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Introduction

In June 1999, the Comptroller of Public Accounts’ Texas School Performance Review (TSPR) staff and consultants began a comprehensive school review of El Paso Community College (EPCC). After more than five months of work, the Comptroller’s office released a report identifying exemplary programs in EPCC and suggesting concrete ways to improve district operations.

If fully implemented, the Comptroller’s 115 recommendations were projected to produce net savings of more than $12.7 million over the following five years-savings that could be focused on improving education in the college classroom. During the fall of 2000, TSPR staff returned to assess the college’s progress in implementing the recommendations.

TSPR in EPCC

With the perspective of having served as a teacher, a school board president, and the chair of the Austin Community College Board, Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander has vowed to be the “education watchdog” for the people of Texas. Upon taking office in January 1999, the Comptroller set about expanding the TSPR. She saw TSPR as a tool for educational improvement, particularly when local officials seek help to improve academic performance by better managing classroom resources.

At the request of State Senator Eliot Shapleigh and the college, the Comptroller’s office began a performance review of the El Paso Community College District (EPCC). The review marked the first time that the agency had conducted a school performance review of a community college district.

Recognizing that only 52 cents of every state public education dollar is spent on instruction, Comptroller Rylander’s goal is to drive more of every education dollar directly into the classroom, where it belongs. Under the Comptroller’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 district’s processes and programs are continually assessed and improved;
  • understand the link between the district’s 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.

With the help of McConnell, Jones, Lanier & Murphy LLP, a Houston-based consulting firm, the TSPR team devised a multi-faceted approach to identify the major issues in the district. The approach involved interviewing key stakeholders, holding community forums, conducting focus groups of interested parties, soliciting comments from the general public, conducting written and telephone surveys inside and outside the institution, analyzing key financial and educational data provided by the district, comparing district operations to similar institutions and consulting the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and other higher educational authorities.

The team interviewed college staff and instructors, students, district board members, business leaders and members of the community. TSPR also held public meetings at five EPCC campus sites. Participants were invited to write their observations on major topics of concern or to be interviewed. To obtain additional comments, the review team conducted focus group sessions with students, college staff, business leaders and members of the community. The team also collected comments from letters to the Comptroller and telephone calls to the Comptroller’s toll-free hotline.

TSPR sent surveys to a sample of district personnel and conducted a telephone survey of the community. Both surveys asked respondents to comment on their satisfaction with district operations.

TSPR also contacted the Texas state agency that oversees community colleges in Texas, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), for information on community colleges in general and on EPCC specifically. THECB provided data on the responsibilities of community colleges and on the information required from community colleges.

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.

EPCC Background

More than 24,000 students are enrolled in a given semester at EPCC. This figure has remained relatively stable over the past five years making EPCC the sixth largest community college in Texas. While student enrollment has remained constant, students enrolling in credit courseS for an associate’s degree have declined, and students enrolling in special purpose classes, some less than a semester in length, have increased.

For the 2000-2001 school year, 82 percent of EPCC’s students are Hispanic, 13 percent are Anglo, 3 percent are African American, and 2 percent are classified as Other. The average age of the student body is 31 years.

In fall 2000, approximately 68 percent of the students enrolled in academic areas in preparation for senior college, while the remainder enrolled in technical or other programs. About 43 percent were full-time students carrying 12 hours or more of classes, and 57 percent were part-time.

During the 1999-2000 school year, EPCC employed a staff of 2,776 with faculty making up about 47 percent of the total staff. The district’s operating budget is $77.5 million. Fifty-four percent of EPCC’s revenue is generated locally, 46 percent comes from the state, and less than 1 percent comes from federal sources.

Significant Changes Since the Original Review

The district has undergone extensive changes since the release of the TSPR review in November 1999. The president in charge when the review was conducted left the college in December 1999. The EPCC board appointed the former executive vice president, Dr. Ramon Dominguez, to the position of interim president, a position he had held before. The board confirmed Dr. Dominguez as president in May 2000, and the new president set about reorganizing EPCC’s top administration. Dr. Dominguez also made implementing the Comptroller’s recommendations a priority of his administration as directed by the El Paso Community College Board of Trustees. In addition, the board reorganized in May 2000, electing a new chairman, vice-chair and secretary.

In all, these changes appear to have brought about a sense of stability, creating a climate for progress and positive change.

Summary of Savings and Report Card

During its review, TSPR developed 115 recommendations to improve operations and save taxpayers more than $15.5 million in gross savings by 2003-2004. Cumulative net savings from all recommendations (savings less recommended investments) are projected to reach more than $12.7 million by 2003-2004.

Below is the performance of EPCC to date on implementing these recommendations.

EPCC Report Card
Chapter Total
Recs		 Complete In
Progress		 Not
Implemented		 Rejected %
Complete		 % In Progress Grade
Organization and Management 8 5 2 0 1 63% 25% Satisfactory
Educational Service Delivery 6 4 2 0 0 67% 33% Satisfactory
Personnel Management 13 6 7 0 0 46% 54% Satisfactory
Community Involvement 11 7 4 0 0 64% 36% Satisfactory
Facilities Use and Management 8 3 4 1 0 38% 50% Satisfactory
Asset and Risk Management 7 6 1 0 0 86% 14% Excellent
Financial Management 13 8 5 0 0 62% 38% Satisfactory
Purchasing, Receiving and Distribution 12 10 2 0 0 83% 17% Excellent
General Support Services 17 15 0 1 1 88% 0% Excellent
Student Services 13 8 5 0 0 62% 38% Satisfactory
Management Information Systems 7 3 4 0 0 43% 57% Satisfactory
Overall Grade 115 75 36 2 2 65% 31% Satisfactory
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 Practices

TSPR identified numerous “best practices” in EPCC. Through commendations in each chapter, the report highlights the district’s model programs, operations and services. Other community colleges throughout Texas are encouraged to examine these exemplary programs and services to see if they could be adapted to meet their local needs. The TSPR commendations include:

EPCC aggressively pursues federal grants, and its total grant spending as a percentage of current fund revenue is twice that of its peer community colleges.

Since the review, EPCC has secured an additional $17.5 million in grants. Notable among the grants received are the following:
Upward Bound $298,198
Rise to the Challenge $560,377
Health Careers Opportunities $224,610
Gear-Up $490,749
Rio Grande Research $127,000
Begin at Birth $334,000
Youth Program Services $1,312,159
Assist Communities $399,000

EPCC maintains good relations with the local print and broadcast media and provides access to information about administrative meeting schedules, agenda items and administrative personnel.

EPCC continues to provide the media information and the board agenda. The associate vice president for Marketing and External Affairs meets with the newspaper editors, writers and representatives of the local television stations and continues the college’s practice of responding promptly to all media inquiries. The associate vice president also has developed a list of college faculty and staff to serve as “experts” for local media coverage.

EPCC has prevented the accumulation of deferred maintenance by systematically identifying and funding major repairs and renovations through the annual budget. Approximately $700,000 is transferred from operating funds to plant operations each year for major maintenance and also for renovation or construction projects.

Since the review, EPCC has completed applying a membrane and epoxy coating to the roof of the main building of the Transmountain Campus. This surfacing upgrade will greatly extend the service life of the roof. The college also has budgeted $285,000 for two major capital expense projects that are expected to be completed by fall 2001.

EPCC has contained or reduced its electrical energy costs through highly effective energy management. The district has installed a computerized energy management system that monitors heating and air conditioning from the Physical Plant office, and room temperatures in district facilities are monitored and adjusted as needed.

Recently, EPCC installed a gas driven chiller at the Mission del Paso Campus, resulting in a one-year utility savings of $21,100. The total savings over the life of this installation are estimated to be $360,350.

Through its safety training programs, EPCC has significantly reduced the cost of its workers’ compensation claims over the past three years. EPCC’s workers’ compensation payments have decreased by 45 percent from fiscal 1996 to fiscal 1998.

EPCC has since expanded the number of topics covered by the safety training programs. The safety office also secured funding to purchase secondary containment units for storing chemicals used in college labs.

The EPCC Student Financial Aid Web site contains comprehensive information that enables students to research information about available financial resources. The site outlines available sources of financial aid, eligibility requirements, deadlines and the steps necessary to apply for aid.

Since the review, EPCC has identified six computers to be placed outside the financial aid office to provide expanded access to the Financial Aid Web site. These computers, along with those in the five college libraries and numerous computer labs, ensure EPCC students will have convenient access to the Internet.

EPCC’s Rio Grande FreeNet provides free Internet access to low-income residents. More than 44,000 students have used the Internet via this system since the program began. The network has more than 8,000 registered users.

Since the review, EPCC has expanded the college’s Web page capabilities to meet the needs of not-for-profit organizations and has added 30 not-for-profit sites to the Internet. By providing free access to not-for-profit organizations, the college ensures access to varying points of view. Finally, the college has opened a graphic user interface system to the public that allows Free Net users to see images. This is a major improvement over the original “text-only” format.

TSPR Key Recommendations

Following are some of the key recommendations identified by EPCC administrators as having the greatest impact on district operations. The highlighted recommendations are arranged by chapter and area of operation as contained in the TSPR report. The comments came from district administrators.

District Organization and Management

#4 Refine the revised organization structure to combine compatible functions, eliminate one-to-one reporting relationships, and reduce the number of clerical support staff.

At the time of the review, EPCC had a top-heavy organizational structure with multiple levels of management that did not add value to organization. In February 2000, the president appointed a committee to draft a proposed reorganization of the college’s administration. The results were presented by the president to the board, and the reorganization was adopted. The reorganization called for the elimination of the executive vice president’s position, saving the district more than $137,000 annually. According to the president, communications and accountability have been significantly improved.

#6 Complete evaluation of all instructional programs by May 2000.

At the time of the review, EPCC had identified 575 instructional and administrative units that the college felt were necessary to evaluate the college’s performance. Over a two-year period, the college had evaluated less than 25 of the 575.

To address the Comptroller’s recommendation, the office of Institutional Effectiveness began evaluating all credit and non-credit instructional programs and plans to complete its evaluation by March 2001. The evaluation will include feedback from students on their general satisfaction with course offerings and student performance. The college believes that speeding up the review of instructional programs will give the EPCC a better sense of the effectiveness of programs throughout the college.

Educational Service Delivery

#11 Conduct a comprehensive review of its developmental education programs and use the results to improve the program.

TSPR found that some developmental education programs were not being tracked effectively, and there was little coordination among the developmental education programs. To address this problem EPCC began a comprehensive review of EPCC’s developmental education programs in January 2000. In April 2000, college officials made recommendations outlining improvements to the developmental program.

During summer 2000, a pilot project was conducted in nine developmental education classes to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed changes. The college conducted training for staff during fall 2000 to expand the pilot project to 45 classes in spring 2001. Results from the pilot program will be evaluated to determine the impact on student performance. If there is a positive impact, the program changes will be implemented. By carrying out this review, EPCC believes the college will be able to more effectively evaluate the success of every developmental education program.

#13 Expand distance education by offering certificate and degree programs.

In 1999, EPCC had established its distance learning network, but course offerings were limited. Since the review, EPCC’s distance education program has been expanded to include an online Telecommunications and Networking degree. Additional core courses for the associate of arts degree were added in the spring 2000 semester. The district expanded training for online faculty to help them deliver instruction through online courses. In fall 2000, EPCC had 435 students enrolled in online courses. EPCC believes that it can continue to build the program and make it a successful strategy in providing educational services to the community.

Personnel Management

#16 Review all position classifications, job descriptions, and salary schedules to ensure that the classification and compensation for each position reflects the job’s complexity and the experience it requires.

When TSPR conducted its review, personnel staff told TSPR that the last compensation and classification study for the college was completed in 1993. As a result, many of the positions in the college were incorrectly classified.

EPCC has 443 job classifications. The college engaged a compensation consulting firm and reviewed 104 positions in 1999-2000. The college also established an audit cycle to review 20 percent of its job classifications every year. This strategy should result in reviewing 100 percent of the college’s positions every five years. The college believes that keeping position classifications up to date will improve the hiring process and will help improve employee morale.

#25 Implement a set of required training programs for all college employees.

TSPR found that EPCC did not have a comprehensive plan for staff development except for faculty. In response to this recommendation, EPCC’s staff development office has developed a comprehensive list of training programs. The college also has identified a list of mandatory courses for its employees. Effective September 1, 2000, all employees must attend New Employee Orientation and Sexual Harassment workshops. Additionally, all supervisory employees must attend Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Compliance Training. Subject to funding availability, the number of mandatory workshops will be expanded in the future. EPCC believes that establishing mandatory training will ensure that all staff are provided with the skills necessary to execute their jobs appropriately.Community Involvement

#36 Prioritize EPCC’s workforce training and development.

During the review, many local business leaders said the role and scope of EPCC’s educational mission was unclear. Many felt that the college’s central mission was to provide technical training. Yet, many of the same businesses also noted that basic skills were needed by their employees, indicating the need for traditional academic training. TSPR felt that the college needed a clearer vision of its workforce training and development needs.

In response, EPCC’s leadership conducted an intensive analysis to develop workforce training and development priorities. The sources of information used in this analysis included: the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics; Tracer, developed by the Texas Workforce Commission; Training Gap Analysis, published by the El Paso Chamber of Commerce and Emerging and Evolving Occupations, published by the Texas SOICC.

EPCC officials considered starting salaries, long-term career potential and, most significantly, the needs of the community. Two occupational areas have been identified as priority fields of study: health and computer occupations. The college plans to spend $6 million renovating and expanding the health care training facility and has recently added Community Health Advocate to its roster of programs. The college also expanded Emergency Medical Services, Pharmacy Technology and Diagnostic Medical Sonography from certificates to associate degrees. Finally, the college has invested in developing Cisco training, M.C.S.E. training and the computer information system programs.

#37 Establish partnership agreements with local professional schools, community-based organizations, and employer business leaders.

During the review, TSPR concluded that EPCC could maximize its training resources by establishing more partnerships with local entities that already provide specific training.

EPCC has aggressively pursued partnerships in the community. Examples of partnerships include the school partnerships with area elementary and secondary schools, agreements with area health care agencies, co-operative education agreements for worksite experience and apprenticeship agreements. The college also has formed several manufacturers’ consortia with local manufacturers such as Boeing, Eureka, Hoover, Toro, and Leviton.

Facilities Use and Management

#42 Develop a plan of action for the future use or disposition of Central Services Center facility, either as part of the district facilities master plan or as a site plan.

A principal reason TSPR was summoned to conduct the performance review by the former college president was to determine how EPCC could best use its facilities more effectively. One facility already identified in an earlier study commissioned by the college in 1990 found that the existing facilities were excellent except for the Central Services Center (CSC). TSPR urged the college to develop a plan for the future use of the building, including the possibility of liquidating the building.

The EPCC Board of Trustees entered into negotiations to acquire two existing buildings on Viscount Boulevard, near the Valle Verde Campus. Many of the offices now at the CSC facility will eventually be transferred to the new buildings. Though the negotiations are in an early stage, part of the proposed plan involves the transfer of the CSC facility to the seller of the Viscount property. Negotiations also have provided that regardless of the transfer date of the CSC facility, EPCC will be allowed to use it until December 31, 2001. This timeframe should allow an orderly and coordinated movement to the Viscount location and provide adequate time to refurbish the acquired properties.

#44 Revise work order system’s software program to include additional management information.

Software used to run the EPCC’s work order system did not capture much of the pertinent information needed to anticipate preventative maintenance and to prioritize work.

In June 1999, a requisition was issued for software from Symbiotic Systems, Corp. called Maintenance Manager 3.0. This software would allow EPCC to capture useful information like maintenance schedules, repair logs, usage/cost statistics and other information that could be used by the college to run maintenance program more effectively.

EPCC fully implemented this software in October 1999. After several months of use, the software is meeting EPCC’s needs. In addition to supporting the physical plant maintenance system, the program also acts as a vehicle maintenance information system.

Asset and Risk Management

#48 Modify the quarterly investment reports to convey the college’s investment portfolio activity to include all of the information required by the Public Funds Investment Act and the college’s investment policy.

While EPCC was complying with the Public Funds Investment Act’s requirement to prepare reports on investment activity at least quarterly, the reports were not formatted in an easily understood fashion.

In response to this recommendation, EPCC reviewed and revised its presentation format to a more user-friendly one. EPCC believes the change has been helpful because comments on the new format have been favorable.

#49 Re-bid the college’s property and casualty insurance coverage using appropriate purchasing procedures.

EPCC had not handled bidding for its property and casualty insurance coverage properly, compromising the bid process and possibly losing an opportunity to realize savings in insurance costs.

In April 2000, EPCC completed its bid process for property, casualty and auto insurance, and a new contract became effective. The college saved $68,000 the first year and expects savings of $344,000 over the next four years.

Financial Management

#54 Establish annual goals and budget priorities so that the college’s resources are allocated to its highest priorities.

EPCC had been using the previous year’s budget to formulate budget request for upcoming budgets, without establishing annual goals and budget priorities to help guide departmental heads.

EPCC has developed and implemented procedures to prioritize goals and link them to the college’s budget. College officials expect the planning, budget and assessment process to guide EPCC’s resource allocation and reallocation systematically.

Every administrative department budget must undergo a simple but effective process that includes the preparation of a Mission Statement, a Gap Analysis Worksheet and a Unit Plan. The Unit Plan for each administrative department budget must ultimately tie to the college’s mission. Each department, in consultation with the Executive, agrees on expected outcomes, assessment criteria, and assessment results. At year-end, the college will include department results in its annual Institutional Effectiveness Report. These results will be used by the College’s Planning and Resource Allocation Committee, which consists of the College vice presidents and President, to make budget allocations and reallocations. Thus, the process ensures planning, assessment and budget integration on an annual basis.

#56 Assess the college’s staffing needs and eliminate vacant positions that are not required for the normal administrative operations from the budget.

EPCC was carrying budgeted vacant positions over to new budgets, without determining if these unfilled positions were absolutely necessary. TSPR urged the college to identify these positions and to eliminate any that were not crucial to college operations.

The college identified 97 vacancies. Of these, 38 positions have been eliminated, producing a cost savings of approximately $945,315 per year.

#65 Conduct a detailed audit of the payroll database with existing employees’ personal and payroll details to ensure that information upon which payroll is based is accurate.

The college was potentially losing money by paying salaries to former employees who no longer worked for EPCC because of the lag time in submitting employee terminations to Human Resources. TSPR recommended that EPCC conduct a payroll audit and also to conduct periodic paycheck distribution audits.

EPCC’s external auditor conducted a detailed verification of the payroll database with existing employees’ personal and payroll details to ensure accuracy of the information. The external auditor also conducted a paycheck distribution audit in May 2000.

Purchasing, Receiving and Distribution

#67 Prepare competitive bids for goods and services acquired for $25,000 or more in the aggregate per year, and hold budget heads and the Purchasing Department responsible for compliance with competitive bidding provisions of the Education Code.

EPCC did not consistently comply with the Texas Education Code competitive bidding requirements.

In 1999, the Purchasing Department began documenting expenditures by commodity. All purchases are tracked in compliance with the Texas Education Code. Tracking also has been integrated into the revised purchasing procedures. A bid calendar is being developed, and the college has awarded bids for major commodities. The college also has awarded some bids through cooperative vendor agreements. In November 2000, the board approved a $25,000 threshold for purchases requiring board approval.

#71 Establish clear definitions and policies for emergency purchases, and develop strong punitive measures for unauthorized, after-the-fact purchases.

Some EPCC users found the purchasing process so cumbersome that they ignored or circumvented it and made unauthorized purchases. While EPCC was addressing the problem at the time, TSPR felt that the controls necessary to discourage all but true emergency purchases, which are the only exceptions to purchasing policy, were not in place.

EPCC has revised its purchasing procedures, clarifying the policies for emergency purchases. In addition, the administration has committed to eliminating unauthorized purchases by requiring any unauthorized purchases to be documented and reviewed by the appropriate vice president and the vice president for Resource Management.

#75 Adopt the purchasing procedures drafted by the director of Purchasing, which currently are being reviewed by legal counsel, and adhere to its more comprehensive, stringent provisions.

The director of Purchasing, who had been hired a few months before the review began, had drafted comprehensive purchasing procedures, but the procedures required both legal review and formal board adoption before they became effective. To stem problems from not having rigorous purchasing procedures, TSPR recommended that the college and the board move expeditiously to adopt the purchasing procedures.

EPCC responded by moving forward with the purchasing procedures. The revised purchasing policy received final board approval in March 2000, and the college has implemented revised purchasing procedures. The revised purchasing policy also affects Recommendation No. 89, because it includes provisions for centralizing vehicle procurement. Additionally, the new policy brought EPCC into compliance with the Texas Education Code.

General Support Services

#82 Solicit competitive bids from bookstore management companies before the current contract expires.

EPCC had not solicited bookstore management bids since 1986 and had been using the same vendor throughout this period. In reviewing peers, TSPR found that other community colleges had negotiated better deals with bookstores under similar financial circumstances as EPCC. TSPR recommended that EPCC solicit proposals for the bookstore contract.

The current bookstore contract expires in March 2001. The college began examining options in summer 2000. The college anti-cipates a contract by April 2001. Though the bookstore contract is not yet finalized, the college anticipates terms more favorable than the previous arrangement.

Student Services

#97 Form a study group to prepare for a smooth transition to the SCT Banner 2000 integrated student services component.

TSPR found that EPCC had not made sufficient progress in integrating the student services component of its information management system compared to peer institutions. TSPR recommended that EPCC form a study group to consult with comparable institutions to determine how to get the system operational as soon as possible.

The college has formed a task force to focus on the transition to SCT Banner 2000. The task force consists of the president’s advisory team cabinet, a project management team, a functional area team and departmental working teams. Mandatory training has been conducted districtwide. The Banner financial module went online on December 1, 2000. The other modules will be activated over the next 18 months to provide a smooth and orderly transition from the old system.

Management Information Systems

#112 Develop a detailed plan for the implementation of the SCT Banner system including the training of IT staff and a pay-for-performance plan.

TSPR found that EPCC did not have sufficient human and financial resources to support the transition to the client/server-based, open system environment required by SCT’s Banner 2000 AIMS. Existing staff did not have the level of proficiency needed, and outsourcing IT function would be too costly. TSPR recommended that the college develop a plan to train existing staff of the conversion to the new system.

In response, EPCC developed a detailed plan, implementation structure and training plan for SCT Banner 2000 for both technical staff and users. The Personnel Services Department, with the aid of an outside consultant, completed a market compensation study in August 1999, which found that the college salary tables were 8 percent below the average market salary for comparable IT positions. To address this problem, the college implemented a temporary salary supplement for IT employees. Moreover, the college is considering long-term compensation plans to address this disparity. The outcome of these compensation plans will be reflected in the 2002-03 budget.

What Still Needs to be Done?

EPCC has made significant progress in implementing TSPR recommendations, with 96 percent of the recommendations either completed or in progress. This section addresses the key areas requiring additional attention.

District Organization

While EPCC has begun work on a strategic plan, the EPCC board should continue to work to complete the college’s strategic plan to ensure that college administrators, staff and the community have a clear vision of the where the college is headed. Moving forward on the strategic plan also will bolster the community’s confidence in the board’s ability to work together for the good of the community. Finally, with rapidly changing demands on the role of EPCC, a strategic plan can serve as a guide to help the college measure its success in meeting its objectives.

Along with the strategic plan, the college should move quickly to complete the evaluation of instructional programs so that the college can make the results public and help college officials determine where the college is having its greatest success and what areas need additional attention.

Personnel Management

In the original report, the Comptroller pointed out that one of the four major challenges facing EPCC as it moves into the 21st Century is the public’s demand for greater accountability – both financial and academic. A number of recommendations in the personnel management arena spoke to the need for increased accountability including:

• discontinuing annual contracts;

• changing evaluation instruments for non-faculty to include rating scales and criteria relevant to their position;

• implementing a performance appraisal system for college administrators; and

• developing incentive programs for outstanding employees.

EPCC officials have said that they recognize that these are critical issues and have charged various committees to study them and recommend ways to address the needed changes. This increased accountability must be a top priority for the college as they work to instill public confidence in the institution.

Facilities

With a projected enrollment growth of 42 percent by 2015, facilities are one of primary concern. During the review, many citizens expressed concern over the issue of access to educational opportunities at EPCC. Decisions to open new programs or expand existing programs to the various EPCC campuses depend heavily on adequate space as well as trained staff.

EPCC has not yet prepared a facility master plan to guide the district’s expansion, nor have they conducted a recent space utilization study to help the college measure the efficient use of classroom space. While the college is committed to preparing a master plan and conducting a space utilization study, EPCC should hasten to complete these projects as soon as possible. Both documents will be a valuable tool for the college to share with the community when issues of equity in facilities arise.

Financial Management

Financial accountability must continue to be a high priority for EPCC. Although attempts are being made to fill the position of internal auditor, the position remains vacant, and the board still has not adopted a fraud and investigation policy. The internal audit function is a vital link in the system of internal controls – a major concern voiced by the public today and at the time of the review. EPCC should move quickly to fill the position of director of Internal Audit Services to undertake this important task. And the college should consider the recommendation to expand internal audit staff to ensure that it provide reasonable audit coverage.

Technology

EPCC had not kept pace with the need for staffing or funding for instructional or administrative technologies. Implementing the SCT Banner System was an important step in correcting these problems, but the systems do not run themselves. Another key recommendation to moving the college into the Internet Age was the creation of the position of Chief Information Officer. The position has been recommended but has not been filled. In the absence of this position, some organizational and staffing concerns have not yet been addressed, leaving a leadership void in this crosscutting area of the school’s operations.

EPCC’s Comments on the Report and the TSPR Process

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 EPCC staff members and administrators what went right and what went wrong–and how the process could be improved.

The feedback TSPR 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.

EPCC officials said the review was very beneficial to them, especially during the recent changes in administration and board. The report provided a guide and focus for improvement that proved very valuable.

But, because this was a pilot review of a community college, it was vitally important for TSPR to know how the review process could be improved as future higher education institutions were reviewed.

EPCC suggests that as the Comptroller undertakes future reviews of higher educational institutions, bid proposals for consultants should emphasize consultant experience in the specific program areas, particularly student services. College administrators in this area felt that more emphasis should be given to student services, where operational activities vary vastly from those in public education. EPCC further suggested that the Comptroller could solicit input from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in reviewing bid specifications, to ensure that the focus is on organizational and instructional characteristics unique to community colleges.

TSPR appreciates these comments and will use the experience gained from the EPCC review to improve the process.