School Efficiency Review of Amherst County Public Schools

311 Pages·2014·3.98 MB·English

by  Tatia Prieto

School Efficiency Review

of

Amherst County Public Schools

112 South Old Statesville Road
Suite 201
Huntersville, NC 28078 USA
[email protected]
704.438.9929 (voice)
832.201.0424 (fax)

School Efficiency Review
of
Amherst County Public Schools
August 2014

“Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.”
-Dwight D. Eisenhower

Table of Contents

1 Introduction ........................................................................... 1-1
A. Methodology ....................................................................................... 1-1
B. Acknowledgements .............................................................................1 -3
C. Report Organization ..........................................................................1 -3
2 Divisional Administration ....................................................... 2-1
A. Division Management ........................................................................ 2-3
B. Procedures ....................................................................................... 2-21
C. Planning, Budgeting, and Evaluation ............................................. 2-22
D. Community and Parent Involvement .............................................. 2-28
3 Educational Service Delivery ................................................... 3-1
A. Organization and Management ......................................................... 3-2
B. School Administration and Decision-Making ................................... 3-7
C. Curriculum Policies and Management ............................................ 3-10
D. Special Programs .............................................................................. 3-15
4 Human Resources ................................................................... 4-1
A. Organization and Management ......................................................... 4-7
B. Policies and Procedures .................................................................... 4-17
C. Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention ................................................ 4-24
D. Staff Development ........................................................................... 4-29
E. Compensation and Classification Systems ...................................... 4-32
5 Facilities Use and Management ............................................... 5-1
A. Plans, Policies, and Procedures ......................................................... 5-7
B. Maintenance Operations .................................................................. 5-16
C. Custodial Operations ....................................................................... 5-26
D. Energy Management ........................................................................ 5-29
E. Security ............................................................................................ 5-35
6 Financial Management ............................................................ 6-1
A. Organization, Management, and Staffing .......................................... 6-6
B. Financial Performance ..................................................................... 6-10
C. Planning and Budgeting .................................................................. 6-14
D. Policies, Procedures, and Use of Administrative Technology ......... 6-19
E. Contracting Processes ...................................................................... 6-26
7 Transportation ........................................................................ 7-1
A. Organization and Staffing ................................................................ 7-10
B. Planning, Policies, and Procedures................................................... 7-14
C. Routing and Scheduling .................................................................... 7-17
D. Training and Safety .......................................................................... 7-20
E. Vehicle Maintenance and Bus Replacement Schedules .................. 7-20
8 Technology Management ........................................................ 8-1
A. Organization and Staffing .................................................................. 8-3
B. Staff Development ............................................................................. 8-7
C. Instructional and Administrative Technology ................................. 8-10
D. Technology Planning and Budgeting ............................................... 8-15
E. Technology Policies and Procedures ............................................... 8-20
F. Systems Infrastructure and Integration .......................................... 8-23
G. Technical Support and Help Desk Operations ................................ 8-28
9 Food Services .......................................................................... 9-1
A. Organization and Staffing .................................................................. 9-4
B. Policies, Procedures, and Compliance ............................................... 9-9
C. Planning and Budgeting .................................................................. 9-10
D. Management and Facility Operations .............................................. 9-17
E. Qualifying Students for Free and Reduced-Price Meals .................. 9-21
F. Student Participation ....................................................................... 9-24
G. Nutrition and Nutrition Education Programs ................................. 9-29
H. Purchasing and Warehousing .......................................................... 9-33
Appendix A – Peer Comparisons ............................................. A-1
Appendix B – ACPS 2014 Capital Improvement Projects ......... B-1
Appendix C – ACPS Energy Conservation Policy ..................... C-1
Appendix D – Sample Food Services Manual .......................... D-1
Appendix E – Recommendations and Commendations ........... E-1
R
E1
T Introduction
P
A
H
C

In 2003, the Commonwealth of Virginia announced several initiatives to address a host of
childhood and adult education needs, including the School Efficiency Review initiative. The
purpose of the reviews is to identify savings that can be gained through best practices in
other non-instructional areas, so that savings can be redirected to the classroom in better
service of Virginia’s schoolchildren. To date, 41 school efficiency reviews have been
completed under this initiative.
The Virginia Department of Planning and Budget (the Department) contracted with
Prismatic Services, Inc., in March 2013 to complete the 42nd school efficiency review, of
Amherst County Public Schools (ACPS). This report is provided in fulfillment of that
contract.
ACPS is located in Amherst County between Charlottesville and Lynchburg. The community
is close to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the James River. It is also the home of Sweetbriar
College and is close to several national civil war parks and monuments. The George
Washington National Forest and the Shenandoah National Park are just a short distance
from the county. The 2000 census reflected a county population of 31,854, and a 2010
update indicates a population of 32,353, reflecting a 1.4 percent growth. The 2000 census
also indicated that 23.5 percent of the households had children under 18. In the fall of 2013-
14, ACPS had a total enrollment of 4,291, which is roughly 13 percent of the county
population.
A. Methodology
Prismatic used a 10-step work plan to conduct this school efficiency review:
1. Initiate project.
2. Conduct initial meeting.
3. Complete initial comparative analyses.
4. Conduct fieldwork:
a. Review divisional administration.
b. Review educational service delivery costs.
c. Review human resources.
d. Review facilities use and management.
e. Review financial management.
f. Review transportation.
g. Review technology management.
h. Review food services.
5. Develop interim briefing document.
6. Develop draft report.
7. Develop exposure draft and protocol checklist.
8. Develop final report.
9. Present report.
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10. Submit concluding documents and close project.
Prismatic provided a team of nine consultants as well as clerical and technical staff. The
project manager and one consultant completed the initial meeting and advance visit to the
division April 9-11, 2014 to collect initial documentation and make logistical arrangements
for the full team visit. The advance team also interviewed a number of the division’s leaders
to gather initial opinions on the efficiency and effectiveness of operations.
The full team completed fieldwork April 27-May 2, 2014. The consultants interviewed school
board members, county administrative staff, and key division staff members. The
consultants also conducted focus groups of various staff groupings, collected additional
documentation, toured division facilities, and observed daily operations. All ACPS facilities
were visited at least twice by a consulting team member. In total, the team completed 63
individual or joint interviews and 21 focus groups.
All consulting team members adhered to the requirements of the Department’s Protocol
Manual. The Protocols provide a thorough blueprint for assessing operations in the division
under review.
Peer comparisons are made throughout the report. Peers were selected in consultation with
the ACPS superintendent and approved by the Department based on cluster analysis that
was completed by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 2013 through an agreement
with the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget. VCU used variables to group “like”
school divisions together based on size and wealth. The variables were average daily
membership and population density (size) and eligibility for free/reduced-price lunch and
the composite index of local ability to pay (wealth). The peers selected were:
Caroline County;
Carroll County;
Dinwiddie County;
Mecklenburg County;
Pulaski County;
Russell County;
Smyth County; and
Wythe County.
In addition, to address the concerns of some division and county leaders, five divisions
located near ACPS were also included in some comparisons. These neighboring divisions
were:
Appomattox County;
Bedford County;
Campbell County;
Lynchburg City; and
Nelson County.
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B. Acknowledgements
Prismatic acknowledges the assistance of the following individuals in the preparation of this
report:
Dr. Steven Nichols, Superintendent;
Dr. Julie Rogers, assistant superintendent for human resources; and
Ms. Teresa Crouch, chief financial officer.
Prismatic also thanks the many other ACPS department heads, principals, and staff
members who provided time, assistance, observations, and data for this review.
C. Report Organization
All references to years in this report indicate schools years. For example, “2012-13” refers to
the school year 2012-13, which ran from July through June. All dollars presented in cost or
savings projections are shown in 2014 dollars; inflation factors and cost-of-living
adjustments are not included for future years.
The remaining chapters of this report are organized by review area, as delineated in the
Protocol Manual:
Chapter 2: Divisional Administration;
Chapter 3: Educational Services Delivery;
Chapter 4: Human Resources;
Chapter 5: Facilities Use and Management;
Chapter 6: Financial Management;
Chapter 7: Transportation;
Chapter 8: Technology Management; and
Chapter 9: Food Services.

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