Transmittal Letter
Improving the TSPR
TSPR in the Elgin ISD
Elgin ISD Report Card
Exemplary Programs and Practice
TSPR Key Recommendations
What Still Remains to Be Done
EISD's Ideas for Improving the TSPRAppendix A - Status of Recommendations and Savings
In August 2000, the Comptroller of Public Accounts' Texas School Performance Review (TSPR) staff and consultants completed a comprehensive school review of the Elgin Independent School District (EISD). During January 2002, TSPR staff returned to assess the district's progress in implementing the recommendations.
Since 1991, TSPR has recommended nearly 6,000 ways to save taxpayers more than $630 million over a five-year period in more than 60 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 more than 40 subsequent reviews show that almost 90 percent of TSPR's combined proposals have been acted upon, saving taxpayers more than $112 million, with the full savings estimated to grow in the future.
Improving the Texas School Performance Review
Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander, who took office in January 1999, consulted school district officials, parents and teachers from across Texas and carefully examined past reviews and progress reports in an effort to make the Texas School Performance Review (TSPR) more valuable, even vital, to the state's more than 1,000 school districts. With the perspective of having served as a teacher, and later a school board president, the Comptroller has vowed to steer TSPR toward being 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 is now given to districts judged poorly performing academically and/or financially, and where a review will benefit the greatest number of students. To ensure this process also serves small districts, reviews of numerous school district in close proximity, regardless of academic or financial status are also performed 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 drive more of every education dollar directly into the classroom. In addition, no longer are school districts' best practices and exemplary models to 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 efficiently to keep the solution to itself.
Comptroller Rylander also 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 EISD will be 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 continuously 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 Elgin Independent School District
In March 2000, the Comptroller's office began a performance review of the Elgin Independent School District (EISD) as part of a countywide project to review the four districts in Bastrop County-Elgin, Bastrop, McDade and Smithville. This review signaled the first time since the initial pilot study in 1991 that the Comptroller had conducted a simultaneous countywide review of all of the districts in a single county. During the review, three key opportunities for improvement quickly surfaced-a decline in student achievement, an ineffective centralized decision-making process and the challenge to successfully integrate new managers into the organization.
Based upon more than five months of work, this report identified EISD's exemplary programs and suggested concrete ways to improve district operations. If fully implemented, the Comptroller's 41 recommendations could result in net savings of more than $1.1 million over the five years following the review.
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 EISD's cafeteria. To obtain additional comments, the review team conducted focus group sessions with district staff and reviewed letters from a wide array of parents, teachers and community members. Comptroller staff also received calls to the agency's toll-free hotline.
Surveys were sent to campus and central administrators and support staff; principals, assistant principals and professional support staff; and teachers 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).
EISD selected peer districts for comparisons based on similarities in student enrollment, student performance and community and student demographics. The selected peer districts were Bastrop, Del Valle, Leander, Manor and Taylor. TSPR also compared EISD to district averages in TEA's Region 13 Education Service Center, to which EISD belongs and the state as a whole.
EISD in Profile
Elgin ISD is located in Bastrop County approximately 40 miles east of the city of Austin. EISD has one high school, one middle school, one elementary school, a pre-K campus and an alternative education campus for secondary and elementary students for a total of 5 campuses. Enrollment for 2001-02 is 2,889 students, which represents a 10.9-percent increase since 1997-98.
In 2001-02, EISD's students were 44.8 percent White, 41.0 percent Hispanic, 13.5 African American and .7 percent Asian/Pacific Islander or Native American. More than 51.3 percent of EISD's students were classified as economically disadvantaged.
In 2001, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) awarded EISD and its campuses an Academically Acceptable rating.
In 2000-01, 84.7 percent of all students passed the Reading portion of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), 86.2 percent passed the Math portion, 82.8 percent passed the Writing portion and 75.6 percent of students passed all tests taken. Each of these percentages is slightly below the state and regional averages, but represents an improvement over the district's student performance in the previous year.
In 2001-02, the district employed a staff of 432 employees, with teachers accounting for 218 or more than 50 percent of EISD staffing. The district had expenditures of $20.01 million in 2001-02. In 2001-02, 37.2 percent of EISD's budgeted revenues were generated through local taxes, 4.1 percent came from other local and intermediate sources and 55.0 percent came from the state, while 3.7 percent came from the federal government.
In 2001-02, EISD budgeted 50.5 cents of every tax dollar on classroom instruction compared to the state average of 52 cents.
Significant changes have occurred in the district since the time of the review. Superintendent Kelton Cooper left the district in August 2000, and Superintendent Janie Simmons was named as his replacement. The vacant financial officer's position was filled, and a number of other key administrative positions experienced turnover. The board and current administration have over the last year set about the process of re-establishing policies, controls and procedures that had been dismantled or discarded by the previous administration.
While the district still has a lot of work to do, both EISD staff and TSPR team members have a sense of steady progress. Seventeen recommendations have been implemented, 21 are in various stages of progress, and three have been reviewed but not implemented. (See Appendix A for details on the recommendations' status.)
Exemplary Programs and Practices
EISD is a school district with some notable successes, and TSPR has identified numerous "best practices." Through commendations in each chapter, the original report highlighted model programs, operations, and services provided by EISD 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 include the following:
- Elgin has a number of initiatives to address the needs of its non-college bound students, while also addressing critical needs areas in the workforce. Agricultural Biotechnology is a unique Career and Technology course designed to introduce students to the basics of molecular biology. Intergenerational Professions trains students to be caregivers for individuals and provide group care for young children and the elderly. This course provides opportunities for supervised workplace experience in addition to the regular classroom instruction. The Cisco Lab, a two-year telecommunications and networking lab program, prepares students to pass a computer network certification test. Students learn the basics of computer networking, cabling, and configuration. With this certification, a student qualifies for employment in an area where there is a critical shortage of qualified workers.
Beginning in 2001-02, EISD has entered into an articulation agreement with the Austin Community College. Any EISD graduate who has taken Agricultural Biotechnology at Elgin High School will receive three hours of credit for Introduction to Biotechnology upon entrance to Austin Community College. The Cisco Lab agreement has been extended through a grant from Region 13. The grant has allowed EISD to construct a new distance education lab to share this training with surrounding districts. In 2001-02, EISD had 23 students enrolled in this program, an increase of 44 percent since the time of the review. Each year, a minimum of three students completes the Certified Cisco Network Associate Exam that qualifies them for employment.
- In 1999-2000, the district began a intervention process called a Student Needs Team, which is designed to find ways to help students succeed before it is necessary for a teacher to recommend assessing a student's need for special education. Teachers try different strategies in the classroom based on input from a team of peers and district experts before referring the student for special education. The process promotes collaboration among parents, students, schools and district level instructional, support and administrative staff members.
The district continues to use and refine the Student Needs Team (SNT). The elementary campus is piloting a modified procedure that the district will evaluate and consider for use at other campuses in the future.
- EISD's Maintenance Department uses a combination of external vendors and internal staff to cost-effectively meet the needs of the district. Maintenance Department staff handle most of the routine repairs for the district. The director of Maintenance contracts with various vendors, however, for heating, ventilating and air conditioning work for units with more than five tons in capacity and also for pest control. The director continuously reviews the cost of outside vendors within the Elgin area and in Austin. Based upon the material need, or the type of labor required, the director identifies the lowest cost alternatives.
In the last year, EISD has added some support systems. The district has found that licensed in-house staff are most cost effective, but are continuously assessing costs. EISD also has streamlined the communication processes by using e-mail to expedite the work requests and ensure that district personnel receive an immediate response.
- The Teacher Technologist Program, which began in the 2000-01 school year, is designed to maximize the benefits of educational technology and to provide a direct link between each school and the Technology Department. The teachers selected to participate receive extensive training not only on how to use technology, but also on how to use technology to teach. The teacher technologist is expected to work with other teachers at their campuses to integrate technology into the classroom.
The Teacher Technologist Program remains a strong program in EISD. The teacher technologists receive a $750 stipend each semester, and the State Technology Allotment pays for the stipends. Expectations and the proficiencies for these technologists are clearly outlined in the Teacher Technologist Handbook, making it possible for interested teachers to see what they must do to qualify for the program.
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 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: Tie the allocation of resources to the District and Campus Improvement Plans. The district's administrators noted this recommendation was particularly significant for EISD because it helped the staff to determine where the district is today and to focus on the future. Setting priorities and tying resources to those priorities also was a tremendous morale boost for employees, because they felt they had a role to play in directing the district's future.
Educational Service Delivery
Recommendation 10: Develop a formal program evaluation process, clearly define roles and responsibilities and provide trained staff to lead the program. While the superintendent is setting up an evaluation process and clearly defining roles and responsibilities, she said she believes the result of implementing this recommendation is going to be seen in future student performance gains. The superintendent is excited about the district's prospects and believes that EISD, with better coordinated and focused programs, is well on its way to becoming a Recognized district in the future.
Recommendation 14: Develop a standardized approach to applying discipline in each EISD school. The district's new standardized approach to discipline and the resolution of a long-standing problem concerning the dress code has boosted morale among students and parents.
Personnel Management
Recommendation 16: Develop written information that clearly defines the basis of the index system and how the index multipliers are determined. The new executive director for Business and Support Services said when he came to the district he realized the district needed to rethink its index system of salary and compensation. In rethinking it, district officials collectively concluded the system was not workable and decided to review alternatives.
Recommendation 18: Integrate the benefits information with the payroll system. With the benefit and payroll systems and departments acting independently, there were problems. The position of benefits coordinator has been moved from the Human Resources Department to the Business Office and is now supervised by the executive director for Business and Support Services. According to the executive director, this move has improved the coordination between the benefits coordinator and the accounting specialist and the use of the district's computer system.
Facilities Use and Management
Recommendation 20: Evaluate the quality of current maintenance work, identify opportunities to improve service and develop a plan to implement changes. The status of maintenance orders was a major concern of staff throughout the district. Implementing a new e-mail work order system has helped the district to reduce the number of pending work orders and to improve responsiveness and customer satisfaction. The new system allows the staff to prioritize and directly acknowledge and respond to those requesting maintenance and repair.
Financial Management
Recommendation 31: Create a districtwide purchasing procedure manual. The new executive director for Business and Support Services had used a purchasing procedure manual in other school districts. Using those manuals from previous districts as a model, he has created a manual that will provide district employees the information they need in order to understand the laws, rules and processes under which purchases can be made. He also said getting this information together and distributing it to campuses and departments will help the district to better manage its operations as the district grows.
Operations
Recommendation 33: Develop performance expectations for Child Nutrition employees. The district went well beyond the Comptroller's original recommendation. For the first, time, the district has developed a set of documented job expectations and evaluations for all employees. The superintendent said this process will help to improve performance throughout the district.
What Still Remains to be Done?
EISD has made steady progress in implementing TSPR recommendations, particularly considering that a new superintendent has come on board during this time. Seventeen recommendations have been implemented, 21 are in various stages of progress, and three have not been addressed. This section addresses the key areas requiring additional attention.
Energy Conservation
The district has contracted through an energy aggregator, or buying agent who knows the electric market and can help find the best deal available from the electricity providers, to save 35 percent on energy costs and is currently writing an energy management plan. EISD has also recently asked the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) to conduct an energy audit (Recommendation 22). Although the district has contacted several energy management contractors to provide an energy audit of the district, SECO's audits are free to school districts and can provide an unbiased third-party opinion, rather than a proposal with a possible profit motive. The district knows that it needs to replace some lighting and air conditioning controls at the various schools that they hope to address as part of the updating of the facility master plan. A more comprehensive audit may identify other opportunities for energy saving improvements and add vital information to that process. Once these energy saving opportunities are identified, TSPR encourages the district to move forward with implementation.
Purchasing
The district has assessed an automated purchase requisition and order system, and such a system is available to the district through the RSCCC system, the computer system that the district is currently using (Recommendation 30). The administration said that initially automation might require additional staff to train and monitor the campus staff. Officials also were concerned that campus staff might view the automated system as additional work. TSPR's experience with automating the purchasing process shows that campus staff do require initial training and monitoring. Once the system is in place, however, duplicative entry by campus and central administrative staff is eliminated, errors are reduced and goods and services are delivered faster and more efficiently.
Transportation
While the district uses a flexible bus replacement cycle, administrators said the board has been reluctant to establish an annual budget for systematically replacing the district's bus fleet (Recommendation 40). Moreover, it is not unusual for a board that is facing a tight budget to defer replacing buses as a way to hold the line on costs. Replacing buses when the district has surplus cash sounds appropriate, but maintaining older buses actually can mean costly repairs and higher fuel costs as well as increased safety hazards. Establishing a policy that regularly allocates a specified minimum for bus replacement is even more important for EISD because the district is growing. The demand for more routes will place greater stress on these older buses and will require the district to expand its fleet. Planning to meet this need in advance can reduce one-time costly bus purchases in the future.
EISD'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 Elgin 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. It is important for TSPR staff, however, to continuously be mindful of those things that did not work as intended so that the review process can be improved.
Elgin administrators and board members made the observations listed below.
- On the positive side, administrators said the report in some cases gave the administration some leverage with the board and perhaps with staff who were reluctant to change. They also said they believed the report could have been more useful if it had not been for the controversy within the district at the time of the review and suggested that the timing of the report was perhaps not as good for EISD as it may have been for the other districts in the county.
- District administrators said there was considerable confusion over the countywide review process. They said the consultants got the information from the various districts in the county mixed up. The said the report's credibility was reduced by errors and confusion in the executive summary, which showed survey results that were actually results from Bastrop ISD. TSPR acknowledges the challenge of producing multiple district reports at the same time during a countywide review. To address this issue in recent countywide reviews, TSPR assigned a single TSPR and consulting project manager to each of the districts within a county to ensure the integrity and individuality of each district is maintained.
- Some said the report gave too much emphasis to the complaints and concerns of chronic complainers inside and outside the district. Administrators said that it was upsetting when these complaints were given too much credence. TSPR attempts to base all recommendations on factual data, not public perceptions. In future reviews, TSPR will attempt to ensure this does not recur.
- Administrators also mentioned that the public briefing was very negative. While the administrators said the TSPR team handled themselves well, the public was angry and directed a number of pointed questions to the review team. Some members of the public were angry because they felt the report was not balanced, while others thought the review did not go far enough. Much of the anger was the result of the ongoing controversy in the district, but TSPR staff may have been able to deflect some of that anger if they had taken more time to discuss expectations with the board and the public earlier in the review process.
