In August 2000, the Comptroller of Public Accounts’ Texas School Performance Review (TSPR) staff and consultants completed a comprehensive school review of the Bastrop Independent School District (BISD). During October 2001, TSPR staff returned to assess the district’s progress in implementing the recommendations.
Since 1991, TSPR has recommended more than 5,500 ways to save taxpayers more than $600 million over a five-year period in 63 different public school districts throughout Texas. TSPR also conducts follow-up reviews of districts that have had at least one year to implement recommendations. These 40 subsequent reviews show that almost 90 percent of TSPR’s combined proposals have been acted upon, saving taxpayers more than $109 million, with the full savings estimated to grow in the future.
Improving the Texas School Performance Review
Upon taking office in January 1999, Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander consulted school district officials, parents, and teachers and carefully examined past reviews and progress reports in an effort to make the Texas School Performance Review more valuable, even vital, to the state’s more than 1,000 school districts. Having served as a teacher and later as a school board president, Comptroller Rylander has vowed to make TSPR more accountable to local school districts and the communities they represent.
Comptroller Rylander began by establishing new criteria for selecting school districts for future reviews. Priority now is given to districts judged to be poor-performing, academically or financially, and to reviews that will benefit the greatest number of students. To ensure that this process also serves small districts, reviews of numerous school district in close proximity, regardless of academic or financial status are also done to achieve some economy of scale, as was the case with the smaller districts reviewed in Bastrop County.
Recognizing that only about 52 cents of every education dollar is spent on instruction, Comptroller Rylander’s goal is to channel more of every education dollar into the classroom. In addition, the Comptroller has acted to ensure that school districts’ best practices and exemplary models will not be left buried inside individual TSPR reports. Instead, Comptroller Rylander has ordered best practices and exemplary programs to be shared quickly and systematically among all the state’s school districts, and with anyone who requests such information. There is simply no reason for a district that has solved a problem to keep the solution to itself. Comptroller Rylander has directed TSPR to serve as an active clearinghouse of the best and brightest ideas in Texas public education. Best practices identified in the original review of BISD are included in the Comptroller’s best practices database, “A+ Ideas for Managing Schools” (AIMS), which is accessible on the web at www.aimsdatabase.org.
Under Comptroller Rylander’s approach, the TSPR team and consultants work with districts to:
- ensure students and teachers receive the support and resources necessary to succeed;
- identify innovative options to address core management challenges;
- ensure administrative activities are performed efficiently, without duplication and in a manner that spurs education;
- develop strategies to ensure the districts’ processes and programs are continually assessed and improved;
- understand the links among the districts’ functional areas and determine ways to provide a seamless system of services;
- challenge any process, procedure, program or policy that impedes instruction and recommend ways to reduce or eliminate obstacles; and
- put goods and services to the “Yellow Pages test”—government should do no job if there is a business in the Yellow Pages that can do that job better and at a lower cost.
Finally, Comptroller Rylander has opened her door to Texans who share her optimism about TSPR’s potential. Suggestions to improve school reviews are welcome at any time. The Comptroller is a staunch believer in public education and public accountability.
Detailed information can be obtained from TSPR by calling 1-800-531-5441 extension 5-3676, or by visiting the Comptroller’s Web site at www.window.state.tx.us.
TSPR in the Bastrop Independent School District
In January 2000, when Comptroller Rylander announced the Bastrop ISD review, the district was suffering from a loss of confidence among some community members in its ability to adequately manage its financial affairs. Several months before the announcement, more than 120 community members had signed and submitted a petition to the Comptroller asking for a review of the district.
Based upon more than five months of work, this report identified BISD’s exemplary programs and suggests concrete ways to improve district operations. If fully implemented, the Comptroller’s 60 recommendations could result in net savings of more than $3.9 million over the next five years.
The Comptroller’s office selected WCL Enterprises, a consulting firm based in Katy, Texas, to assist the agency with this review. The TSPR team interviewed district employees, school board members, parents, business leaders and community members and held a community meeting in BISD’s Intermediate School. To obtain additional comments, the review team conducted focus group sessions with parents, teachers, principals, business leaders and representatives from community organizations. The Comptroller also received letters from a wide array of parents, teachers and community members, and staff received calls to the Comptroller’s toll-free hotline.
Ninety-six campus and 34 central administrators and support staff; 31 principals, assistant principals and professional support staff along with 187 teachers completed written surveys as part of the review. The review team also consulted two databases of comparative educational information maintained by the Texas Education Agency (TEA)—the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) and the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS).
BISD selected peer districts for comparisons based on similarities in student enrollment, student performance and community and student demographics. The selected peer districts were Brazosport, Del Valle, Georgetown, Hays, Lockhart, San Marcos and Schertz-Cibolo. TSPR also compared BISD to district averages in TEA’s Regional Education Service Center XIII (Region 13), to which BISD belongs, and to the statewide average as a whole.
Bastrop ISD in Profile
Bastrop ISD is the largest of four districts located in Bastrop County, which is approximately 40 miles east of the city of Austin. The district has one high school, one middle school, one intermediate school, one middle/intermediate school, four elementary schools and three alternative education campuses for secondary students for a total of 11 campuses. Enrollment for 2001-02 is 6,753 students.
In 2001-02, BISD’s student enrollment is 30.6 percent Hispanic, 57.8 percent Anglo, 10.5 percent African American and 1.1 percent “Other.” More than 44 percent of BISD’s students are classified as economically disadvantaged.
In 2000-01, TEA awarded BISD an Academically Acceptable rating, and Bastrop Middle School received a Recognized rating.
In 2000-01, 89 percent of all students passed the reading portion of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), about 91 percent passed the math portion and about 90 percent passed the writing portion. The district achieved improvements in nearly all categories and in all subcategories of students taking the math and reading sections, but student performance declined on the writing portion of the exam from 1999-2000.
In 2000-01, the district employed a staff of 950 employees, with teachers accounting for 480 or nearly 51 percent. The district had expenditures of nearly $43 million in 2000-01. In 2000-01, almost 38 percent of BISD’s revenues were generated through local taxes, about 5 percent came from other local and intermediate sources and almost 55 percent came from the state, while less than 3 percent came from the federal government.
BISD spent 47 cents of every tax dollar on classroom instruction in 1999-2000. By 2000-01, that figure increased to slightly more than 49 cents of every tax dollar compared to the state average of 52 cents.
Since the time of the original review, BISD has completed an administrative reorganization of the district that has resulted in the elimination of a previous deputy superintendent. This change reduced the district’s overall administrative costs, but still allowed the district to perform its administrative functions.
While the district still has a lot of work to do, both BISD staff and TSPR team members have a sense of steady progress. Thirty-three recommendations have been implemented, 22 are in various stages of progress and four have not been addressed. BISD officials rejected one recommendation because they believed implementation was not feasible at this time. (See Appendix A for details on the recommendations' status.)
Bastrop ISD Report Card
Chapter # of Recommendations Complete In Progress Not Implemented Rejected Percent Complete/In Progress Rating District Organization and Management 6 2 4 0 0 33%/67% Satisfactory Educational Service Delivery 6 2 4 0 0 33%/67% Satisfactory Personnel Management 7 4 2 1 0 57%/29% Satisfactory Facilities Use and Management 5 3 2 0 0 60%/40% Satisfactory Financial Management 4 3 1 0 0 75%/25% Satisfactory Asset and Risk Management 5 2 1 1 1 40%/20% Needs Work Purchasing and Warehousing Services 7 5 1 1 0 71%/14% Satisfactory Child Nutrition Services 7 5 2 0 0 71%/29% Satisfactory Transportation 5 0 4 1 0 0%/80% Satisfactory Computers and Technology 8 7 1 0 0 88%/13% Excellent Overall Grade 60 33 22 4 1 55%/37% 92% Excellent = More than 80% complete
Satisfactory = 80% to 100% complete or in progress
Needs Work = Less than 80% complete or in progress
Exemplary Programs and PracticesBISD is a school district with some notable successes, and TSPR has identified numerous “best practices.” Through commendations in each chapter, this report highlights model programs, operations and services provided by BISD administrators, teachers and staff members. Other school districts throughout Texas are encouraged to examine these exemplary programs and services to see if they could be adapted to meet local needs. TSPR’s commendations from the original report with italicized updates are listed below.
- BISD’s strategic planning process provides direction and focus in helping to achieve the district’s mission of improving the academic performance of all students. BISD has six long-range goals, adopted by the board, that form the basis for developing the district’s annual strategic plan objectives and implementation strategies. Since 1998, the district has annually revised its strategic plan goals and implementation strategies to reflect the progress of accomplishing previous objectives.
Over the last year, BISD has been involved in an extensive long-range planning program that involved over 50 citizens from across the community. After nine months of meetings, the committee completed five and ten-year master plans that included demographic, facilities and cost information.
- BISD provides information to its public often and in a variety of ways. The district publishes a district newsletter seven times annually and mails it to all addresses in the district; it prepares a weekly column for the local newspaper, which features information about events held at various schools and always includes pictures of students involved in school activities. The district regularly prepares press releases on various topics of interest to the community and it secures the contribution of billboards in the area to advertise for volunteers and partnerships. Actions of the school board are summarized in a publication distributed to all district employees.
Bastrop ISD continues to look for ways to improve communication with the public. BISD has upgraded the district’s Web page to include information such as press releases, breakfast and lunch menus, board briefings, a community education brochure along with district facilities and athletics calendars.
- Students at Bastrop Intermediate, Cedar Creek Elementary, Emile Elementary and Hill Street Elementary schools met performance standards for the Texas Successful Schools Awards System (TSSAS) and earned cash awards for their schools. TSSAS awards are given to schools considered to be performing well in comparison to peer schools. Schools qualify for cash awards by meeting two criteria. First, the school must meet standards for one of three ratings categories: exemplary, recognized or acceptable. Second, the school must rank in the top 25 percent of all campuses that are in the same unique comparison group statewide, with respect to the Texas Learning Index. In February 2000, BISD received $12,622 as part of TSSAS.
BISD used money from the successful schools award program to purchase instructional supplies. In 2001, BISD received awards in the Successful Schools Awards Program at the following schools: Bastrop High School for reading, Mina Elementary for reading and Bastrop Intermediate School for math. BISD also received awards for its migrant program. At the Texas Migrant Education Conference, the district received recognition for the identification and recruitment of migrant students and was named All State for the 2000 and 2001 conferences. In addition, Mina Elementary School was recognized as Acknowledged and Cedar Creek Elementary was recognized as Excelling for migrant achievement on the 2000-01 TAAS.
- BISD uses cooperative arrangements for providing services that would be costly for a small district to offer, such as special education services, alternative education activities and property tax collections. For example, BISD is the managing and fiscal agent for the Bastrop County Special Education Cooperative (BCSEC). BCSEC serves students with disabilities in four area school districts: Bastrop, Elgin, Smithville and LaGrange. The cooperative offers a wide variety of education services and settings to meet individual educational needs of students with disabilities. Many students with disabilities use the same curriculum and assessment as regular program students. Special services or modifications are provided to all students who require them in order to benefit from their educational program. Individual plans are based upon a comprehensive individual assessment that identifies a student’s strengths, weaknesses and special needs.
As of 2001-02, BISD continues to maintain and participate in the Bastrop County Special Education Cooperative.
- BISD’s Print Shop provides a quality, cost-effective service to the schools. While some printing such as school letterhead and envelopes, some handbooks and certificates and some administrative brochures and folders, are contracted to outside vendors, the district’s Print Shop still prints more than four million copies of various school documents per year for the schools and departments. The cost per image is approximately $0.026. Recent bids show the district would spend about $0.038 per image to contract out this type of printing. The schools are receiving good value with an average charge-back of $0.010 per image, including the cost of paper.
BISD’s Print Shop continues to provide quality service to the district that remains the lowest cost option for BISD.
- The Food Services Department employees and managers measure performance based on job performance descriptions and employees are directly involved in the process through self-evaluations. The department manager and cafeteria managers evaluate each employee using performance-based and job-specific descriptions. Each employee and manager performs a self-evaluation using the job description form for presentation to the respective manager. The employee and manager determine the final evaluation score. The manager uses the evaluation to pinpoint areas for improvement and further training and areas in which competency and/or proficiency has been achieved.
In 2001-02, the BISD Child Nutrition Services Department is continuing its policy of employees and managers conducting performance-based job descriptions. Each employee continues to be involved and aware of his/her role in the evaluation process.
- The Food Services manager uses sound fiscal management decision-making about expenses and revenue enhancements. The cafeteria mangers are knowledgeable about financial information and have trained additional staff to assist in record keeping. This allows the department to maintain financial responsibility.
BISD has improved its financial tracking of food service operations by adding tools such as meals-per-labor-hour worksheets and by adding greater detail to departmental profit and loss statements.
- BISD receives additional revenue by providing vehicle fueling and maintenance services for Bastrop County and fueling services for the City of Bastrop through an interlocal agreement. Under the agreement, BISD provides the county 24-hour access to its underground fuel storage tank for $3 per vehicle per month. This fee reimburses BISD for administrative and pump maintenance costs. The district also performs maintenance and repair services for county vehicles at a rate of cost of the parts plus 5 percent. BISD processes all the paperwork and bills the county. The county pays for their share of the fuel, including applicable taxes, when the fuel is delivered and it is billed directly by the fuel vendor.
In 2001-02, BISD continues to provide services to the City of Bastrop and Bastrop County and receives revenues for vehicular fueling and maintenance services.
- BISD aggressively involves business and community organizations to enrich all schools with in-kind contributions and financial support. The district has developed relationships with organizations such as the National Guard and Austin Community College to support its technology infrastructure development. BISD has received approximately a quarter of a million dollars worth of equipment for the distance learning lab project from the National Guard. The National Guard provided all of the setup and installation, and will conduct training sessions to BISD staff as well as provide all of the support and maintenance during this project. BISD students will not incur charges for the use of the distance learning lab or for college coursework during the day. The district is still working with ACC and other institutions of higher learning to determine a possible charge for evening use of the lab.
BISD benefits from its relationships with the National Guard and Austin Community College. These community partnerships continue to provide financial support and volunteer assistance to enhance the district’s technological infrastructure.
The following are some of the key recommendations that administrators and staff said they believe had the greatest impact on district operations. The highlighted recommendations are organized by chapter and by the area of operation as contained in the original report. The comments came from district administrators during the TSPR team’s follow-up visit to the district.
District Organization and Management
Recommendation 2: Use the District Improvement Plan (DIP) as the designated BISD strategic plan and integrate all other plans into the DIP.
Recommendation 3: Revise the District Improvement Plan (DIP) to include all functions of school district operations.
Recommendation 4: Tie allocation of resources to the District and Campus Improvement Plans (CIPs). BISD administration believes recommendations 2, 3 and 4 have dramatically affected the district’s organization and planning. The timeline for Campus and District Improvement Plans has changed to align resources to the fiscal budget planning calendar. District administrators said that students will benefit from integrating the various plans with the DIP. The DIP will encompass four broad-based goals and go before the board in spring 2002 for approval.
Recommendation 5: Reorganize BISD operational functions to fully use all senior management positions. The district completed a reorganization that resulted in eliminating the position of a deputy superintendent. This change has allowed the district to achieve savings, which frees up funds for classroom instruction. The district administration predicts the reorganization of senior management positions will save BISD nearly $263,000 by 2004-05. BISD administrative staff members also are undergoing management training to enable them to work together as a team.
Educational Service Delivery
Recommendation 9: Develop a formal program evaluation process, clearly define roles and responsibilities and provide trained staff to lead the program. The district has developed a formal program evaluation process to provide a framework for systematically evaluating instructional and support programs based on data-driven decision making in the areas of leadership, planning, student/stakeholder focus, faculty/staff focus, process management and results. The process has led to changes in libraries, counselors and transportation along with the entire hiring process. Non-value-added steps to the process for hiring teachers have also been removed.
Personnel Management
Recommendation 14: Eliminate central office interviews for teacher applicants. As a result of the TSPR review, district officials have given principals the main responsibility for interviewing new teachers. Principals now have access to teacher applications online so they can select which applicants they want to interview for a vacant position.
Facilities Use and Management
Recommendation 21: Convert either Mina Elementary School or the West Campus of Bastrop High School to offices for district administration and for the special education cooperative. In fall 2000, BISD chose to convert Mina Elementary School into a central administrative facility. Moving forward with this recommendation has improved community relations as the location of the current Central Administrative facility was the catalyst for a petition sent to the Comptroller requesting the initial school performance review. Construction is scheduled for completion by September 2002.
Recommendation 20: Develop a long-range facilities master plan. District administrative officials agreed that developing a facilities master plan was the most difficult recommendation to implement and was extremely labor intensive. However, BISD administrators told TSPR staff they are happy with the results of the facilities master plan and that it gives them a firm grasp on the district’s facility needs. By knowing the current status of each facility, the district can make more informed decisions about future facility needs and usage, as well as needed repairs and renovations. The district is using the results of the long-range facilities master plan to call for a $119 million bond election in February 2002.
Financial Management
Recommendation 26: Contract with an external audit firm to perform annual internal audits. District administrative officials believe this recommendation gave them the confidence and permission to hire an outside firm to look at financial issues. The district has contracted with a private firm to audit the activity funds for spring 2002. The cost to the district is reduced by waiting until spring, and BISD administrators have said the audit will be conducted annually. By thoroughly investigating the optimal time to contract for an audit, BISD forecasts that over five years, the district will pay almost $19,000 less than TSPR’s original prediction.
Recommendation 28: Contract for organizational consulting services to make the payroll process more efficient. BISD administrators think that they learned a great deal from the review team about the payroll process. While BISD did not hire a consultant, the spirit of the recommendation has been completed by making the payroll process more efficient. As of 2001-02, the Business Office and payroll consists of four specialists, down from six in the previous year. The district transferred one employee to Personnel and eliminated one position. District officials say this recommendation will save BISD nearly $136,000 over five years, exceeding TSPR’s original estimate of $81,000.
Asset and Risk Management
Recommendation 32: Streamline the fixed assets record keeping process. Streamlining the fixed asset record keeping process has helped the district to improve the district’s control of its inventory, and all fixed assets are now tied to the general ledger.
Purchasing
Recommendation 34: Establish a procedure to ensure compliance with all state and local purchasing laws and policies. BISD has updated its purchasing manual for 2001-02, and the manual now complies with state and local purchasing laws.
Child Nutrition Services
Recommendation 44: Eliminate operational barriers and implement new programs to increase meal participation. According to district administrators, implementing this recommendation made significant sense financially. The district has begun using family application forms to identify students eligible for free and reduced-price meals. BISD also has made all meals eligible for federal reimbursement or a la carte choices. The district tripled its participation rate for reimbursable meals, which will generate an additional $100,000 in revenue. Children who are eligible for free meals can now obtain snack bar items without being identified as economically disadvantaged.
Transportation
Recommendation 49: Purchase automated bus routing software. While the final outcome is yet to be determined, district administrators are obtaining demonstrations from vendors and collecting information on the latest software. The funds for an automated system are available in the current budget. BISD is planning to present its recommendation to the board in late January 2002 in the hope of a spring 2002 implementation. BISD administrative officials believe this purchase will improve customer service.
Recommendation 48: Set up a procurement card to purchase inventory as needed and reduce present inventory levels for transportation parts by 40 percent. The district has not implemented a procurement card system, but the district has instituted particular internal controls that allow the Transportation Department to accurately track the status of its inventory. BISD officials report that implementing this recommendation has streamlined the purchase process, reduced inventory and offered a computerized system that monitors inventory levels. The district has also disposed of parts that were occupying inventory space on vehicles the district no longer owns. The district also is using a bar-code reader to ensure an accurate automated inventory count.
Computers and Technology
Recommendation 57: Develop a core group of teachers that are successfully using technology as a resource for other teachers. Intel trained three teachers in BISD in how to use technology, and those three teachers have been training additional educators, which should bring the number of trained teachers to 30. BISD officials hope by summer 2002 about 200 of the 500 teachers will be fully trained in additional technology. District officials believe implementing this recommendation will be an excellent way to educate teachers about technology in an environment where they will feel comfortable, and at a minimal cost to the district. Teachers are trained on their own time at no cost to the district other than that of the facilitator’s salary.
BISD has made steady progress in implementing TSPR recommendations. Ninety-two percent of the TSPR recommendations either have been implemented or are being implemented. District administrators have rejected one of the report’s recommendations and have provided their reasons for their delay or inaction on 4 others. This section addresses the key areas requiring additional attention.
Personnel Management
BISD administrators and board members have deferred action on Recommendation 15 for a controlled retirement incentive plan, stating that they were concerned about losing some of their best educators. An incentive plan, however, does not necessarily restrict the district from re-employing a retired participant to the extent permitted by the TRS rules of employment. Consequently, if a large number of experienced teachers accepted the offer, the district would be able to rehire or contract with some of them, perhaps with more flexible schedules to encourage their continued involvement in the education of children and mentoring of less experienced teachers. TSPR, therefore, encourages the district to carefully reconsider all aspects of an incentive plan against the possible negative impacts, and fully understand the legal and management issues surrounding such a plan.
Asset and Risk Functions
The district has not been able to realize the full benefits of Recommendations #29 and #30 because the local banks do not offer overnight sweep accounts or controlled disbursement accounts. However, the local depository is working with BISD officials to update its services. In the Galveston ISD, TSPR found that a similar recommendation has had an effect on local area businesses as well as the district's interest earnings. Moody Bank, Galveston ISD's depository, did not offer overnight investments to its customers. GISD's business manager approached the bank with this recommendation and together they worked through the details. Now, GISD has earned an additional $40,000 in interest, and Moody Bank is offering the service to its other customers. With encouragement from BISD officials, TSPR hopes that the local banking community will respond with improved services that can and will benefit all local area businesses.
Energy Management
While BISD has taken advantage of an audit provided by the Comptroller’s State Energy Conservation Office, and Recommendation #24 is marked complete since the audit is done, the real benefit of the audit remains to be tapped. The retrofits needed to achieve the energy savings are substantial, and in the coming months the board will be asked to make some hard decisions about making these investments. Due to rising energy costs, it is important that steps be taken immediately to ensure that the district conserves energy and keeps its utility bills to a minimum. In addition to the costly retrofits, there are also a number of simple things can be done to conserve energy, including campus-based programs that educate students and staff in the importance of turning off lights and turning down thermostats. The Comptroller’s State Energy Conservation Office and TSPR stand ready to assist BISD with this important work.
BISD’s Ideas for Improving the Texas School Performance Review
The Texas School Performance Review team does not assume that its process for performing school reviews works so well that it cannot be improved. Therefore, as part of the progress report preparation, TSPR asked Bastrop ISD staff members and administrators what went right and what went wrong—and how the process could be improved.
The feedback TSPR has received from other districts led to improvements in the review process. For example, early reports did not include implementation strategies, and districts told TSPR they needed help in getting started. As a result, the reports now include implementation strategies and timelines to complement the recommendations. Districts have told TSPR these blueprints are invaluable to achieving the desired results. But it is important for TSPR to be mindful of those things that did not work as intended so the review process can be improved.
Bastrop ISD administrators and board members said the report was valuable because it forced the district to take a hard look at itself. Through this critical examination, the district was able to identify and implement many improvements.
Bastrop administrators and board members made the following observations:
According to district administration, the review created a lot of labor intensive work for the district. However, the popular consensus was that the review was worthwhile. The superintendent said the review would be useful for the district in years to come. One person said many of the recommendations highlighted things district personnel knew needed to be done, and the report gave them the impetus to get them accomplished. Without the review, the board and administration eventually might have addressed many of the problems uncovered in TSPR’s report, but they said the review helped BISD achieve a great many improvements in a very short time.
One board member agreed the performance review fairly portrayed the exemplary programs and practices as well as the challenges facing the district. The same member also added that the public’s opinion of the district has improved since the review.
As with any complex process, some things could have been performed better. The Child Nutrition manager and district administration did not believe that the sanitation issues in district kitchens highlighted in Recommendation #47 were presented properly to the public. BISD officials thought TSPR’s findings focused too much on one specific campus and the situation at that campus portrayed as the situation at each kitchen in the entire district. Administrators said the recommendation could have led to negative reports from the media and might have upset parents when, as a whole, BISD’s health inspections have resulted in high scores. One person cautioned TSPR to be sure that when evaluating operations not to let one site serve as the representative of the entire district. However, the Child Nutrition, manager added that he thought it was particularly helpful to have another set of eyes looking at food service operations with an approach that took into account financial aspects, as opposed to the state health inspectors who are concerned only with sanitation issues.
One BISD board member did not think TSPR’s savings were practical or attainable and that TSPR had been too aggressive in its savings projections. TSPR staff has heard this comment in other districts and is now putting all savings estimates through a more rigorous process to ensure that all estimates are conservative.
