Focus on TUSD - May 2008

Board Approves Implementation of 39 MGT Recommendations
At a special meeting on May 16, the Governing Board approved the implementation of 39 of the 74 recommendations made by MGT of America consultants who conducted the District's management audit. Board members discussed recommendations that were labeled least disruptive to implement; and most important to implement. The recommendations are:

Governance, District Organization, Management and Leadership -- Least Disruptive

• Amend Governing Board policy to require the delivery of the regular Governing Board meeting agenda and supporting packet five days prior to the meeting.
• Complete the conversion, review and update of the policy manual and assign oversight to the Legal Services Department.
• Restructure the Superintendent's executive team or cabinet to include an Executive Leadership Team and a District Leadership Team.

Governance, District Organization, Management and Leadership -- Most Important

• Reorganize the duties of the Governing Board office staff and eliminate two positions.
• Develop and implement a policy for an annual TUSD Governing Board self-assessment and consider adopting a policy governance model of operation.
• Reorganize the Tucson Unified School District central office.
• Consider conducting a comprehensive organization review and performance audit of TUSD educational services delivery systems. (Yes but delay.)

Personnel and Human Resources Management -- Least Disruptive

• Appoint a well-trained and experienced employee relations expert to conduct good faith Interest Based Bargaining, and be held accountable for negotiations and improved relations between unions and the TUSD.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive human resources strategic plan according to a continuous improvement model to guide decision making and document accomplishments and results.
• Develop a plan for an integrated human resources and payroll management system.
• Develop and implement a strategic comprehensive teacher recruitment and retention plan designed to increase both the number and diversity of applicants and to provide workplace enhancements to reduce the turnover rate. (In progress)
• Determine and assign the appropriate overtime eligibility status to all classifications of employees, and hold supervisors accountable for appropriate authorization and management of overtime pay and budgets.

Personnel and Human Resources Management -- Most Important

• Develop a TUSD strategy and plan to simplify and standardize employee leave accrual, usage, monitoring, and accountability that can be the basis to revise Governing Board policy and to negotiate with employee bargaining units.
• Develop and deploy a plan to manage health care costs and benefits provisions that are fair to employees and affordable for the District.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive District-wide workforce training and staff development program to enhance the knowledge, expertise, and performance of all instructional and non-instructional employees.

Financial Management/Purchasing/Warehousing -- Least Disruptive

• Modify the current purchase requisition approval process to help ensure budgeted funds are available prior to releasing purchase orders to vendors until such time that the District updates or replaces its PeopleSoft financial management system.
• Annually analyze historical expenditures early in budget process and establish budget targets to increase funding percentages for classroom instruction.
• Create a process that requires the Director of Financial Services to specifically approve all changes to employee pay information not documented on individual personnel action forms and to approve all changes to deduction tables used in the payroll system. (Being done)

Financial Management/Purchasing/Warehousing -- Most Important

• Develop a budgeting process and formal budget policy that requires annual expenditure budgets to include all District funds, to be balanced with revenue estimates, and to be within the state’s spending limit.
• Develop a summary reporting format for financial, management, and program-related information presented to the Governing Board, and train Governing Board members on how to interpret the information. (Being done)
• Hire an Internal Auditor who reports to the TUSD Governing Board through the audit committee.

Facilities Use and Management -- Least Disruptive

• Reorganize the facilities use and management functions to clarify responsibilities and simplify lines of communication.
• Transfer the responsibility for supervision of the high school engineers to the Engineering, Facilities, and Planning Department.
• Rewrite the goals for REAP using the SMART goal format.

Facilities Use and Management -- Most Important

• Prepare and implement a detailed, long-range facility master plan.

Transportation -- Least Disruptive

• Develop an accounting practice that charges vehicle operation, maintenance, and repair costs to the department that is operating the vehicle, and credit insurance recovery revenue to the Transportation Department.
• Develop an up-to-date inventory of the bus fleet and complete a prioritized list of buses needing replacement. (Completed)

Transportation -- Most Important

• All routes should be evaluated for effectiveness and efficiency against predetermined scheduling, routing, and stop guidelines.
• Develop a short-term five-year and long-term 15- to 18-year bus replacement and purchase plan. (In progress)
• Limit the use of bus monitors to the routes with the greatest needs, and equip buses without monitors with digital video recorders.

Administrative and Instructional Technology -- Least Disruptive

• Adopt a plan that specifies a replacement cycle for all TUSD computers.
• Discontinue the existing process that requires the Customer Service and Support unit to key payroll data. (In progress)
• Implement a requirement that teachers and other staff take a basic trouble-shooting computer skills course.
• Implement a program that involves students as providers of technical support for their schools.

Administrative and Instructional Technology -- Most Important

• Create a Technology Department including all technology-related units.
• Establish a Chief Technology Officer position at the executive staff level. (Delay as part of the reorganization)
• Develop a comprehensive technology plan that addresses the needs of administrative technology, along with the instructional and infrastructure needs. (In progress)
• Change to an approach where most of the queries that user departments need are prepared by user department personnel.
• Assign the annual evaluation responsibilities for the site technicians jointly to their principal and the educational technology coordinator.

At its regular meeting on May 13, the Governing Board voted to move forward with an override election in November, asking voters to approve more than $27 million in additional funds to allow TUSD to cap class sizes at 18 students in kindergarten through second grades; expand the Opening Minds Through the Arts (OMA) program to all elementary and middle schools; and provide salary incentives for hiring and retaining hard to fill positions in the areas of math, science, and Exceptional Education.

If the override passes, class sizes will be capped at 22 in sixth- through eighth-grade math classes.

Board members were given a status report on the budgets for 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. The deficit for this year’s budget is $800,000, down from $9.5 million at the start of the school year. The projected deficit for next school year is approximately $5 million.

The board gave Superintendent Roger F. Pfeuffer the authority to reassign 14 elementary principals to dual school sites and other vacant positions. Pairs of elementary schools that will share one principal are Henry/Wrightstown; Borton/Holladay; Rogers/Sewell; Davis/Roskruge; Carrillo/Richey; Bloom/Van Horne; and Manzo/Jefferson Park. See related story.

In other action, the board:

• Held a public hearing on the final revision of the 2007-2008 fiscal year TUSD Expenditure Budget, and approved the budget;
• Approved the option for a general salary reduction should the need arise to reallocate resources for 2008-2009; 
• Approved a Certificate of Completion for students who have the credits to graduate but have not passed the required AIMS tests;
• Approved the charter of the Governing Board Audit Committee with some revisions;
• Increased breakfast and lunch prices for 2008-2009;
• Increased participation fees for high school extracurricular, fine arts and athletics; and added a participation fee for middle school extracurricular activities.

Photos in the May issue by Jes Ruvalcaba of Communications & Media Relations, unless otherwise noted.

The deadline to submit material for the June Focus is Friday, June 13. The Focus will be published Monday, June 23. Email submissions to Chyrl Hill Lander or Sharon Dunham in the Communications & Media Relations Department or use the online Tip Sheet.