecasts for expenditures and revenues, trend analyses, and other necessary statistical reports; analyze data related to the budget and other special requirements; assist in planning workshops for district-wide staff in areas of budget development, understanding of fiscal reports (budget and accounting), policies, procedures, account numbers, deadlines, and forms; assume and perform related duties and responsibilities as required.” District administrators and staff told FCMAT that both budget analysts and the accounting technicians process accounts payable. This is the primary duty of the district’s accounting techni- cians, and comparison of the two positions’ job descriptions reveals that the duties, skills and educational requirements of the budget analyst are of a higher order than those of the accounting technicians. Budget analysts are also placed at a higher salary range than accounting technicians. Consequently, the district has not utilized the skills and abilities of its budget analysts to their fullest, because all accounts payable functions could be handled by the accounting technician positions. The transfer of the accounts payable functions to the accounting technicians would eliminate approximately 45-65 hours of work each month per budget analyst position and allow these Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 16 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING positions to assume and/or more fully complete duties that require added technical and analytical skills such as: • Preparation of expenditure reports for state and federal programs. • Preparation of and balancing budgets by resource/fund. • Variance analysis of resources/funds. • Internal audits of district accounts and ASB records. • Balancing of capital asset accounts and application of depreciation. • Preparation of the No Child Left Behind maintenance of effort (MOE) calculation. • Preparation of the special education MOE calculation. • Preparation of quarterly sales and use tax as well as fuel tax returns. Based on the district’s analysis of the duties performed by the two budget analysts, the district should strive to balance the number of resources each position handles and the other duties being performed in these positions such as processing developer fees, textbook refunds, cancelled/stale warrants and manual checks, the Medi-Cal Administrative Activities (MAA) report and developer fee reconciliation. This will become especially important as the tasks related to Measure N wind down and are finalized. Accounting Technicians: The six full-time and one part-time accounting technician positions work under the same job description, although they have specialized areas of focus. One full- time employee performs certificated payroll duties, one full-time employee performs classified payroll duties, one full-time employee performs employee benefit duties, one full-time employee performs retiree benefits and other miscellaneous payroll duties, two full-time employees perform accounts payable duties and a .60 FTE employee handles accounts payable and other duties for the food service department. The accounting technicians who perform payroll duties report to the manager of payroll and benefits, and the remaining accounting technicians report to the director, fiscal services. FCMAT reviewed the job description for the account technicians and the duties that were reported as being performed by each. Based on the level of information that is required to be understood regarding taxes, the preparation of the quarterly tax returns for sales and use tax and the quarterly fuel tax return should be transferred to the budget analysts. A job duty that was reported for all seven of the accounting technicians was “reading” reports. Specifically, reading involves one person reviewing the computer generated report while another person reads the information from source documentation such as timesheets or invoices to ensure that the report is correct. This task takes approximately three hours per month for each of the four payroll accounting technicians. Each accounts payable accounting technician spends approximately 1.5 hours per week reading reports. This practice involves three sets of approval procedures: the person entering the information, the two people performing the reading and then the supervisor reviewing/auditing the information prior to approval. This takes approximately 30 hours per month and, because a supervisor conducts a review/audit, it should be eliminated. For accounts payable, the supervisor reviewing the pre-list already receives the pre-list and each and every invoice that is being paid. For payroll, a reconciliation process would assist the supervisor in the audit that is performed prior to approval. For a payroll consisting of timesheets, an adding machine tape can be prepared totaling the gross payroll calculated on the timesheets and then compared against the pre-list. For a month-end payroll, the prior month’s gross payroll can be Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 17 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING used as the base, with any additions or deletions applied and then balanced against the current month’s gross payroll. Each district devises its own procedures and methods of reconciliation. Timesheets are a very time intensive aspect of processing payroll. To process the timesheet of someone who has served as a substitute in one of the district’s regular positions, a substitute code (sub code) must be attached to the account string. This alone is a time consuming process that is exacerbated by the sub code for the same work being different for each substitute. For example, if Substitute A were to perform substitute duties as a staff secretary, her sub code might be 02. However, if Substitute B were to perform the same staff secretarial duties, her sub code might be 03. To streamline this process, the district should implement uniform sub codes for all substi- tutes. Another process that has added time and complexity to the payroll process is the necessity for a Position Control Authorization (PCA) to be completed and signed to authorize any deviation in a position, no matter the cost associated with the change. The district’s rationale behind the use of the PCA is to ensure correct coding of the expenditure and to ensure that budgetary limits are not exceeded. However, processing a PCA can take from 3-4 weeks and without the signed form, the person who performed the work cannot be paid. The State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) has implemented new reporting requirements that can attach interest and penalties for late reporting, which may magnify this issue. As a result, the time spent processing this form may far outweigh its benefit. Traditionally, the district has offered four different health plans to its employees. At the conclu- sion of the past year’s negotiations with the district’s bargaining units, the bargaining units had four health plans each. Doubling the number of health plans has resulted in the accounting technicians who process payroll receiving many questions regarding the employee cost for various plans. This becomes more complex when dealing with partial positions. A spreadsheet showing the cost to an employee for each plan, based on the employee’s full- or part-time status, would help payroll and human resources to answer these questions. The district offers employees who do not work during the summer months the option to receive summer pay. Essentially, the employee’s earnings over their 10-month work calendar are paid over 12 months. The district’s collective bargaining agreement with its classified bargaining unit provides full-time employees receive $6,540 for medical insurance per year and discusses how to prorate that benefit to part-time employees. The hours that the part-time employee works are to be compared to a full-time employee based on “eight (8) hours a day, forty (40) hours per calendar week, four (4) calendar weeks per month, or ten (10) calendar months, during the September through June school year.” This creates issues regarding health and welfare benefits, with the district paying premiums to vendors over 12 months but deducting the employee’s portion of the premium over 10 months. This is especially true with all classified unit employees earning their health and welfare benefits over a 10-month period and having their portion of the premium deducted from their pay over that same 10 months even though some of these employees work a 12-month calendar. The result is a two-tiered system under which 10-month classified employees earn their health and welfare benefits over 10 months but 12-month employees earn theirs with only 10 months of service. Additionally, should a 12-month employee leave the district’s employ after only providing 10 months of service, the employee could poten- tially receive 12 months of medical benefits. Accounting technicians performing payroll duties often must discuss items with employees by phone or in the district office regarding their pay, retirement or investment issues. Many people consider their finances to be a personal matter that they do not wish to conduct in public. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 18 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING However, the configuration of the area where the payroll employees work does not allow private conversations to occur. Installing higher walls between cubicles could help increase the privacy between desks in the payroll area. During FCMAT’s interviews with accounting technicians performing payroll duties, it was noted that after the warrants have been processed by the county office, they are returned to the same accounting technician who initially prepared the payroll. Effective internal controls and separa- tion of duties would prevent the same person from initiating, processing and mailing transac- tions, and from posting the transaction in the accounting records. The current system allows the accounting technician to have custody of the warrants once they have been issued by the county office. No control is in place that would detect whether the accounting technician processes the warrants appropriately. The warrants processed by one accounting technician should be given to another for separation and distribution. The Business Department also provides services that in many districts are the responsibility of the Human Resources Department. Specifically, the accounting technicians responsible for payroll perform duties related to workers’ compensation injuries such as injury reports, physician appointments, arranging for subs for injured employees and return to work status notices. As a result, payroll processing is frequently interrupted, resulting in extra hours of work to meet payroll deadlines. As noted in other sections of this report, many have cited communication as lacking throughout the district office. The lack of communication between payroll and the Human Resources Department is of particular concern because of their closely related functions. Without noti- fication from human resources that an employee exists, payroll cannot be processed for that employee, and the two areas must also work together to create a sound position control system for budgeting purposes. Joint monthly meetings could improve communications, resolve issues, and promote a sense of teamwork. Accounting technicians also perform various duties related to accounts payable (AP) and, like accounting technicians who perform payroll duties, they involve the processing of warrants issued by the county office. Even though each AP accounting technician submits their own pre-list/batch, the county office returns the accounts payable warrants to the district with all of them combined. The warrants are then divided randomly so that the AP accounting technicians can process them for mailing. This procedure may allow the same technician who initiated the transaction and processed it to have possession of the warrant. As noted above, effective internal controls and separation of duties would prevent the same person from initiating, processing and mailing transactions, and from posting the transaction in the accounting records. No control is in place that would detect whether the accounting technician processes the warrants appropriately. AP warrants processed by one accounting technician should be returned to another for separation and distribution after receipt from the county office. Additionally, when the warrants are delivered to the district from the county office, they are placed in the mail room unattended and there is no district policy requiring that someone accept and sign for them. Policy and procedure should require someone to be physically present to accept and sign for the delivery of warrants from the county office. When warrants are ready for mailing, accounting technicians place them in the mail room. The mail room is unattended, so best practice is to place the warrants into the outgoing mail bin shortly before the scheduled pickup to prevent someone with knowledge of the district’s mail schedule from removing one or more warrants. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 19 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING It is an important internal control for the employee who processes vendor payments not to have the ability to change vendor information. This prevents someone from creating a ficti- tious vendor or directing payment to a recipient who is not entitled to it. District staff reported that one accounting technician processes all vendor information changes. This duty should be handled by a position outside of AP processing, possibly the receptionist or budget analysts. The accounts payable technicians also process cash for deposit into district accounts. Cash received each day that is awaiting processing or received too late for deposit is placed in a small safe overnight or, if the safe is full, into a locked cupboard. The district has a fireproof vault that should be utilized to safeguard cash. All safes, vaults, etc. that contain financial documents should be kept locked at all times. The district has a well-written administrative regulation, AR 3350, regarding travel expenses. It lists the requirements for meal reimbursement both in terms of receipts required and amounts. However, it fails to inform the employee that alcoholic beverages are not a reimbursable expendi- ture pursuant to Education Code Section 32435. Because the district’s employees are considered government employees, hotels may waive the tran- sient occupancy tax. The district’s AR 3350 does not mention this option and employees may be inadvertently not taking advantage of this savings opportunity. It should be the employee’s duty to inquire if the hotel will accept waiver of the transient occupancy tax as reservations are made. If the hotel will waive the tax, the employee can fax or take with them a hotel/motel transient occupancy tax waiver exemption claim for governmental agencies. A sample of this form is attached as Appendix A to this report. Because the total amount saved during a fiscal year can be substantial, employees should always seek these reduced rates and waivers when traveling on district business. Completing paperwork can be an intimidating task for those who travel infrequently on district business. The district has generated a number of forms that deal with requesting travel, estimating travel costs, and reimbursement. Many of the forms refer the reader to a policy or state that questions should be directed to a person and lists a phone number. These methods rely on the requesting employee’s ability to access the policy or contact the person who is to answer the question. Best practice would be to include the instructions along with the form being completed, perhaps on the back of the form or in an additional tab in the Excel worksheet that is provided. With the implementation of changes in procedures and duties, the district’s accounting techni- cians should no longer have as many duties to perform, and some of the remaining duties will not take as long to perform. FCMAT’s interviews with staff revealed that at least one desk did not have sufficient duties to fill its eight-hour day. Eliminating one accounting technician posi- tion would yield an estimated annual savings of $61,000, based on the salary of the least senior employee (including furlough days for the 2012-13 fiscal year), statutory benefits and health and welfare benefits paid by the district. The estimate does not consider the effects of “bumping” that may occur with a reduction in force. District Attendance Technician: The employee in this position has worked for the district for 22 years. This position reports directly to the director, fiscal services. The purpose of the position is to ensure “… accurate attendance accounting within the district; providing general clerical support, information and/or direction as may be assigned; resolving attendance related issues; ensuring compliance with state reporting and documenting requirements; and conveying atten- dance related information to appropriate parties.” Duties include attendance reporting, school of Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 20 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING choice/NCLB transfers, enrollment projections, instructional minutes calculations, calculation of federal impact aid and CBEDS reporting. Many of these duties are not included in the job description, and this position does not normally exist in districts of comparable size. Eliminating this position would yield an annual savings of approximately $68,000, with its duties disbursed as follows: • Transfer student attendance accounting and class size reporting to budget analysts. • Reassign instructional minutes calculations and enrollment projections to the director of fiscal services. • Transfer calculations regarding federal impact aid to the manager of accounting and budgeting. • Transfer school of choice/NCLB transfers to the Educational Services Department. • Reassign the duties related to CBEDS reporting to either the district information specialist or the student information database administrator. The savings includes the current employee’s salary, longevity stipend, statutory benefits and health and welfare benefits paid by the district. The estimate does not consider the effects of “bumping” that may occur with a reduction in force. FCMAT’s inquiries regarding the procedure that is utilized for enrollment projections revealed that the district uses the survival method for grades 1 through 12 and birth rates to estimate kindergarten enrollment. Although other enrollment projection methods are available, the cohort survival method usually is the best choice for school districts because of its sensitivity to incremental changes in several key variables. However, the district projects its enrollment only one year in advance. Best practice would be to extend these projections out for multiple years. The director, fiscal services has performed this duty in the past, and should resume doing so in the interest of continuity. Additional training may be needed regarding the current methodology used. Manager, Purchasing and Stores: The manager, purchasing and stores has 7.5 years of experi- ence with the district and 33 years of experience in procurement, mostly in the private sector. This position oversees the purchasing department, which consists of one purchasing and stores manager, one buyer, one purchasing technician and one warehouse/delivery driver. This posi- tion reports to the assistant superintendent of business services. The job description for this position states that the position was “established for the purpose/s of supervising purchasing, print shop, and the warehouse; ensuring the timely delivery of services and activities in all areas of supervision; overseeing assigned personnel; providing information to others; and scheduling work assignments within established timeframes and standards.” However, most of the manager’s time is dedicated almost exclusively to carrying out public works projects. Consequently, the purchasing technician and the buyer are responsible for carrying out most of the duties associated with the purchasing function, and many of the duties listed in the manager’s job description. Most of the manager’s time is spent overseeing the competitive bid process, including preparing bid specifications, advertising for bids, opening bids, verifying bid documents, and preparing the bids for board award. A similar process is followed for both deferred maintenance and Measure N (modernization) projects. Once the board has awarded the bid and a notice to proceed has been issued, the project is either handed off to an outside construction manager for Measure N projects, or to the manager of maintenance and operations for deferred maintenance projects. Although the person holding this position has processed 130 bids in the last seven years (40 Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 21 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING concurrently during the height of Measure N activity), only seven jobs are open, with two jobs pending. One of the essential functions of this position is to procure “equipment, supplies and materials for the purpose of maintaining availability of required items and completing jobs efficiently.” Since only approximately $1 million in Measure N proceeds remain, and no source of capital facilities funding is identified for the district in the near future, the district could assign additional responsibilities to the purchasing manager, such as some of the procurement duties, without increasing the scope of the position. Purchasing Technician: The purchasing technician has 13 years with the district in this position, and is supervised by the manager, purchasing and stores. The job description for this position states it was “established for the purpose/s of sourcing, evaluation and purchasing of supplies and materials in compliance with established purchasing regulations and practices; maintaining adequate quantities of stock; insuring appropriate inventory control systems; resolving issues that may impact the efficiency in the purchasing process and providing quality customer service.” Fifty percent of the purchasing technician’s job is negotiating standardized items and the other 50% is spent on nonstandardized items that are competitively bid, sole sourced or purchased through a request for proposal. Although the position’s primary responsibility is to process stores items, this employee has been cross-trained with the buyer to process requisitions for outside vendors as well. The district uses a combination of central warehousing and “just in time” through Office Depot to deliver materials and equipment to departments and school sites. The district’s use of the central warehouse has decreased substantially; purchasing staff estimate they have reduced line items by as much as 70% in recent years. An Excel spreadsheet is used to track the Office Depot number, cost and item description before uploading this information into AS 400. As noted above, the position was established to ensure appropriate inventory control systems were in place; however, this is not listed as an essential duty in the job description. The district’s audited financial statements for the year ending June 30, 2011 included a finding that since 2003 the district had not performed an inventory of items whose current market value exceeds $500 per item pursuant to Education Code Section 35168; items delivered to sites are not tagged for inventory; and the movement of items from one location to another is not tracked. This audit finding will most likely be repeated for the district’s audited financial statements for the year ending June 30, 2012. Buyer: The buyer has 26 years with the district, and has been the buyer for the last year and a half. She was previously the administrative assistant for transportation, maintenance and opera- tions. This position reports directly to the manager, purchasing and stores. The job description for this position states it was “established for supporting the district’s purchasing activities by developing and updating procurement methodologies; initiating bidding process and recom- mending bid awards; procuring product lines and placing orders; ensuring timely shipment and receipt of ordered items; researching and resolving shipping and invoicing issues; providing purchasing documentation; and assisting the Purchasing Manager with monitoring department staff.” Both the buyer and purchasing technician are responsible for entering requisitions into the district’s AS 400 program, a stand-alone electronic purchasing system, to create purchase orders and manage inventory. Since the AS 400 system is not integrated with the Santa Barbara County Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 22 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING Education Office’s financial system, programmers from the county office have written bridge software to provide an interface. Although AS 400 was originally envisioned as a comprehensive electronic purchasing system, with approval paths and online requisitioning capability, it is not being used in that fashion. Staff reported the purchasing process is paper-driven, meaning sites and department enter vendor and budget information into the AS 400 template, then print out the template as a manual requisi- tion and forward the requisition for approval via the interoffice mail. Depending on the type of purchase, the requisition is first sent to the superintendent or one of the assistant superintendents (business or HR) for approval, and then to accounting for budget approval. Once the requisition reaches accounting, problems with insufficient funds or incorrect coding are identified, and then the requisition is sent back to the initiator, along with a request for a coding correction or budget transfer. Although the budget may be sufficient when the school site sends the manual purchase requisition to the district office, that same budget may not be adequate by the time the requisi- tion is processed and entered into the purchasing module as a purchase order. The inability of the sites and departments to access and enter requisitions into the online purchasing system prevents them from tracking requisitions in a timely manner. As a result, delays occur between the submission of requisitions and encumbrance of the purchase order. It can take up to 35 days for a requisition to be processed and a purchase order to be created. Purchasing staff indicate that the online purchasing aspect of AS 400 is not being used because site administrators and/or department heads are unwilling to log in each day to approve requisi- tions in the queue. Ideally, all departments should be on one financial system, and that system should contain an electronic purchasing module. However, until the district transitions to a new financial system, it should fully implement the AS 400 online purchasing module so that all sites and departments can input purchase requisitions into the system, track their progress and avoid lengthy delays in processing purchasing transactions. Warehouse/Delivery Driver: The warehouse/delivery driver has six years with the district, two in his current position, and four years previously in maintenance and grounds positions. The job description indicates the position was “established for the purpose/s of providing support to the warehousing operations with specific responsibilities of transporting orders over designated routes; ensuring safe operation of vehicles; and loading and unloading orders.” The warehouse delivery driver indicates that 40% of the work time is spent as a delivery driver and 60% is allocated to the warehouse, with 10% of the warehouse time dedicated exclusively to receiving library books and materials. Supervisor, Printing and Publications: The supervisor, printing and publications retired in August 2012 after 28 years with the district. This position was vacant at the time of FCMAT’s fieldwork. The supervisor reported to the assistant superintendent of business services and managed two offset print operators. These two offset operators have continued their work in the absence of their supervisor and are temporarily reporting to the assistant superintendent of business services while the district determines if it will refill the supervisor position. The print shop is a well-lighted, modernized facility, equipped with a high volume digital copier and offset printing presses. Its function is to print office forms, instructional materials such as worksheets and work- books, and graphic art for posters and theater programs. The print shop averages about 8 million impressions per year and also runs all of the postage for district mail. In many school districts, print shop functions have been outsourced to third party vendors in an effort to reduce costs. However, the district’s internal expertise in this area and its relatively remote location do not make this option viable. Nonetheless, the retirement of the print shop Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 23 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING supervisor gives the district the opportunity to restructure the print shop and potentially reduce costs. Rather than replace the print shop supervisor, the district could create one lead offset press operator position and place the print shop under the direct supervision of the manager, purchasing and stores. This would also result in the purchasing department being responsible for district mail. The estimated cost savings for this change would be approximately $63,000 per year, including salary, statutory benefits and health and welfare benefits. The estimate includes the cost of hiring a new supervisor of printing and publishing at step 1 and subtracting the increased cost of moving one of the offset press operators to the lead position using their current salary and range 38, step 4 as the estimated salary for the lead position along with their longevity stipend. If the lead offset press operator position is created, it likely would be placed two to three ranges above the offset press operator range of 35. The employee likely would not receive the step 1 salary because it would be lower than their current salary. Offset Press Operators: There are two offset press operators. The more senior of the two has served in this capacity from 1982 to 1985, and again from 1999 to the present. The other offset press operator has been in the position for the last 13 years. According to the job description, the offset press operator position was “established for the purpose/s of providing support to the printing process with specific responsibilities for completing requests in accordance with work order specifications; performing routine and minor maintenance on printing presses and high speed copiers; ensuring the safe and efficient operation of reproduction equipment; and deliv- ering completed materials within established timeline.” Ninety-five percent of print jobs are received in the print shop via written work order. A teacher or staff member fills out an order form specifying the number of copies and finishing options, such as stapled or three-hole punch, and the form goes in the interoffice mail. If the request is submitted after the mail pickup it can take more than a day to be delivered to the print shop because interoffice mail only runs every other day. Once the document arrives, it is prioritized based on date received, and an offset print operator manually enters the order information into the system. Teachers who need classroom materials quickly often use the copiers in their build- ings instead of the more cost-effective equipment in the print shop. Print shop services should be convenient for school site staff to ensure that large print jobs are routed there instead of processed on less efficient copiers at individual school sites. The district should automate the print job request process by enabling school sites and depart- ment to place orders online and to track the progress of the request. Each site should also receive the print shop work order protocols online. This would help the sites and departments to prop- erly fill out work orders and avoid delays. The print shop has standardized many forms that are used district-wide and maintains a massive database of digital forms and paper originals. However, there is no minimum copy requirement to use the print shop, even though all schools have their own copiers and can run small jobs at their sites. As a result, school sites often forward small jobs to the print job that are not cost effec- tive to process. The district should establish a minimum threshold (e.g., 200-plus copies) for a job to be sent to the print shop. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 24 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING Recommendations The district should: 1. Revise the supervisorial duties contained in the job description of the assistant superintendent of business services’ job description to eliminate the position of switchboard receptionist. 2. Require employees to sign an acknowledgment of receipt of the acceptable use policy, and place it in their employee files. 3. Consider conducting an organization/staffing study of the IT department either internally or by a vendor. 4. Consider closer supervision of the IT department or hiring a district tech- nology officer. 5. Move the positions of student information database administrator and a district information specialist to the Education Services Department, with supervision by the director, pupil support services. 6. Immediately develop a district emergency plan and revise job descriptions to accommodate duties assigned in that plan. 7. Identify the specific duties that the executive assistant II performs that are confidential, and include these in the job description to clarify that it is a confidential position and not a bargaining unit position. 8. When the manager of payroll and employee benefits retires, establish a manager of accounting and budgeting position that would supervise all budget analysts, accounting technicians and the district attendance techni- cian. Add the duties as noted above to the new manager of accounting and budget position. Transfer duties as noted above from the manger of payroll and benefits to other departments or positions. 9. Designate that the manager be removed from the district’s negotiations teams. 10. Create a policies and procedures manual for the business department and provide in-service instruction to all departments/sites. Update the manual annually. 11. Provide annual in-service training to departments/sites on business office policies and procedures. 12. Ensure that cross-training occurs for all district office positions. 13. Develop manuals of employee duties for each desk in the district office, and ensure that each includes step-by-step procedures for all assigned duties. 14. Transfer all accounts payable functions to the accounting technician posi- tions, allowing the district’s budget analyst positions to perform duties requiring a higher level of technical and analytical skills. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 25 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING 15. Balance the duties assigned between the two budget analyst positions in terms of the number of resources each handles and the other duties being performed. Transfer the duty for the preparation of the quarter tax returns for sales and use tax as well as the quarterly fuel tax return to the budget analysts. 16. Eliminate the process of reading preliminary payroll and accounts payable lists and instead, institute a payroll reconciliation process. 17. Implement uniform sub codes for all substitutes. 18. Consider conducting a cost/benefit analysis to determine if a minimum dollar threshold for extra work should prompt the use of a position control authori- zation form. 19. Develop a spreadsheet showing the employee cost for each health plan based on that employee’s full- or part-time status for use in answering inquiries. 20. Review the classified contract language regarding the rate at which health benefits are earned and seek changes during the next bargaining session to equalize the rates among different groups of employees. 21. Seek remedies to mitigate sound between desks in the payroll area so private conversations can be held with employees. 22. Require the warrants processed by one accounting technician to be returned to another for separation and distribution. 23. Consider reassigning such duties as workers’ compensation claims coordina- tion to the Human Resources Department. 24. Conduct regular monthly meetings between payroll and the human resources department. 25. Revise its policies and procedures to require that a person be physically present to accept and sign for the delivery of warrants from the county office. 26. Develop a policy to place the warrants into the outgoing mail bin shortly before the scheduled pickup. 27. Transfer the duty of changing vendor information to a position outside accounts payable processing, possibly the receptionist or budget analysts. 28. Utilize the fireproof vault to safeguard cash and eliminate the use of the small safe or locked cupboard. 29. Modify conference attendance procedures contained in AR 3350 to include the prohibition against reimbursement of alcoholic beverages. Direct employees to be responsible for removing these items from their reimburse- ment requests. Require employees who make hotel reservations to inquire about state government discount rates and waiver of the transient occupancy tax. Include instructions along with the form being completed. 30. Consider eliminating one accounting technician position. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 26 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING 31. Consider eliminating the district attendance technician position and transfer- ring those duties. 32. Transfer the duty of enrollment projections to the director, fiscal services. Provide training on the current methodology, if needed. Extend enrollment projections out for multiple years. 33. Consider reassigning duties among purchasing staff once public works proj- ects under Measure N wind down. 34. Assign the purchasing technician the responsibility for completing fixed asset inventories and revise the job description accordingly. 35. Change the requisition approval path to forward requisitions to the Accounting Department for budget approval before they are sent to the assis- tant superintendent or superintendent for signature. 36. Require sites and departments to utilize the AS 400 online purchasing system to initiate purchase requisitions. Require managers and site administrators to log on daily to approve requisitions sitting in the queue. 37. Leave the position of supervisor, printing and publications unfilled, and create a lead offset press operator position. Place the print shop/district mail functions under the supervision of the manager, purchasing and stores. 38. Enable school sites and department to initiate work orders for print jobs online, and provide each site with the print shops work order protocols. 39. Establish a minimum copy threshold (e.g., 200 copies) for a job to be sent to the print shop for copying. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 27 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING Human Resources Department The district operates under the merit system. This system of laws is contained in Education Code Sections 45240-45320 and provides a method for managing classified personnel with efficiency and economy. It also contains procedures for selection and retention of employees, promotional opportunities, training and other employment related matters on the basis of merit, fitness and the principle of like pay for like work. This system is administered by a personnel commission, an independent body of three people authorized by the state to establish and maintain the district’s position classification plan, adopt guidelines to analyze jobs and develop valid employment examinations, and adopt rules and procedures to carry out classified personnel administration. Merit systems exist in 95 school districts, community college districts and county offices of education in California. The level of work in a merit system is typically greater than in non- merit districts and usually involves a written/performance assessment, a paper-screening grading process, an oral board assessment, and the maintenance of eligibility lists for particular positions. There are unique features to any merit system district, one of which is the personnel commis- sion rules and regulations, written according to the Education Code mandates and updated by personnel commission actions. They govern the processes and procedures for classified employee recruitment, selection, and in-service transactions. These rules and regulations exist to provide confidence to classified employees that personnel decisions are made on the basis of merit and fairness. FCMAT’s interviews with district personnel and review of department documentation provided by the district disclose that the principles of the merit system are being followed. Examples of this are recruitment bulletins detailing selection criteria and minimum qualifications; paper screening and assessment procedures as outlined in the district’s Personnel Commission Rules; use of the Cooperative Organization for the Development of Employee Selection Procedures (CODESP) as a source for assessments; fairness in determining which posi- tions are open and which are deemed promotional for district employees; oral boards conducted according to the rules and regulations, and eligibility lists developed accordingly. FCMAT’s interviews with district administration and staff revealed that some typical func- tions for an HR department are not performed in Lompoc’s HR department. Most notably, all workers’ compensation functions – injury reports, physician appointments, return-to-work protocols and appraisals – are handled by the payroll section of the business office. These employees often must place their payroll duties on hold to deal with a worker’s injury. This can cause payroll deadlines to be missed or overtime or comp time to be worked so payroll deadlines can be met. Most district job descriptions do not indicate the position’s supervisor. While certain descriptions cannot be specific because of differences in departments and sites, it would be less confusing for employees and is best practice to provide the immediate supervisor’s title wherever practical. The district’s job descriptions list employee physicals as part of the required testing, but FCMAT’s interviews with district administration and staff reflected that pre-employment physi- cals are not performed. The duties of some positions require the applicant to have certain levels of strength, agility, bending and kneeling. This is especially true for positions such as bus drivers and those in the Maintenance and Operations Department. Hiring an employee without deter- mining if they have the physical ability to perform the job may subject the district to additional liability and expense if an employee is injured on duty. As noted in other sections of this report, district employees reported to FCMAT that they lack desk manuals that include step-by-step procedures for most of their job duties. Procedural desk Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 28 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING manuals ensure proper internal controls and serve as a reference regarding each position’s respon- sibilities. They become particularly important when employees sever service from the district, are on vacation or out due to illness for a lengthy time. Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources: This employee was hired in July 2011 after many years as a site administrator at a comparably sized unified district in Los Angeles County. The position oversees all human resources functions generally, and specifically oversees certificated functions, the Lompoc Apprentice Teacher Support System (LATSS), and the Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) programs. The assistant superintendent also is the district’s chief negotiator in collective bargaining, oversees all employee discipline situations (certificated and classified), and is a member of the superintendent’s executive cabinet. This position is supported by an executive assistant, an administrative assistant II, a personnel analyst (certificated), a senior office assistant and the district receptionist - bilingual. All department positions are full-time, 12 months. In addition, the assistant superintendent oversees the LATSS consulting teacher(s) and the certificated employees who consult and mentor new teachers in the LATSS system. The work calendars of the employees in these programs coincide with the regular school year calendar. The HR department has had several different organizational structures over the last several years. Approximately six years ago, a human resources director, under the supervision of the superintendent, oversaw both the classified and certificated sides of the department, with a part- time classified personnel director working directly for the Personnel Commission. The part-time director position was then changed to full-time. Most recently, the district hired the assistant superintendent of HR position with the intent to provide oversight and return cohesive supervi- sion over certificated and classified personnel. While the organizational structure indicates that the assistant superintendent has oversight over all personnel areas, the day-to-day operations of the classified side of the HR department are directed by the classified personnel director. The department also is physically divided by a wall that separates classified and certificated into two distinct departments. The leadership structure under a merit system varies greatly from one district to another; however, its management personnel typically fall into either a dual or singular management struc- ture. Many merit-based organizations have a classified director selected by the personnel commis- sion and another management position for the certificated side. The classified director position answers specifically to the commission and is typically not involved in collective bargaining except as an information resource to both sides. Other districts have assigned oversight of the merit system to a single management position, such as a director or an assistant superintendent, who manages both the certificated and classified functions. This single leadership position is often involved in traditional HR functions, such as collective bargaining, employee discipline, and as a member of executive cabinet. Lompoc Unified utilizes the dual management structure. However, no matter the structure, the commission does not exercise control over the position funding. That authority rests solely with the district’s governing board. The commission exercises authority over the job classifications and hiring of all classified employees, including most classi- fied managers. While the assistant superintendent is responsible for all matters regarding certificated employees, discipline for all classified employees has also fallen under this position’s purview. If a classi- fied employee is to be investigated for some wrongdoing, the classified director will assist with ensuring that due process protocols are followed, but remains neutral with respect to informal or formal reprimands or actions. The assistant superintendent shoulders the responsibility of preliminary investigative hearings and imposing discipline or corrective actions. This system Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 29 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING creates some confusion in the department with regard to each administrator and their roles in the discipline process. As is discussed in the staffing comparison section of this report, two of the comparison districts use the merit system: Morgan Hill Unified and Los Banos Unified. Morgan Hill utilizes a single administrator structure, with an assistant superintendent over all certificated and classified func- tions. Los Banos Unified employs a part-time classified personnel director, who also has duties as a part-time personnel technician. This comparison and the confusion created in classified disci- pline matters as well as the size of Lompoc Unified indicates that the district would be best served by restructuring the current HR department model to a single management structure. Because Lompoc Unified is a merit district, this is a matter of great sensitivity and any restructuring of the classified section of the department would require coordination with the commission. The wall that was erected to separate the two sides of the HR department not only divides the department but has led to duplication of duties and has prevented cross-training of HR duties. Cross-training allows the district to provide continuity in services when an employee is absent, improves customer service, and encourages teamwork. Executive Assistant II: The individual in this position has been with the district for many years and has previously held other clerical positions. The primary purpose of the position is to serve as the clerical assistant to the assistant superintendent. Other specific duties include: adminis- tering the district’s annual TB clinic and data entry, setting up the annual retirement reception, monitoring suggested changes to board policies and regulations for the personnel department, monitoring conflict of interest forms, making arrangements for collective bargaining sessions, setting up the new teacher luncheon, and revising all collective bargaining agreements. Administrative Assistant II: The employee assigned to this position has worked for the district for 14 years. The position reports to the assistant superintendent and its job duties include: maintenance of certificated personnel records, tracking Position Control Action (PCA) forms, fingerprint clearances, hiring of substitutes and substitute orientation, arrangements for certifi- cated interviews, database updating, employee notifications regarding credential expiration, and summer school staffing. These two clerical positions provide excessive secretarial support to the HR department. Most HR departments in similar sized districts have one clerical employee. Based on this and the consolidation of some duties into other positions as discussed elsewhere in this report, the administrative assistant II position could be eliminated, with its duties assigned to the executive assistant position. This would generate an estimated annual savings of $60,000, including the current employee’s salary (including furlough days for the 2012-13 fiscal year), longevity stipend, statutory benefits and health and welfare benefits. The estimate does not consider the effects of “bumping” that may occur with a reduction in force. Director, Classified Personnel: The director has been with the district for several years and has extensive school HR experience in county office and school district settings. This position super- vises two support staff positions: one personnel analyst (classified) and one personnel assistant. Both are full-time, 12 month positions. The Personnel Commission supervises the director. The duties and responsibilities of the director include: evaluation tracking, recruitment, selec- tion, assessment, some position control responsibility, agenda development, recommendation of revisions to board policy and administrative regulations, job classification revision, employee orientation and training, and acting as a neutral information resource to both parties in classified collective bargaining. This position is part of the superintendent’s cabinet. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 30 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING The position also acts as the secretary to the commission, and the commission is responsible for the position’s appointment. However, as noted above, many comparable districts do not have a full-time classified director devoted only to classified employees. A four-hour or 0.50 FTE posi- tion, which was the district’s structure prior to 2009, should be sufficient. The estimated savings for reducing this position to 0.5 FTE would be approximately $74,000 including salary, statutory benefits and the appropriate portion of the health and welfare benefits. The estimate was calcu- lated using the actual salary of the person currently in this position. If the district determined that it would prefer to have a single administrator, e.g., the assistant superintendent, heading this department, the associated savings would be approximately $148,500 including salary, statutory benefits and the health and welfare benefits. The estimate was calculated using the salary of the person currently in this position. Personnel Analyst (Classified): The employee assigned to this position reports to the director, classified personnel, and has served in this capacity for one year but has worked in the district for several years. The position’s duties include: recruitment, selection, testing, and establish- ment of eligibility lists for classified personnel, agenda preparation and attendance at Personnel Commission meetings, preparation of seniority lists, fingerprinting and arrest tracking, longevity notifications to payroll, and updating employee and substitute handbooks. Personnel Assistant: The employee assigned to this position has been with the district for one year. The position reports to the director, classified personnel. Job duties include: hiring classified substitutes, posting classified job announcements, preparing photo IDs, return to work certifica- tions, annual layoff and reasonable assurance letters, purchase requisitions, classified TB testing, proctoring employment tests, database input, classified evaluation reminders and personnel file- keeping. This position also substitutes at the receptionist desk for one-half hour daily. As with the clerical positions in the department, it is unusual to see both a personnel assistant and a personnel analyst (classified) assigned to classified functions in a district the size of Lompoc. Based on the skills and abilities of the analyst and assistant positions, those duties could be combined, and the personnel assistant position could be eliminated. This would generate an estimated annual savings of $57,000 based on the current employee’s salary (including furlough days for the 2012-13 fiscal year), statutory benefits and health and welfare benefits. The estimate does not consider the effects of “bumping” that may occur with a reduction in force. The executive assistant, administrative assistant II, personnel assistant and personnel analyst (classified) all report handling some aspect of TB and fingerprint clearance duties. Because the department has been segregated by classified and certificated functions, duties are not combined for the greatest efficiency. Even though each position may manage slightly different responsibili- ties, one position, such as the personnel analyst (classified), could handle all aspects of the TB and fingerprinting clearance duties. Personnel Analyst (Certificated): The employee assigned to this position has worked in various HR positions over the last 14 years. The position reports to the assistant superintendent and job duties include: credential monitoring (including Cross-Cultural and Language Development and No Child Left Behind compliance), employee information in CALPADS, posting of certificated announcements and applications, initial application screening, setting up certificated interviews, initial certificated employee orientation and contract paperwork, renewing contracts and updating status (e.g., temporary, probationary, permanent), layoff procedures and board resolutions regarding layoff, tracking continuing education units for salary advancement, hiring substitutes and temporary athletic coaches, processing extracurricular stipends, processing leave Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 31 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING of absence requests, and assisting the assistant superintendent with staffing projections and section allocations for the coming year. Senior Office Assistant: This employee has been with the district for 27 years, having worked previously as a personnel assistant. The position reports to the assistant superintendent. The primary duty of this position is to manage substitute employee assignments utilizing an auto- mated system, Substitute Employee Management System (SEMS). This position also serves as the help desk for SEMS, calls individual substitutes for unfilled slots or in emergency situations, and collects timecards. The position has other duties that include district receptionist duties for one hour daily, assigning home teachers for hospitalized or homebound students, filing for the HR offices, and some general summer school assistance. The job description for senior office assistant does not match the duties assigned to this position. While the duties in the description appear to be commensurate in terms of responsibility, specific duties that reflect the actual daily work are not included, and the job description may need to be submitted to the personnel commission for review and approval of modifications. The job duties reported by HR department employees indicate that the classified personnel assistant, administrative assistant II, personnel analyst (certificated), and senior office assistant all handle some duties associated with substitute employees. In most districts, one employee handles all substitute functions, including hiring, orienting, assigning and management. The responsibili- ties for all substitute employees could be consolidated with the position of senior office assistant and this job description, as well as those of the classified personnel assistant, administrative assis- tant II and personnel analyst (certificated) submitted to the personnel commission for the review and approval of modifications. District Receptionist - Bilingual: The employee assigned to this position has worked for 10 years in this capacity. The position reports to the assistant superintendent, human resources. The possession of bilingual skills is a requirement for the position, which is an important priority given the district’s demographics. In addition to handling phone and walk-in receptionist duties, the position posts voice mail messages, does faxing and copying work, offers some written trans- lation assistance, provides oral translation for some meetings, and distributes paychecks. While it is necessary for the receptionist to be the first point of contact, there is no easy escape route or shelter for the employee in the case of a lockdown or confrontation by a volatile individual. The workstation is enclosed, with the door directly in front of the district entrance. Some alternative means of egress is needed for the receptionist. LATSS Consulting Teacher: One or two individuals are hired into this position each year because the number of new hires varies. The district was unable to provide FCMAT with a job descrip- tion for the position; however, FCMAT’s interviews reflect that this position reports to the assistant superintendent, human resources. The LATSS program is a beginning teacher support/ mentoring system that has great backing from the Lompoc Federation of Teachers and involve- ment that is unparalleled in most districts in the state. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 32 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING Recommendations The district should: 1. Transfer all workers’ compensation duties to the personnel analyst (certifi- cated) position, ensure that the analyst is trained in these duties, and modify the job description accordingly. 2. Include the position title of the supervisor in each job description. 3. Require a pre-employment physical for all prospective employees whose job description specifies one. 4. Develop a procedural desk manual for each desk in the district office that includes step-by-step procedures for all assigned duties. 5. Change the HR department model to a single management structure and remove the wall dividing the department, then cross-train the certificated and classified HR staff. 6. Consider eliminating the administrative assistant II position. 7. Consider reducing the position of classified personnel director to a 0.50 FTE or eliminating it, depending on the management structure chosen. 8. Consider eliminating the personnel assistant position. 9. Assign the duties associated with TB and fingerprinting clearance to the personnel analyst (classified) position to eliminate duplication of tasks. 10. Revise the job description for the senior office assistant to match the duties that have been assigned to this position. 11. Consolidate the responsibilities for all substitute employees into the posi- tion of senior office assistant and submit a modified job description to the personnel commission for review and approval. 12. Investigate alternative means of egress for district receptionist’s work station to alleviate safety concerns. 13. Write a job description for the LATSS consulting teacher position. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 33 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING Educational Services Department Student achievement and curriculum, pupil support services and special education services are handled by the Educational Services Department. Adult education is not included in the depart- ment and is under the direct supervision of the district superintendent. Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services: This position is not part of the current organi- zational structure; the director, student achievement and curriculum handles these duties. This position was filled until 2009, when the district decided to eliminate it in a restructuring that included hiring a new superintendent and assistant superintendent of business services. Because the district has not met its targets in one or more academic areas, it remains in PI status. This conveys a large responsibility on the department to develop support plans with a district assistance intervention team (DAIT) for score growth and corrective actions. This should be a very high priority for the district because the newest AYP data shows the district in continued PI status in both language arts and mathematics, with five district schools in Year 5 PI status. The action plans, staff development protocols, and coaching design that have been implemented by the DAIT provider, Education Consultants, is research-based and should offer a pathway out of PI status. This work should be one of the district’s greatest concerns because the consequences of continued PI status rest with the State Board of Education and require continuous program monitoring, with potential removal of the district’s self-governance over its programs. In addition to the work associated with the district’s and its schools’ PI status, two new state mandates will require leadership, oversight and direction. The first is the implementation of transitional kindergarten (TK) for the 2012-13 school year. Considerable work must be accom- plished for a smooth opening, including parent communication, admittance protocols, devel- opmental curriculum adoption, and articulation with existing school programs and community, federal and state-sponsored preschool programs. A successful program adoption will also include evaluation and assessment systems, and the district has made outstanding progress on these. The second new directive is the implementation of the California Common Core State Standards (CCCSS). This set of curriculum standards will likely be adopted by the district for the 2013-14 school year. The standards will require significant changes in content and especially in teaching pedagogy for all grade levels in mathematics and English/language arts. As a district in fifth-year PI status, with many of its schools also in PI status, this will become a very time-consuming project, with an extensive need for professional development of staff to become proficient with these new requirements. To achieve proficiency, coordination with the Pupil Support Services division and the Information Technology Department will be of great importance because of changes to testing protocols and the need for electronic testing formats, as determined by the state having joined the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. Without an assistant superintendent heading this department, there is insufficient oversight of the district’s and schools’ PI status, TK implementation and assessment, CCCSS implementation and other district objectives such as formulation and implementation of professional develop- ment, principal supervision and assessment and monitoring of student progress. Reinstating the position of assistant superintendent of educational services would fill the need for better guidance in these areas. The position would report directly to the district’s superintendent, and the director of student achievement and curriculum, director of pupil support services, and special education director would report to the assistant superintendent. The estimated cost for this change would be approximately $146,000 per year, including salary, statutory benefits and health and welfare benefits. The estimate was calculated using the salaries paid to the district’s other two assistant Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 34 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING superintendents, including furlough days for the 2012-13 fiscal year, but does not include other district-paid benefits such as car/travel or cell phone allowances. Over the last three years, many of the duties associated with the position have been performed by other district employees. The district would not only need to restore the prior assistant superin- tendent’s job description, but would need to determine which duties to shift back to the assistant superintendent. These may include: • General oversight of the three segments of the Education Services Department: student achievement and curriculum, pupil support services, and special education. • Possible oversight of some positions that now reside in Information Technology, specifically those related to student information systems and data (as discussed in the Business Services section of this report). • Educational program effectiveness and student assessment processes as they relate to PI status, including accountability reporting to the board. • Compliance monitoring of state and federal programs. • Membership in the superintendent’s cabinet. • Inclusion in the district’s bargaining team for certificated negotiations. • Oversight of CCCSS implementation. • Mentoring of site administrators. Student Achievement and Curriculum Director, Student Achievement and Curriculum: The director has been in this position for the past three and a half years after having served the district for 14 years as a teacher, LATSS supporting teacher and dean. The director supervises the student achievement and curriculum (SAC) department and reports directly to the superintendent. The division also includes one administrative assistant III, one English Learner (EL) coordinator, textbook technician, one 0.25 FTE library technician, and several professional development specialists and instructional coaches, whose numbers vary with that year’s categorical funding. The director is responsible for all curriculum and instruction functions, including textbook and material oversight, professional development, categorical programs, EL programs, supervision of PI status, and state and federal compliance monitoring. The director has kept her focus and priorities on the CCCSS, following through on the DAIT master plan, and placing instructional coaches at school sites as a means for continuous profes- sional development to provide categorical program monitoring and compliance. These include a monthly Curriculum Council with site principals and two newsletters: Curriculum Update and A Compliant Way of Thinking. The district has implemented a State of the School protocol, where individual school site administrators are charged with developing a presentation to be shared with the other site administrators to discuss their specific data sets and targeted improve- ment areas. Administrative Assistant III: This employee has worked for the district for 19 years. The position reports to and supports the director of SAC. Duties include: clerical and administrative support to the director, coordinated compliance reporting, coordination of department activities and professional development calendars, monitoring categorical program budgets, site LEA plans, and assisting with DAIT schedules and implementation. This employee also provides the SAC Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 35 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING department with bilingual communications to the community regarding educational programs, although this skill is not included in the job description or requirements. Administrative Assistant II: This employee has worked as an administrative assistant in the district office for 14 years. The position reports to the director of SAC and its duties include: support of categorical and Title I programs, clerical duties associated with the preparation and filing of the consolidated application, purchase requisitions, and board meeting agenda item preparation. If an assistant superintendent is hired to oversee the Educational Services Department, an execu- tive assistant position also would be needed. Because there are two administrative assistants in the SAC department, the administrative assistant II position could be eliminated, a new executive assistant position created, and duties reassigned accordingly. The cost of restructuring these clerical positions would be negligible as the district would be trading one position for another. Coordinator, English Learners: This employee has been with the district for more than 25 years, having worked as a teacher, curriculum specialist, teacher on special assignment and dean. The position reports to the director of SAC and is responsible for a large segment of the SAC depart- ment devoted to EL programs and assessment. This 201-day position (including furlough days) supervises these employees: • One certificated EL specialist: This employee has been with the district for 16 years and in this capacity for the last year. This is a full-time, 185-day position that primarily supports teachers in EL instruction, creates model lesson plans and instructs teachers on new curriculum. Most of the work is done at school sites, with an intensive focus for 2012-13 year on the middle schools. • One administrative assistant II. This 14-year employee provides clerical support to the coordinator-English learners, updates documentation, sends parent letters, handles responsibilities for the District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC), and assists the EL specialist. This position is full-time, 12 months. For 2012-13, this means working 251 days because of furloughs. • Two district community liaisons. One employee has served in this capacity for 12 years. As of the writing of this report, the second position is vacant and the district plans to fill it. Duties include working with the Spanish-speaking community, performing written and oral translations, and answering queries. While based at the district office, the positions serve school sites as needs arise. Both positions are full-time, 12 months, and will work 251 days during 2012-13 because of furloughs. • Three language assessment technicians. These include one lead position and two technician positions. All employees in these positions have worked for the district for at least nine years. All three positions are responsible for assessing and tracking EL students; however, the lead position has additional responsibilities related to scheduling and supervision. These positions are full-time, but work 190 days during the school year. • Approximately eight part-time individuals are hired in the fall months to assist with EL assessments. These positions are largely drawn from a pool of school site bilingual instructional assistants who are offered additional hours to assist in testing. As noted above, employees in this division have varying work calendars. The coordinator’s work year is considerably shorter than that of the administrative assistant that supports the coordi- nator. Best practice is for the administrative assistant to work the same number of days as the Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 36 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING immediate supervisor. Reducing this position by approximately 39 days to match the coordina- tor’s work calendar and allowing for holiday and vacation pay would yield an estimated savings of $8,000. The calculated savings include the current employee’s salary, statutory benefits and health and welfare benefits, but not the effects of position “bumping” that may occur. English learners comprise approximately 23% of Lompoc Unified students. This is below the county average of 32% but above the state average of 17%. While the district has had an enroll- ment decline of approximately 1.5% per year over the last eight years, this is not the case with the EL population. It has grown approximately 0.5% over the same period, and as of the last census report was 2,312 students. The volume of assessment needs at the beginning of a school year can be formidable, primarily due to the state’s California English Language Development Test (CELDT) requirements and the nearly 2,300 students at Lompoc Unified needing assessment. To address this need, the district has developed a schedule that sends language census teams to sites for a week at a time to test students. The three language assessment technicians are assigned to assess individual students and to cover make-ups for absentees from mid-August to the end of October. Once those duties are complete, they work on other related projects for the rest of the school year. Those assignments include record-keeping, data entry, clerical functions, re-testing, and assessing new students, including primary language assessments. The technicians’ most essential work is the fall assess- ments, which should normally be completed no later than November. Based on FCMAT’s observations of other districts, it is highly unusual to find this type of posi- tion with a work calendar of 120 hours per week for 11 months. This is especially true where part-time assistance is also provided during the heavy fall testing months. Language assessment technicians are needed primarily during the heavy testing months of August to October. Thereafter, the three positions can be reduced to the single lead position to accommodate the clerical work and additional duties needed beyond the testing calendar. Reducing both of the two language assessment technician positions by approximately 139 days would yield a savings of $38,000. The calculated savings includes the current employees’ salary and statutory benefits. It does not include any reduction in district-paid health and welfare insurance benefits because the current CSEA contract does not address these particular circumstances, and it does not consider the effects of position “bumping” that may occur. The district also provides a high level of assistance to its Spanish-speaking community with two full-time bilingual district community liaisons. Given that most districts in the state are trimming their budgets in response to reduced state funding, it is very unusual to find this level of expenditure for this purpose in districts of comparable size with similar communities. Additionally, the two bilingual district community liaisons work 12-month positions, yet the school sites they support are not in session for more than two months. The work done by the bilingual district community liaison is mission-specific and is valuable, but budget constraints may make it necessary to reduce the duty days to coincide with the school year and the work calendar for their supervisor for both positions, or to consider not filling the current full-time vacancy. The savings associated with a reduction from 251 to 212 days in both positions would yield a savings of approximately $12,500, including the current employee’s salary and the salary of the open position at step one and statutory benefits. No health and welfare savings would apply because the position would have earned the district-paid cap during the reduced work year under the collective bargaining unit agreement. Elimination of the open posi- tion with 251 work days would result in a savings of approximately $43,000, including salary at step one, statutory benefits and health and welfare benefits. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 37 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING If the district does not reduce the position’s work calendar, some duties could be refocused on direct student interventions at school sites. Lead Instructional Coach and Instructional Coaches: The lead instructional coach has been with the district 12 years, and in this position for the past two years. Previously, this employee was a LATSS teacher and classroom teacher. The district was unable to provide FCMAT with a job description for the position, but it is supervised by the director of student achievement and curriculum. While the title suggests a managerial role, this position does not evaluate the other instructional coaches but simply directs their work. The instructional coaches (ICs) are a new initiative developed as part of the district’s Local Education Action Plan to comply with NCLB and are funded with categorical dollars, including Title II. Five full- and part-time ICs are chosen from the certificated ranks and are supervised by the lead instructional coach. The number of other instructional coaches varies depending on categorical funding levels each year. District administrators reported that five full-time equiva- lents will be devoted to instructional coaching duties during the 2012-13 school year. The ICs act as a bridge between the education services department and teachers on a one-to-one basis, by grade level team, or with a more extensive focus, such as working on common core stan- dards. The ICs also act in a professional development role and as resource providers in an effort to bolster academic achievement. The IC concept is based on the belief that the district receives a 90% return on its investment when staff development is offered at the district as opposed to off site. This program is supported by the latest research models on successful implementation of teacher development. The program also supports the DAIT teams, helps site administrators to monitor instructional practices, and encourages core content area development. District Textbook Specialist: The textbook specialist has 14 years with the district and has served in a variety of positions including staff secretary at Lompoc Middle School and textbook clerk at Lompoc Middle School and Lompoc High School. The specialist is responsible for researching, ordering, and distributing textbooks and instructional materials for all school sites. Although the position assists the middle/high schools, which have their own textbook clerks, it is solely responsible for processing textbooks at the elementary schools. This employee is involved with every aspect of new textbook adoptions, which includes contacting vendors, preparing displays, and estimating the number of textbooks needed at each school site. All district textbooks are bar coded and are tracked using one of two software programs. The elementary schools and middle schools use Zangle and the high schools use Textbook Tracker. The textbook specialist can monitor textbook activity at the elementary and middle schools through Zangle but does not have access to Textbook Tracker at the high school level. This severely impairs the ability to monitor high school textbook activity, and may result in a monetary loss. An effective textbook tracking system can reduce costs by enabling the district to identify the number of textbooks on hand, facilitate textbook movement between schools (e.g. when there is a surplus of textbooks at one school site), assess predetermined charges for lost textbooks and control inventory from a central location such as the district office. Library Technician: The employee in this position has held it for one year but has been a district employee for 27 years, primarily as an instructional assistant. The position reports to the director of SAC. Duties include oversight of the Teacher Resource Center where employees can access library-media materials and use equipment, assisting staff with use of laminators, die-cut and binding equipment, and re-shelving and inventorying materials. This is a two-hour-per-day, 12-month position working primarily in the afternoons. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 38 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING Pupil Support Services Director, Pupil Support Services: This employee has served in this capacity for three years, after having been a high school principal and school administrator in the district for many years. This position reports directly to the district superintendent. The director has a large set of responsibili- ties and is very adept at attending to them. They include student record-keeping; student atten- dance and discipline coordination; oversight of suspensions, expulsions, truancy monitoring, and School Attendance Review Board (SARB) proceedings; counseling; annual parent notifications; all student testing with the exception of EL program testing; civil rights data collection; school accountability report cards; supplemental service provision connected to the district’s PI status; open enrollment and interdistrict transfers; uniform complaints under the Williams Act; Safe School Plans and disaster preparedness; independent study administration; supervision of campus security; and career/technical education grant oversight. The director is assisted with these myriad duties by an administrative assistant III and two employees with split assignments: a 0.5 FTE staff secretary/0 .5 FTE student records technician and a 0.5 FTE student records technician/0.5 FTE testing technician. Administrative Assistant III: The employee in this position has been with the district for 10 years, having previously served in a high school setting. The primary duties are to support the director of pupil support services in all clerical and administrative functions. Other specific duties include: preparation for expulsion panels, PI status transfers, safe school plans, preparing agendas, and board item preparation. Staff Secretary/Student Records Technician: This employee has worked for the district in various capacities for 26 years, coming to this position one year ago. The staff secretary portion of the position is primarily associated with School Attendance Review Board (SARB) clerical work, including tracking attendance, mailings, meeting set-up, contacts with participants, filing, etc. The student records technician duties include working with public walk-in requests, answering phone queries, searching and copying records such as immunizations, transcripts, enrollment, etc., and maintaining receipts for fees associated with records. Student Records/Testing Technician: The employee in this position has worked in these areas under various job titles for 17 years. The student records duties are described above and match the duties performed by this individual. The testing technician position is responsible for all cler- ical tasks associated with coordinating mandated testing, including California High School Exit Examinations (CAHSEE), California Content Standard testing, and special education alternative state testing. The position is also responsible for ordering, security, distribution, and collecting all materials, as well as sorting and distributing test results to parents, and reports to sites. The workloads of all three support staff positions in Pupil Support Services can vary widely depending on the time of year. Handling student discipline issues can add another dimension to this fluctuation because of their unpredictability. Student incidents can involve the media, or the preparation of multiple pre-expulsion determinations and hearings. Despite the unpredictability of some duties, the department handles them adeptly. Seasonal work such as spring state testing has been incorporated into staff schedules, and preparation for recurring board items and parent notifications is scheduled appropriately. The division also devotes much staff time to student record-keeping and monitoring. The primary focus is on data reports for state testing, but district staff also reported spending up to four hours daily complying with public records act requests or as the district’s custodian of records. These duties include copying records, maintaining archives, processing records requests, Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 39 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING microfilming records, and maintaining student transcripts. The responsibility to fulfill the requests may reside at another level or department, and technological solutions may increase effectiveness and efficiency. Staff from every branch of the Educational Services Department reported that they did not have desk manuals containing step-by-step procedures for their job duties. Several district staff members reported that they maintained tickler files for testing timelines and seasonal projects. However, desk manuals of procedures are important to ensure proper internal controls and provide a better understanding of each position’s responsibilities. They become particularly important when employees sever service from the district, are on vacation or out due to illness for a protracted length of time. Special Education The special education department serves 980 students, roughly one-tenth of the district’s enroll- ment. The department offers a continuum of services, including resource specialist, designated instructional services, and special classes for learning handicapped, severely handicapped, orthopedically handicapped and communicatively handicapped. Students who cannot be served by the district are referred to one of the regional programs offered by the Santa Barbara County SELPA or by a nonpublic school or nonpublic agency. The department is staffed with one full time director, one program specialist, five psychologists, five adaptive P.E. specialists, seven speech pathologists, three nursing/LVN positions, one administrative assistant III, one administrative assistant II and a staff secretary. The director is also responsible for auxiliary support services, which includes health services, 504 plan monitoring , Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) testing, Medi-Cal Administrative Activities (MAA) and medical billing reimbursement. Director, Special Education and Auxiliary Support Services: The director of special education and auxiliary support services is new to the position but not to the district. Although this employee spent the last five years as the director of special education for the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, she served as an assistant principal and teacher for Lompoc before accepting the job with Santa Maria. The job description for the position states that it “supervises the perfor- mance of assigned personnel and is responsible for the leadership and coordination of programs that support and encourage the academic success of at-risk students by providing or facilitating assistance in the areas of mental and physical health and well-being. The position establishes department goals for school climate and district management of resources for all students at risk and establishes and monitors mental health crisis intervention resources.” FCMAT noted in interviews with special education staff that there are miscommunications and misunderstandings between the special education and business departments. This is not unusual because in many districts the business services personnel are unfamiliar with the laws/regulations under which the special education department must function to provide students with services, which makes budgeting more difficult and complicates the processing of accounts payable. The special education department lacks an understanding of the business services department’s need to track expenditures, budget accurately and provide documentation regarding those expendi- tures. Ongoing meetings are essential to improve processes, procedures and internal controls between the departments. The initial meeting could consist of each department presenting an overview of their basic functions and duties. Program Specialist: The district’s sole program specialist has 12 years with the district, the first five years as a resource specialist, and the last seven as the program specialist. The district has no job description for the position on file. The program specialist stated that she spends most of Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 40 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING her time assisting the director of special education and auxiliary support services by managing the Individual Education Plan (IEP) process, which includes chairing up to 200 IEP meetings per year. The program specialist also attends the IEPs for preschool students transitioning into district programs; organizes and facilitates monthly special education team meetings; coordinates staff development for the special education department; attends RSP, SDC, DIS and psychologist meetings; provides curriculum training and support; supports new special education teachers; sets up and runs the extended year program; and has assumed a leadership role in the state’s review of the district’s special education program. The program specialist also is responsible for several auxiliary programs, including drug and alcohol prevention grants, Tobacco-Use Prevention Education, Red Ribbon Week and the district’s California Healthy Kids Survey. Industry standard is to provide one program specialist per 650 special education students. Based on this ratio, the program specialist’s duties exceed an acceptable span of control, and an additional program specialist is needed. The estimated cost for an additional program specialist is $90,000 per year, including salary, statutory benefits and health and welfare benefits. Since there is no job description for the position and therefore no specified salary range, the estimate is calculated based on 2011-12 position control data for the program specialist. Administrative Assistant III: The administrative assistant III to the director of special education and auxiliary support services has 26 years with the district and 2.5 years in this position. The job description for the position states that it was “established for the purpose/s of providing complex and confidential secretarial and administrative support to a director of a major district-wide function or principal of a comprehensive high school as well as conveying information regarding functions and procedures; ensuring efficient operation of support functions; and coordinating assigned projects and site activities.” Some of the duties this position handles are creating and maintaining class lists, setting up staff meetings, file management of SDC cases, IEP support, and assisting the director during the annual review process. This position is also responsible for general support of the MAA and medical billing programs, the After School Education and Safety program, immunizations and health alerts, drug education, family life education, GATE testing, and supporting the district’s nurses, health assistants and two of the district’s five psychologists. Administrative Assistant II: The administrative assistant II has nearly 20 years of experience with the district and in this position. The job description states that the position was created for the purpose of “providing complex and confidential secretarial and administrative support to a continuation school, middle school-site principal or other administrators; conveying information regarding school functions and procedures; ensuring efficient operation of support functions; and coordinating assigned projects and site activities.” The administrative assistant II reports directly to the special education director and provides clerical support to three of the district’s five psychologists. The position is responsible for the December and June special education student counts, 504 plan monitoring, MAA and medical billing (along with the administrative assistant III), assisting the psychologists with GATE testing, and assisting other departmental staff with health initiatives. Staff Secretary: The staff secretary has been with the district for 3.5 years and in this position about a year. This is an eight-hour, 11-month position reporting to the director of special educa- tion and auxiliary support services. The job description for the position states it was established “for the purpose/s of providing secretarial and clerical support to an assigned supervisor; moni- Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 41 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING toring assigned activities; and providing information to students, staff, and the public; recom- mendations and/or direction as requested by assigned supervisor.” The staff secretary is the primary support for two of the district’s five psychologists and reviews/ edits their reports, works on assessment plans, and monitors the services that students receive. Most of the work is completed at the district office; however, one of the psychologists supported is itinerant, which requires travel to the school sites. The staff secretary supports seven speech pathologists with approximately 100 hours of clerical work annually. This position also assists the program specialist with the set-up and operation of the district’s extended year program for special education students. Psychologists: The district has five psychologists, ranging in experience from three to 16 years with the district. Each psychologist is assigned to three schools. Although the National Association of School Psychologists recommends a ratio of one school psychologist for every 1,000 students, the district caseload is closer to one to 2,000. Staffing comparisons show this is not uncommon. Of the six comparison districts, one had a ratio higher than Lompoc, and one had a ratio slightly lower than Lompoc. Two were nearer to one to 1,500, and the other two were close to one to 1,100. The job description for the position has not been updated since 1973 and is obsolete and outdated. Many of the psychologists’ current tasks, such as autistic assessment, GATE testing, suicide risk assessment and crisis counseling, did not exist in 1973. The district should work with the psychologists to update their job descriptions and conform to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regarding the job’s essential functions. Although the five psychologists report directly to the director of special education and auxiliary support services, they interact with management personnel daily, generally with the principals of the schools they serve. The psychologists report that lack of time is the largest impediment being more effective in their jobs. They indicate that the increase in autism, mental health and behav- ioral issues makes it very difficult to plan effectively, and they often must offer limited services to students based on the time available. Recommendations The district should: 1. Consider reinstating the position of assistant superintendent of educational services. If it is reinstated, add an executive assistant position, eliminate the administrative assistant II position and reassign duties accordingly. 2. Reduce the work calendar of the administrative assistant II working in the EL program to match the work calendar of the supervisor. 3. Reduce the work calendars of the two language assessment technician posi- tions to match the testing calendar of the program. 4. Reduce the work calendars of the two community liaisons to match the work calendar of the supervisor, or eliminate the open community liaison position. 5. Write a job description for the lead instructional coach and instructional coaches. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 42 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING 6. Transition to one software program to monitor textbooks and other instruc- tional materials. 7. Analyze document requests to determine if the responsibility to fulfill the requests resides at another level or department or if technology exists that could increase effectiveness and efficiency. 8. Develop desk manuals of employee duties for each desk in the district office, with step-by-step procedures for all assigned duties. 9. Establish quarterly meetings between the special education and business departments. 10. Prepare a job description for the program specialist position and consider hiring an additional program specialist. 11. Work with the psychologists to update their job description and bring it into conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 43 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING Maintenance and Operations Department Manager, Maintenance and Operations: The manager, maintenance and operations has held this position for eight months and previously served in similar positions with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District. The position is responsible for overall management of the maintenance, custodial, and grounds functions, which includes 16 maintenance workers: two electricians, one low voltage technician, one locksmith, two plumbers, two painters, three carpenters, two general maintenance workers, one HVAC technician and two pool maintenance workers. The grounds department consists of one lead grounds maintenance worker and 10 grounds maintenance workers. Of the 10, six are roving and four are assigned to the comprehensive high schools (two to each). The manager of maintenance and operations also supervises an administrative assistant II who provides clerical support to the department and limited clerical support to transportation. The district’s 46.7 FTE custodians are overseen by the supervisor of energy, safety and operations, who holds the only supervisor-level position in the department. Each maintenance and operations trade has different training and unique challenges in completing assigned tasks. Craftsmen have different specialties and usually cannot perform each other’s tasks. Nonetheless, CASBO has arrived at a formula for maintenance staffing, and review of the maintenance department indicates it is adequately staffed (i.e., staffing equating to one maintenance worker per school site, and current staffing exceeds this ratio). However, FCMAT is concerned with span of control assigned to the manager of maintenance and operations. Although a lead grounds keeper provides some assistance with that function, the manager has 16 direct reports in maintenance. Typically, in a district of this size and structure, a supervisor of maintenance and a supervisor of grounds would assist the manager. At a minimum, a supervisor of maintenance is necessary to ensure that maintenance tasks are carried out in a timely and effective fashion. The estimated cost to add a maintenance supervisor would be $73,000 per year, including salary, statutory benefits and health and welfare benefits. The estimate was calculated using step one of the salary schedule for the operations supervisor classification as listed on the classified management and confidential salary schedule for 2012-13 (with furlough adjustments) under the assumption that the district would hire a new employee. If a current district employee is chosen for this position, the cost may increase to include a higher step on the salary schedule as well as a possible longevity stipend. Supervisor, Energy/Safety/Operations: The supervisor, energy/safety/operations has held this position for seven months and has 13 years as an elementary school head custodian with the district. This position is responsible for the supervision and evaluation of custodians (with input from site principals), the conservation of energy and district safety, and reports to the manager, maintenance and operations. The job description for the position states it was “established for the purpose of serving as a supervisor in the areas of energy management, employee safety, and opera- tions. The specific functions of the position include the following: ENERGY MANAGEMENT - Manage and maintain the district’s energy savings program and monitor the energy, water, and gas consumption in the district; EMPLOYEE SAFETY - Plan, supervise and coordinate the district safety compliance and worker safety program; OPERATIONS - Plan, train, assign, supervise, monitor and evaluate custodial, grounds, and maintenance personnel assigned to specific school sites; conferring with site administrators, district personnel and other groups to maintain operational efficiency and facility cleanliness and to assist the Manager, Maintenance & Operations in daily operations.” Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 44 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING Per this purpose statement, the supervisor has three distinct roles: 1) managing the district’s custodial staff, 2) acting as point on the district’s ongoing energy conservation initiatives, and 3) being responsible for employee safety. The supervisor maintains that the level of service provided by custodians has changed dramatically over the last few years. The district had attempted to use the CASBO formula to determine custodial staffing but the classified bargaining unit requested the district to define what constituted a classroom before proceeding. As a result, a classroom is now defined as a room that has a certificated teacher in it more than five hours per day, and cleaning schedules have changed accordingly. Classrooms meeting this definition are cleaned daily; those that do not are cleaned every other day. The supervisor has moved the district toward cleaning products that are environmentally friendly and is establishing a level of service model. As stated above, a formula determines custodial staffing; however, the level of service could vastly improve with additional equipment and tools, such as a riding floor waxer, steam carpet van and backpack vacuums for all custodians. The supervisor also manages the energy conservation program. Four years ago, the district contracted with Energy Education Management (EEM) to implement energy conservation initiatives district-wide. The supervisor enters utility data from 108 meters into EEM’s software, ECAP, and then compares utility costs against the baseline established four years ago. The district estimates a savings of $1.8 million, including cost avoidance due to rate increases and weather, over the last four years. The supervisor is also responsible for employee safety, although the job description limits this responsibility to conducting investigations on workers’ compensation claims, disseminating safety material to employees and investigating unsafe working conditions to comply with district poli- cies and applicable laws. It does not provide for the correction of unsafe working conditions. As discussed in the business services section, the district office has no emergency plan, which proved problematic in the recent past. The scope of the job description should include other safety related activities, such as disaster preparedness, student safety, environmental compliance and hazardous materials training. Recommendations The district should: 1. Establish a supervisor of maintenance position to support the manager of maintenance and operations. 2. Acquire tools and equipment to improve the level of service with the existing custodial staff. 3. Expand the scope of the job description of the supervisor, energy/safety/ operations to include other safety-related activities, such as disaster prepared- ness, student safety, environmental compliance, hazardous materials training and correction of unsafe working conditions. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 45 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING Transportation Department The district operates 22 bus routes and transports 1,788 students daily. This includes 1,606 general education students who are transported on regular home-to-school transportation routes and 182 special education students who receive door-to-door transportation. The department is staffed with one transportation manager, one .969 FTE driver/instructor, one lead vehicle and equipment mechanic, 3.5 FTE vehicle and equipment mechanics, 15.0 FTE bus drivers, and 7.5 FTE transportation attendants. The department does not have a dedicated dispatcher; the transportation manager and driver/instructor share this task. Transportation Manager: The transportation manager has two years with the district and previously was the transportation manager for another district on the central coast. This posi- tion reports directly to the assistant superintendent of business services. According to the job description, the transportation manager is responsible to “plan, organize, control and manage the activities and operations of the Transportation Department; assure safe and timely operations; schedule, route and dispatch pupil transportation to and from schools, athletic events, charter trips and field trips; assure proper maintenance and repair of buses, District vehicles and equip- ment; train, supervise and evaluate the performance of assigned personnel.” The department has 42 buses including Type I (large coach) school buses and larger special education buses, and Type II school buses, which are the smaller special education buses. The newest buses are two 2012 Type I low-emission diesel buses awarded through a grant from the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District. The oldest buses are three Type II buses manufactured in 1986. The CASBO Transportation Research and Development Committee created a School Transportation Performance Profile that recommends bus replacement at 15.1 years for coach type buses and 10.8 years for van type buses. The district has several buses that exceed this age criteria; however, many school districts wait to replace coach-type buses until they reach 20-25 years because of constrained finances and the fact that the older buses are reaching the point that the cost to repair is prohibitive. However, the district lacks a bus replacement schedule to help determine when it should start the replacement process. A board-approved bus replacement schedule that is adhered to can help make a bus fleet safe and cost effective, and ensures that bus replacement costs are considered during budget development. The department also maintains 65 fleet vehicles for various departments, including special educa- tion, food service, information technology, warehouse, maintenance, operations and grounds. The district also lacks a vehicle replacement schedule for these vehicles. Typically, districts charge each program the IRS mileage reimbursement rate for wear and tear on the use of district vehi- cles, but this often falls short of the amount needed to purchase a new vehicle. A vehicle mileage repayment program establishes a higher rate that is allocated to a vehicle replacement budget. Quarterly odometer readings are used as the basis for charges allocated to each department that uses fleet vehicles. Any fund balance left at year end should be designated for vehicle replacement and carried into the following fiscal year. The repayment program ensures that each department pays its fair share for the use and replacement of district vehicles. The district does not use a bus pass system or any means of student identification. As a result, the transportation department has no emergency contact information for students who are transported. The transportation department purchased the Transfinder software program to automate bus routing but, for several reasons, has not been able to implement it and is still routing by hand. Staff indicates that all buses are running at 98% of capacity. It would be very difficult to reduce Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 46 CENTRAL OFFICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING expenditures because the district must transport approximately 270 students from program improvement schools to non-program improvement schools, and historical agreements between the board and the community require middle school students to be transported across town. The department does not have a dispatcher, so the transportation manager and driver/trainer schedule bus routes and assign drivers and equipment. While information from comparative districts shows that transportation departments are not uniformly staffed (see pages 56-57), the CASBO School Transportation Performance Profile recommends a dedicated dispatcher when a district’s fleet reaches between 31 and 50 buses. The district may want to perform its own analysis to determine whether to hire a dispatcher. Recommendations The district should: 1. Establish a board-approved bus replacement schedule. 2. Establish a vehicle replacement schedule and vehicle maintenance repayment program. 3. Consider implementing a bus pass system to ensure that the transportation department has adequate student contact information in the event of a medical or other emergency. 4. Fully implement the use of Transfinder to automate the bus routing process and include this as part of the dispatcher’s duties, should one be hired. 5. Perform an analysis to determine whether to hire a dispatcher. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 47 STAFFING COMPARISONS Staffing Comparisons Comparison data for central office positions was obtained from six California unified school districts with enrollment numbers similar to Lompoc Unified School District. FCMAT selected from a list of districts that Lompoc Unified utilizes in its collective bargaining process and utilized information from Ed-Data. The six comparison districts are located throughout the state. They are: Morgan Hill Unified, Los Banos Unified, San Jacinto Unified, Kings Canyon Unified, El Rancho Unified and Woodland Joint Unified. Comparative information is useful but should not be the only measure of appropriate staffing levels. The state’s school districts are complex and vary widely in demographics and resources. Generalizations can be misleading if significant circumstances are not considered. FCMAT’s review considered the following factors: • Grade-level configuration • District enrollment • Revenue limit vs. basic aid funding • Merit system • Percentage of students eligible for free and reduced price meals • Largest ethnic group represented The staffing comparison charts included in this report list the enrollment and staffing levels of the comparison districts as reflected in the 2011-12 California Basic Educational Data System- Online Reporting Application (CBEDS-ORA) and the data obtained from the comparison districts: The districts surveyed, including Lompoc, reported their district office staff consisted of between 26.06 FTE and 59.75 FTE, with an average of 44.5 FTE. Lompoc’s district office staff, including management staff in the maintenance and operations and transportation departments, total 58.0 FTE, making it the second largest in the survey. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 48 STAFFING COMPARISONS Comparison of the seven districts reveals that all have similarly staffed superintendent’s offices, with 1.0-2.0 FTE of clerical assistance. Superintendent’s Office Lompoc Unified Morgan Hill Unified Los Banos Unified San Jacinto Unified Grade Level K-12 K-12 K-12 K-12 Enrollment 9,802 9,306 9,515 9,851 # Sites 16 15 13 14 Financial System Digital Schools QSS QSS Galaxy Attendance System / SIS Zangle eSchool Aeries Aeries 2012/13 Revenue Limit to Total Revenue Percentage 70.86% 70.63% 72.41% 68.39% 2012-13 General Fund Expenditures $69.2 Million $64.7 Million $65.2 Million $67.0 Million # Warrants Processed Annually (Excluding Payroll) 4,214 4,600 4,075 5,500 # Employees (FTEs) 767.4 646.85 854.5 731.4 Payroll Frequency (EOM / Supplemental) EOM + Supplemental EOM + Supplemental EOM EOM + Supplemental Average # Paychecks per pay period 1,100 720 1,024 1,100 # Purchase Orders Processed Annually 3,579 1,800 1,725 2,700 Warehouse? Yes Yes No No Departments and Positions^ Office of the Superintendent Superintendent (1.0) Superintendent (1.0) Superintendent (1.0) Superintendent (1.0) Senior Executive Assistant (1.0) Executive Secretary (1.0) Administrative Assistant (1.0) Secretary to Superintendent (1.0) Receptionist (0.15) Secretary I (0.5) Kings Canyon Unified El Rancho Unified Woodland Joint Unified Grade Level K-12 K-12 K-12 Enrollment 9,841 9,953 10,252 # Sites 20 14 16 Financial System Everest - Expenditures/Digital Schools - PeopleSoft QSS Budget Attendance System / SIS PowerSchool Aeries Aeries 2012/13 Revenue Limit to Total Revenue Percentage 61.97% 67.68% 68.64% 2012-13 General Fund Expenditures $81.1 Million $76.3 Million $70.7 Million # Warrants Processed Annually (Excluding Payroll) 5,529 4,544 5,232 # Employees (FTEs) 894 763.4 861.6 Payroll Frequency (EOM / Supplemental) EOM EOM + Supplemental EOM + Supplemental Average # Paychecks per pay period 1,300 1,480 1,691 # Purchase Orders Processed Annually 2,965 2,086 2,053 Warehouse? Yes Yes Yes Departments and Positions^ Office of the Superintendent Superintendent (1.0) Interim Superintendent (1.0) Superintendent (1.0) Administrative Assistance to Superintendent & Executive Secretary to the Superintendent (1.0) Administrative Assistants (1.5) Board (1.0) Administrator Resource & Development (1.0) Bilingual Clerk Typist (1.0) Administrator for Student Services (1.0) ^ = Positions expressed in FTE. The survey included three districts, including Lompoc, that were merit districts. Among the districts selected for comparison, whether or not merit based, all had an assistant superintendent/ director position as their HR department head and 0.50-1.0 FTE of clerical assistance. Lompoc had the largest HR staff among the seven districts. Excluding the district receptionist-bilingual because it may be located in different departments in other districts and the unique positions of the LATSS teacher, Lompoc’s HR department reports 8.0 FTE. The other surveyed districts reported between 3.0-6.0 FTE, with an average of 5.5 FTE. The clerical support positions of administrative assistant II and personnel assistant are duplicative. Please see the next page for the Human Resources comparison chart. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 49 STAFFING COMPARISONS Human Resources Lompoc Unified Morgan Hill Unified Los Banos Unified San Jacinto Unified Grade Level K-12 K-12 K-12 K-12 Enrollment 9,802 9,306 9,515 9,851 # Sites 16 15 13 14 Financial System Digital Schools QSS QSS Galaxy Attendance System / SIS Zangle eSchool Aeries Aeries 2012/13 Revenue Limit to Total Revenue Percentage 70.86% 70.63% 72.41% 68.39% 2012-13 General Fund Expenditures $69.2 Million $64.7 Million $65.2 Million $67.0 Million # Warrants Processed Annually (Excluding Payroll) 4,214 4,600 4,075 5,500 # Employees (FTEs) 767.4 646.85 854.5 731.4 Payroll Frequency (EOM / Supplemental) EOM + Supplemental EOM + Supplemental EOM EOM + Supplemental Average # Paychecks per pay period 1,100 720 1,024 1,100 # Purchase Orders Processed Annually 3,579 1,800 1,725 2,700 Warehouse? Yes Yes No No Departments and Positions^ Human Resources Department Merit District? Yes Yes Yes No Department Head: Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources (1.0)Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Area Administrator, Human Resources (1.0) Assistant Superintendent, Personnel Services (1.0) (1.0) Executive Assistant II (1.0) Executive Secretary - Confidential (1.0) Clerk Typist (0.5) Administrative Assistant (1.0) Support Staff: Director, Classified Personnel (1.0) Personnel Technician - Classified (1.0) Director of Classified Personnel (.75) Sub-Caller/Personnel Secretaries (1.5) Administrative Assistant II (1.0) Personnel Technician - Certificated (1.0) Personnel Technicians (2.25) Personnel/Credential Technician (1.0) Personnel Assistant (1.0) Personnel Technician - Substitutes (1.0) Absence Tracking/Admin, Support (0.85) Receptionist/Personnel Secretary (1.0) Personnel Analyst (Classified) 1.0) Personnel Technician - Benefits & Workers' Compensation (1.0) Personnel Analyst (Certificated) (1.0) Senior Office Assistant (1.0) District Receptionist - Bilingual (1.0) LATSS Consulting Teacher (1.0) Kings Canyon Unified El Rancho Unified Woodland Joint Unified Grade Level K-12 K-12 K-12 Enrollment 9,841 9,953 10,252 # Sites 20 14 16 Financial System Everest - Expenditures/Digital Schools - PeopleSoft QSS Budget Attendance System / SIS PowerSchool Aeries Aeries 2012/13 Revenue Limit to Total Revenue Percentage 61.97% 67.68% 68.64% 2012-13 General Fund Expenditures $81.1 Million $76.3 Million $70.7 Million # Warrants Processed Annually (Excluding Payroll) 5,529 4,544 5,232 # Employees (FTEs) 894 763.4 861.6 Payroll Frequency (EOM / Supplemental) EOM EOM + Supplemental EOM + Supplemental Average # Paychecks per pay period 1,300 1,480 1,691 # Purchase Orders Processed Annually 2,965 2,086 2,053 Warehouse? Yes Yes Yes Departments and Positions^ Human Resources Department Merit District? No No No Department Head: Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Director of Human Resources (1.0) Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources (1.0) (1.0) Personnel Assistant (1.0) Administrative Assistant (1.0) Support Staff: Sr. Administrative Assistant - Classified Personnel Personnel Secretary (3.0) Director of Operations (1.0) (1.0) Sr. Administrative Assistant - Certificated Credential Analyst (1.0) Personnel Analysts (3.0) Personnel (1.0) BTSA/PAR Advisor (0.5) ^ = Positions expressed in FTE. Lompoc: The Director of Classified Personnel, Personnel Assistant and Personnel Analysi (Classified) report to the Personnel Commission. Morgan Hill: 10% of the Assistant Sup., HR position and 50% of the position of the Personnel Technician - Classified report to the Personnel Commission. Los Banos: The Director of Classified Personnel and the Clerk Typist positions report to the district's Personnel Commission. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 50 STAFFING COMPARISONS All of the comparison districts were also in PI and reported that they employ an assistant superin- tendent or similar position to head their educational services department, but this position does not exist at Lompoc. Lompoc is now in year five of PI, and removing the district and its schools from PI status is an arduous task that requires an educational leader who can devote copious hours of attention to the issue. Supervisory and staff positions in Lompoc and its comparative districts for educational services departments vary substantially and do not lend themselves to comparison. Districts’ supervisory positions range from 1.0 FTE to 7.66 FTE and staff positions range between 3.5 and 21.25 FTE. Please see the next page for the Educational Services comparison chart. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 51 STAFFING COMPARISONS Educational Services Lompoc Unified Morgan Hill Unified Los Banos Unified San Jacinto Unified Grade Level K-12 K-12 K-12 K-12 Enrollment 9,802 9,306 9,515 9,851 # Sites 16 15 13 14 Financial System Digital Schools QSS QSS Galaxy Attendance System / SIS Zangle eSchool Aeries Aeries 2012/13 Revenue Limit to Total Revenue Percentage 70.86% 70.63% 72.41% 68.39% 2012-13 General Fund Expenditures $69.2 Million $64.7 Million $65.2 Million $67.0 Million # Warrants Processed Annually (Excluding Payroll) 4,214 4,600 4,075 5,500 # Employees (FTEs) 767.4 646.85 854.5 731.4 Payroll Frequency (EOM / Supplemental) EOM + Supplemental EOM + Supplemental EOM EOM + Supplemental Average # Paychecks per pay period 1,100 720 1,024 1,100 # Purchase Orders Processed Annually 3,579 1,800 1,725 2,700 Warehouse? Yes Yes No No Departments and Positions^ Educational Services Department Department Head: Superintendent Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services Area Administrator, Elementary Education (1.0) Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services (1.0) (1.0) Director, Student Achievement and Curriculum Executive Secretary (1.0) Area Administrator, Secondary Education (1.0) Administrative Assistant (1.0) Secretaries (2.0) PI District Yes Yes Yes Yes Supervisory Staff: Director, Special Education & Auxiliary Support Director of Curriculum & Instruction (1.0) Director of Special Projects/Child Welfare & Executive Director, Curriculum, Instruction & Services (1.0) Attendance Assessment (1.0) Director, Student Achievement and Curriculum Director of Special Ed & Student Services (1.0) Director of Special Services and PreSchool(1.0) Director of Special Education (1.0) (1.0) Director, Pupil Support Services (1.0) Coordinator, English Learners (1.0) Lead Instructional Coach (1.0) Lead Language Assessment (1.0) Support Staff: Administrative Assistant III (3.0) Staff Secretaries (2.5) Secretary IV (1.0) Administrative Secretaries (2.0) Administrative Assistant II (3.0) Program Specialist* (1.0) Accounting Technicians/SIS (1.0) Secretary I (2.0) Staff Secretary* (1.0) Psychologists (6.0) Clerk Typist (1.5625) - 10 Months Clerk Typist~(1.0) Staff Secretary (0.5) Adaptive P.E. Teacher (1.0) Speech Therapists (6.0) Assessment Coordinator (1.0) Program Specialist (1.0) Speech Pathologists (10.0) Psychologists (5.0) ASES District Coordinator~ (1.0) Certificated EL Specialist~ (1.0) Nurses (3.0) Nurse (3.0) Coordinator of Special Education~ (1.0) Student Records/Testing Technician (1.5) TOSAs (2.0) LVN (1.0) District Textbook/Professional Development Assistant (1.0) District Community Liaisons (2.0) Health Aides (6.875) Special Education Interpreter~ (1.0) Language Assessment Technicians (2.0) Behavior Specialist (1.0) District Textbook Specialist (1.0) Deaf & Hard of Hearing~ (1.0) Library Technician (0.25) TOSAs~ (6.0) Psychologists (5.0) Adaptive P.E. Teachers* (2.0) Adaptive P.E. Specialists (5.0) Occupational Therapist~ (1.0) Speech Therapists (7.0) Psychologists~ (5.0) Instructional Coaches (5.0) Nurses~ (3.0) Nurses/LVNs (3.0) Kings Canyon Unified El Rancho Unified Woodland Joint Unified Grade Level K-12 K-12 K-12 Enrollment 9,841 9,953 10,252 # Sites 20 14 16 Financial System Everest - Expenditures/Digital Schools - PeopleSoft QSS Budget Attendance System / SIS PowerSchool Aeries Aeries 2012/13 Revenue Limit to Total Revenue Percentage 61.97% 67.68% 68.64% 2012-13 General Fund Expenditures $81.1 Million $76.3 Million $70.7 Million # Warrants Processed Annually (Excluding Payroll) 5,529 4,544 5,232 # Employees (FTEs) 894 763.4 861.6 Payroll Frequency (EOM / Supplemental) EOM EOM + Supplemental EOM + Supplemental Average # Paychecks per pay period 1,300 1,480 1,691 # Purchase Orders Processed Annually 2,965 2,086 2,053 Warehouse? Yes Yes Yes Departments and Positions^ Educational Services Department Department Head: Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Interim Assistant Superintendent, Educational Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services Instruction (1.0) Services (1.0) (1.0) Sr. Administrative Assistant, Curriculum & Administrative Secretary II (2.0) Administrative Assistant (1.0) Instruction (1.0) PI District Yes Yes Yes Supervisory Staff: Coordinator of Curriculum & Instruction (2.0) Director of Student Services (1.0) Director of Consolidated Programs, Grants & PI (1.0) Coordinator Categorical Programs (1.0) Director of Pupil Services (1.0) Director of Secondary Ed, Assessment & Prof. Dev. (1.0) Coordinator of Professional Development (0.66) Coordinator of Curriculum, Assessment, Research & Eval. (1.0) Director of Elementary Ed., Assessment & EL Services. (1.0) Director of PreSchool Program (1.0) Special Ed Administrator (1.0) Support Staff: Administrative Secretary II (1.0) Administrative Secretary IV (5.0) Department Secretaries (3.0) Administrative Secretary III (1.0) District Academic Coaches~ (4.0) Categorical Programs Secretary (1.0) Preschool Secretary (1.0) Assessment Technician (1.0) Data Processing Clerk~ (1.0) Data Input Administrative Secretary III (1.0) District Library Media Coordinator (1.0) Records Clerk (1.0) Suspension/Expulsions Administrative Secretary III (1.0) District Migrant Resource Teacher~ (1.0) District Federal and State Programs Clerk* (0.75) District Testing Administrative Secretary III (1.0) CANSP Project Director (1.0) Computer Network Specialist (1.0) Accounting Analyst (1.0) Psychologists (9.49) Coordinators~ (2.5) Program Analysts (2.0) Nurses (6.25) Resource Teachers~ (2.0) TOSAs (2.0) Speech Therapists (12.412) District History Coach~ (1.0) Program Specialist~ (1.5) Occupational Therapists (1.565) Inclusion Specialist~ (1.0) Mental Health Clinician (1.0) Physical Therapists (1.49) Program Specialist~ (1.0) Child & Welfare Attendance (1.0) Adaptive P.E. Teacher (1.0) After School Community Liaison* (1.0) Behavior Analyst* (1.0) Clinical Nurse (.8) Evidence Based Programs Facilitator (1.0) Behavior Specialists* (2.0) Program Specialist with Early Childhood (1.0) Mental Health Liaison~ (1.0) Workability Specialists~ (1.2) Mental Health Counselor~ (1.0) Occupational Therapists (2.0) Resource Teacher - Indep Study~ (1.0) Speech Therapists (14.8) Nurses~ (2.0) Psychologists (7.2) Adaptive P.E. Teachers (2.0) Nurses (5.0) Psychologists (9.0) Health Clerk (0.5) LVN (0.2) Sign Language & Interpreters (2.0) El Specialists (7.3) ^ = Positions expressed in FTE. * Denotes an 11-month work schedule. ~ Denotes a school year only work schedule. Positions shown in blue font are located primarily at school sites or are otherwise in direct service to students. Positions not located at the district office are excluded for purposes of comparison. Los Banos: The director of special projects/child welfare and attendance recently retired and has returned to provide services one day per week. The district does not plan to fill the position. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 52 STAFFING COMPARISONS Business services departments of similarly sized school districts consistently reported some form of assistant superintendent as their department head along with administrative assistant/secre- tarial and director positions. Four of the six comparison districts reported a manager or assistant director position for the entire business department. In contrast, Lompoc employs a manager specific to the payroll and employee benefits functions. Two districts had a single employee performing purchasing functions; however, one reported a director position whose staff included an additional employee for warehouse and another for reprographics. Lompoc’s supervisor of printing and publications position is not found in other comparable districts. Of the six comparable districts, two others reported having single staff level positions performing printing functions. Lompoc employs two offset press operators, and the employee who held the supervisor, printing and publications position has retired. The position remains unfilled as of the writing of this report. The classified staff positions at Lompoc that perform accounting functions total 8.75 FTE. Comparable districts reported between 4 FTE and 10 FTE, with an average of 7.01 FTE among the six. Lompoc processes approximately 21,000 POs, warrants and paychecks over the course of a year, or about 2,400 items per FTE. This ranked the district at number six among the districts that reported the number of items processed. The most efficient district handles about 27,000 items with 6.25 FTE. A position not found in the comparable districts is that of district attendance technician. Those functions are handled by other positions. Please see the next page for the Business Services comparison chart. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 53 STAFFING COMPARISONS Business Services Lompoc Unified Morgan Hill Unified Los Banos Unified San Jacinto Unified Grade Level K-12 K-12 K-12 K-12 Enrollment 9,802 9,306 9,515 9,851 # Sites 16 15 13 14 Financial System Digital Schools QSS QSS Galaxy Attendance System / SIS Zangle eSchool Aeries Aeries 2012/13 Revenue Limit to Total Revenue Percentage 70.86% 70.63% 72.41% 68.39% 2012-13 General Fund Expenditures $69.2 Million $64.7 Million $65.2 Million $67.0 Million # Warrants Processed Annually (Excluding Payroll) 4,214 4,600 4,075 5,500 # Employees (FTEs) 767.4 646.85 854.5 731.4 Payroll Frequency (EOM / Supplemental) EOM + Supplemental EOM + Supplemental EOM EOM + Supplemental Average # Paychecks per pay period 1,100 720 1,024 1,100 # Purchase Orders Processed Annually 3,579 1,800 1,725 2,700 Warehouse? Yes Yes No No Departments and Positions^ Business Services Department Department Head: Assistant Superintendent, Business Services (1.0) Deputy Superintendent, Business Services (1.0) Assistant Superintendent, Administrative Services Interim Assistant Superintendent, Business (1.0) Services (1.0) Executive Assistant II (1.0) Administrative Assistant to Deputy Secretary IV (1.0) Administrative Assistant (1.0) Superintendent (1.0) Areas Reporting to Department Head: Business Services, Food Service, M&O, Business Services, Student Nutrition, M&O, & Business Services, Food Service, Fiscal Services, Child Nutrition Services, F&O & Technology & Transportation Transportation Facilities/Operations, Technology & Technology Transportation Supervisory Staff: Director, Fiscal Services (1.0) Director of Fiscal Services (1.0) Director of Fiscal Services (1.0) Director of Fiscal Services (1.0) Manager, Payroll & Employee Benefits (1.0) Supervisor of Fiscal Services (1.0) Supervisor of Accounting (1.0) Manager, Purchasing and Stores (1.0) Payroll Supervisor (1.0) Supervisor, Printing and Publications (1.0) Support Staff: Accounting Technicians (6.75) Certificated Payroll (1.0) Accounting Technician I (2.0) Secretary I (1.0) Budget Analysts (2.0) Classified Payroll (1.0) Accounting Technician III (2.0) Accounting Technicians (3.0) District Attendance Technician (1.0) Accounting Specialists (3.0) Account Clerk I (1.0) Purchasing Technician (1.0) Buyer (1.0) Account Clerk II (4.0) Buyer (1.0) Printing Technician (1.0) Benefits Technician (1.0) Warehouse/Delivery Driver (1.0) Warehouse (1.0) Mail Courier (0.5) Offset Press Operators (2.0) Kings Canyon Unified El Rancho Unified Woodland Joint Unified Grade Level K-12 K-12 K-12 Enrollment 9,841 9,953 10,252 # Sites 20 14 16 Financial System Everest - Expenditures/Digital Schools - PeopleSoft QSS Budget Attendance System / SIS PowerSchool Aeries Aeries 2012/13 Revenue Limit to Total Revenue Percentage 61.97% 67.68% 68.64% 2012-13 General Fund Expenditures $81.1 Million $76.3 Million $70.7 Million # Warrants Processed Annually (Excluding Payroll) 5,529 4,544 5,232 # Employees (FTEs) 894 763.4 861.6 Payroll Frequency (EOM / Supplemental) EOM EOM + Supplemental EOM + Supplemental Average # Paychecks per pay period 1,300 1,480 1,691 # Purchase Orders Processed Annually 2,965 2,086 2,053 Warehouse? Yes Yes Yes Departments and Positions^ Business Services Department Department Head: Deputy Superintendent, Administrative Services Interim Chief Business Officer (1.0) Assistant Superintendent, Business & Operations (1.0) (1.0) Sr. Administrative Assistant, Business Services Administrative Secretary/Confidential (1.0) Administrative Assistant (1.0) (1.0) Areas Reporting to Department Head: Business Services, Food Service, Warehouse, Business Service, Food Service, M&O, Purchasing Business Services, Food Service, M&O, Facilities, M&O, Facilities, Transportation & Technology & Technology Warehouse/Purchasing, Energy Management, Print Shop & Transportation Supervisory Staff: Director of Fiscal Services (1.0) Director of Fiscal Services (1.0) Director of Fiscal Services (1.0) Warehouse Supervisor (1.0) Assistant Director of Fiscal Services (1.0) Supervisor of Fiscal Services (1.0) Director of Purchasing and Warehousing (1.0) Support Staff: District Accountant (1.0) Sr. Bookkeeper (3.0) Budget/Accounting Analyst (1.0) Accounting Assistants (2.8125) Bookkeeper (2.0) Payroll/Benefit Technicians (3.25) Business Service Technicians (1.0) Payroll Technician (3.0) Accounts Payable Technicians (2.0) Payroll Technicians (2.0) Benefits Technician (1.0) Warehouse Worker/Delivery Driver (1.0) District Insurance Technician (1.0) Account Clerk (1.0) Delivery (2.0) Purchasing Department Secretary (1.0) Senior Warehouse Worker (1.0) Reproduction Technician (1.0) ^ = Positions expressed in FTE. * Denotes an 11-month work schedule. ~ Denotes a school year only work schedule. Positions show in red font are otherwise in direct services to students but for purposes of this study are included in the analysis. Morgan Hill: Student attendance functions reside in the Technology & Enrollment Department under Educational Services. The district had one construction project in excess of $1M that was completed August 2012 The technology and enrollment department reports to Educational Services; however, the district plans to divide them with technology reporting to Business Services and enrollment remaining under Educational Services. Los Banos: Attendance reporting functions reside in the Business Services Department. The district has purchased a former college campus with plans to convert it to an elementary school San Jacinto: Student attendance reporting functions reside with one of the accounting technicians in the Business Services Department. The district has construction/modernization projects exceeding $1 million Kings Canyon: Attendance reporting functions reside with the business services technician in the Business Services Department. While the district currently has no large construction projects, it will have a bond El Rancho: Student attendance reporting functions reside with the assistant director of fiscal services. The district currently has no large construction/modernization projects. Woodland: Attendance reporting functions reside with the supervisor of fiscal services in the Business Services Department. The district currently has no large construction/modernization projects. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 54 STAFFING COMPARISONS Comparisons of the management level staff in maintenance and operations departments revealed that all the comparison districts have positions at the director/manager level. Five of the six districts also have supervisory positions. Lompoc’s maintenance and operations department ranked the third largest of all seven districts. Of the districts that employed supervisors, three of the five whose custodial positions exceeded 34 had supervisors and four of the six districts employed supervisors for their maintenance workers. Please see the next page for the Maintenance and Operations comparison chart. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 55 STAFFING COMPARISONS Maintenance and Operations Lompoc Unified Morgan Hill Unified Los Banos Unified San Jacinto Unified Grade Level K-12 K-12 K-12 K-12 Enrollment 9,802 9,306 9,515 9,851 # Sites 16 15 13 14 Financial System Digital Schools QSS QSS Galaxy Attendance System / SIS Zangle eSchool Aeries Aeries 2012/13 Revenue Limit to Total Revenue Percentage 70.86% 70.63% 72.41% 68.39% 2012-13 General Fund Expenditures $69.2 Million $64.7 Million $65.2 Million $67.0 Million # Warrants Processed Annually (Excluding Payroll) 4,214 4,600 4,075 5,500 # Employees (FTEs) 767.4 646.85 854.5 731.4 Payroll Frequency (EOM / Supplemental) EOM + Supplemental EOM + Supplemental EOM EOM + Supplemental Average # Paychecks per pay period 1,100 720 1,024 1,100 # Purchase Orders Processed Annually 3,579 1,800 1,725 2,700 Warehouse? Yes Yes No No Departments and Positions^ Maintenance & Operations Reports to: Assistant Superintendent, Business Services Deputy Superintendent, Business Services Assistant Superintendent, Administrative Interim Assistant Superintendent, Business Services Services Department Head: Manager, Maintenance & Operations (1.0) Director of Facilities/Maintenance (1.0) Director of Facilities, Operations & Director of Facilities & Operations (1.0) Transportation (1.0) Administrative Secretary II (1.0) Secretary (1.0) Administrative Secretary (1.0) Supervisory Staff: Supervisor, Energy/Safety/Operations (1.0) Grounds Foreman (1.0) Maintenance Supervisor (1.0) Supervisor of Maintenance & Grounds (1.0) Maintenance Foreman (1.0) Supervisor of Custodians (1.0) Custodial Staff: Custodians (46.7) Custodians (30.0) Custodians (42.8125) Custodians (34.0) Maintenance Staff: Electricians (2.0) Maintenance Workers (9.0) Maintenance Specialists (4.0) Lead Facility Maintenance Mechanic (1.0) Low Voltage Technician (1.0) Skilled Maintenance Worker (9.0) Locksmith (1.0) Plumbers (2.0) Painters (2.0) Carpenters (3.0) HVAC Technician (1.0) Maintenance Worker II (2.0) Pool Maintenance Workers (2.0) Grounds Staff: Lead Grounds Maintenance Worker (1.0) Grounds Keepers (9.0) Grounds Keepers (7.0) Lead Grounds Keeper (1.0) Grounds Maintenance Workers (10.0) Pool Maintenance (1.0) Grounds Keepers (5.0) Weekend Grounds Supervisors (2.0) Other: Accounting Specialists (2.0) Clerk Typist (0.75) Clerk Typist II (1.0) Facilities Assistant (1.0) Facilities Planning Technician (1.0) Kings Canyon Unified El Rancho Unified Woodland Joint Unified Grade Level K-12 K-12 K-12 Enrollment 9,841 9,953 10,252 # Sites 20 14 16 Financial System Everest - Expenditures/Digital Schools - PeopleSoft QSS Budget Attendance System / SIS PowerSchool Aeries Aeries 2012/13 Revenue Limit to Total Revenue Percentage 61.97% 67.68% 68.64% 2012-13 General Fund Expenditures $81.1 Million $76.3 Million $70.7 Million # Warrants Processed Annually (Excluding Payroll) 5,529 4,544 5,232 # Employees (FTEs) 894 763.4 861.6 Payroll Frequency (EOM / Supplemental) EOM EOM + Supplemental EOM + Supplemental Average # Paychecks per pay period 1,300 1,480 1,691 # Purchase Orders Processed Annually 2,965 2,086 2,053 Warehouse? Yes Yes Yes Departments and Positions^ Maintenance & Operations Reports to: Deputy Superintendent, Administrative Services Interim Assistant Superintendent, Business Assistant Superintendent, Business & Operations Services Department Head: Director of Maintenance (1.0) Director of Maintenance (1.0) Director of Maintenance, Operations & Facilities (1.0) Maintenance Secretary (1.0) Department Secretary (1.0) Administrative Secretary II (1.0) Supervisory Staff: Custodial Supervisor (1.0) Custodial Supervisor (1.0) Electrical Crew Leader (1.0) Carpenter Crew Leader (1.0) Plumbing Crew Leader (1.0) Grounds Crew Leader (1.0) Custodial Staff: Head Custodian I (0.625)) Custodians (45.0) Custodians (42.125) Head Custodian II (11.0) Head Custodian III (6.0) Head Custodian IV (1.0) Custodians (41.0) Athletic/PE Custodian (1.75) High School Matron (1.75) Maintenance Staff: Maintenance Crafts & Trades I (2.75) Equipment Operator (1.0) Maintenance Workers (10.0) Maintenance & Craft Trades II (7.75) Equipment Operator/Mechanic (1.0) Security (2.0) Pipefitter/Sprinkler System (2.0) Electricians (2.0) Electronic Technician (1.0) Locksmith (1.0) Carpenters (2.0) Painters (2.0) Plumber (1.0) Heating/AC Mechanic (2.0) Maintenance Worker (3.0) Grounds Staff: Head Grounds man (1.0) Grounds Equipment Operator (2.0) Grounds Keepers (8.0) Lead Grounds Technician (1.0) Grounds Equipment Operator/Mechanic (1.0) Grounds men (9.75) Grounds Workers (10.0) Other: Clerk Typist II (1.0) Energy Management Specialist (1.0) ^ = Positions expressed in FTE. Positions shown in blue font are located primarily at school sites or are otherwise in direct service to students. For purposes of this study, positions not located at the District Office are excluded for purposes of comparison. However, for M&O and Transportation Departments, department heads and Supervisory Staff are included no matter their location. Positions show in red font are otherwise in direct services to students but for purposes of this study are included in the analysis. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 56 STAFFING COMPARISONS Of the surveyed districts, two of the six either contracted out their home-to-school transportation or did not provide that service to their students. Those same districts utilized a vendor to provide transportation for special education students. Of the remaining four comparative districts, three employed a supervisory position in their transportation departments in addition to the transpor- tation manager/director position. The two districts of the three that employed a full-time super- visor had transportation departments that were 67.5-108.8% larger than Lompoc’s. The last of the three that employed a supervisory position did so by combining the supervisor and dispatcher positions, and combined the transportation director duties with those of the maintenance and operations department director. Please see the next page for the Transportation Department comparison chart. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 57 STAFFING COMPARISONS Transportation Lompoc Unified Morgan Hill Unified Los Banos Unified San Jacinto Unified Grade Level K-12 K-12 K-12 K-12 Enrollment 9,802 9,306 9,515 9,851 # Sites 16 15 13 14 Financial System Digital Schools QSS QSS Galaxy Attendance System / SIS Zangle eSchool Aeries Aeries 2012/13 Revenue Limit to Total Revenue Percentage 70.86% 70.63% 72.41% 68.39% 2012-13 General Fund Expenditures $69.2 Million $64.7 Million $65.2 Million $67.0 Million # Warrants Processed Annually (Excluding Payroll) 4,214 4,600 4,075 5,500 # Employees (FTEs) 767.4 646.85 854.5 731.4 Payroll Frequency (EOM / Supplemental) EOM + Supplemental EOM + Supplemental EOM EOM + Supplemental Average # Paychecks per pay period 1,100 720 1,024 1,100 # Purchase Orders Processed Annually 3,579 1,800 1,725 2,700 Warehouse? Yes Yes No No Departments and Positions^ Transportation Reports to: Assistant Superintendent, Business Services Deputy Superintendent, Business Services Assistant Superintendent, Administrative ServicesServices are contracted with Hemet Unified School District Department Head: Transportation Manager (1.0) Director of Transportation (1.0) Director of Facilities, Operations & Transportation Supervisory Staff: Supervisor (1.0) Transportation Supervisor/Dispatcher (1.0) Support Staff: Bus Drivers (15.0) Dispatchers (1.5) Bus Drivers (13.625) Bus Driver/Instructor (0.969) Drivers (28.0) Head Mechanic (1.0) Transportation Attendants (7.5 FTE) Mechanics (4.0) Mechanics (2.0) Lead Vehicle & Equipment Mechanic (1.0) Accounting Specialist (1.0) Vehicle & Equipment Mechanics (3.5) Kings Canyon Unified El Rancho Unified Woodland Joint Unified Grade Level K-12 K-12 K-12 Enrollment 9,841 9,953 10,252 # Sites 20 14 16 Financial System Everest - Expenditures/Digital Schools - PeopleSoft QSS Budget Attendance System / SIS PowerSchool Aeries Aeries 2012/13 Revenue Limit to Total Revenue Percentage 61.97% 67.68% 68.64% 2012-13 General Fund Expenditures $81.1 Million $76.3 Million $70.7 Million # Warrants Processed Annually (Excluding Payroll) 5,529 4,544 5,232 # Employees (FTEs) 894 763.4 861.6 Payroll Frequency (EOM / Supplemental) EOM EOM + Supplemental EOM + Supplemental Average # Paychecks per pay period 1,300 1,480 1,691 # Purchase Orders Processed Annually 2,965 2,086 2,053 Warehouse? Yes Yes Yes Departments and Positions^ Transportation Reports to: Deputy Superintendent, Administrative Services District provides no Home-to-School Assistant Superintendent, Business & Operations transportation and is a member of a JPA to provide Special Ed Department Head: Director of Transportation (1.0) transportation. Director of Transportation (1.0) Transportation Secretary (1.0) Accounting Technician/Secretary (1.0) Supervisory Staff: Transportation Supervisor/Driver Trainer (1.0) Support Staff: Dispatcher (1.0) Dispatchers (2.0) Bus Drivers (33.563) Instructor/Trainer (1.0) Delegated Bus Driver Trainer (0.75) Bus Drivers (26.875) Mechanic Technician I (2.0) Lead Vehicle Mechanic (1.0) Mechanic Technician II (1.0) Mechanic Technician III (4.0) Transportation Service Person (0.563) ^ = Positions expressed in FTE. Positions shown in blue font are located primarily at school sites or are otherwise in direct service to students. For purposes of this study, positions not located at the District Office are excluded for purposes of comparison. However, for M&O and Transportation Departments, department heads and Supervisory Staff are included no matter their location. Positions show in red font are otherwise in direct services to students but for purposes of this study are included in the analysis. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 58 STAFFING COMPARISONS Recommendations The district should: 1. Consider eliminating the following positions: • Administrative assistant II in the human resources department • Personnel assistant • One FTE accounting technician • District attendance technician 2. Consider adding the following position: • Maintenance supervisor 3. Broaden the scope of the manager, payroll and benefits to encompass the entire department and change its title accordingly. 4. Consolidate the supervision of the printing area under the manager of purchasing and stores, and change the title of this position accordingly. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 5599 TaHpIRpeDn DdRicaefsT Appendices A. Sample Transient Occupancy Tax Waiver Form B. Study Agreement Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 6600 TaHpIpReDn dDiRcAeFsT Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 6611 TaHpIRpeDn DdRicaefsT Appendix A HOTEL/MOTEL TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX WAIVER EXEMPTION CLAIM FOR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES Name: __________________________________________________________________ Title: ___________________________________________________________________ Employed By: ___________________________________________________________ District Name/Federal ID Number Hotel/Motel: _____________________________________________________________ Location: _______________________________________________________________ Arrival: _________________________________________________________________ Departure: ______________________________________________________________ This is to certify that I, the undersigned, am a representative or employee of the school district indicated above. The district is an agency of the State of California. The charges for the occupancy at the above establishment on the dates set forth have been, or will be, paid for by such governmental agency, and such charges are incurred in the performance of my official duties as a representative or employee of the above-noted governmental agency. I hereby declare, under penalty of perjury, that the foregoing statements are true and correct. _____________________________________ ________________________ Signature of Employee Date INSTRUCTIONS TO EMPLOYEE: Please check with the hotel/motel when making your reserva- tions to see if they allow Transient Occupancy Tax Exemptions. If they do, complete this form and fax it to the hotel/motel either ahead of your arrival or, if acceptable to them, at the time of registra- tion. INSTRUCTIONS TO HOTEL/MOTEL: Please retain this form for your files in order to substan- tiate your tax report. Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 6622 TaHpIpReDn dDiRcAeFsT Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 6633 TaHpIRpeDn DdRicaefsT Appendix B Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 6644 TaHpIpReDn dDiRcAeFsT Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 6655 TaHpIRpeDn DdRicaefsT Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict 6666 TaHpIpReDn dDiRcAeFsT Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 6677 TaHpIRpeDn DdRicaefsT Lompoc Unified SchooL diStrict