DISTRICT ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT
This chapter of the report reviews the organization and management of the Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD) in five major sections.
- A. Governance
- B. Planning
- C. District Management
- D. School Management and Site-Based Decision-Making
- E. Policies and Procedures
E. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
FBISD contracts for policy development with the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB).Any policy designated in the policy manual as "Legal" has been developed by TASB to comply with various legal sources of authority defining local district governance. Local policies developed by or for the district to reflect decisions of the local board of trustees are designated as "Local."Policy updates are issued by TASB on a regular basis for local review and action to help ensure that the district's policies remain current.
Administrative procedures and regulations are accessible online through FBISD's Intranet. Each department manager is responsible for updating administrative and operational procedures. The director of Administrative Services serves as the "content author" that coordinates updates from the various department managers to ensure that FBISD's Intranet is continuously updated.
FINDING
FBISD subscribes to TASB's "Policy On Line" service, which enables FBISD to publish its policy manual on the Internet with "read only" access. The electronic document is secure and TASB's Policy Service, as directed by FBISD, can only make changes to the policy manual. Users navigate the district's policy manual by accessing a FBISD-specific table of contents that lists every policy the district is using. This list is in alphabetical order and to see a specific policy, the user merely "clicks" on the list. There also is a search engine available that allows users to look for a word or phrase, with search results showing a list of policies and titles containing the word or phrase, which can be selected with a "click" as well.
Local policies approved by the board are submitted to TASB's Policy On Line service where they are electronically posted on TASB's Policy On Line Web site under FBISD's district number. The Web address for accessing FBISD's Board Policy Manual is www.tasb.org/policy/pol/private/079907. The word "private" appears in the Web address only to indicate that the policy manual is for a specific school district and does not restrict the public's access to the Web site.
FBISD has a comprehensive policy manual that has been updated for all legal and local policies through Update 62, dated December 7, 1999.
COMMENDATION
FBISD uses the Internet to maintain an up-to-date policy manual and expand access of that manual to administrators, teachers, parents, students and the community.
FINDING
FBISD maintains its administrative procedures and regulations on line through its Intranet, which is commonly referred to as the "pipeline." Once employees log on to the FBISD network, they can search the district's administrative procedures and regulations with the "click" of a mouse. The procedures are organized using the same alphabetical indexing system that is used in the board policy manual to ensure consistency for legal policy, local policy and related administrative procedures and regulations. For example, Section C of the manual is legal and local policy related to business and support services. The administrative procedures and regulations related to specific legal and local policies are indexed on line under "C - Business and Support Services."
COMMENDATION
FBISD uses its internally developed Intranet to maintain up-to-date administrative procedures manuals and provide on line access to district administrators and employees.
FINDING
FBISD's Local Policy DBD, issued November 9, 1998 is the district's conflict of interest policy. The policy states: "An employee shall not accept or solicit any gift, favor, service or other benefit that could be reasonably construed to influence the employee's discharge of assigned duties and responsibilities." The policy states: "An employee shall not have a personal financial interest, business interest or any other obligation that in any way creates a substantial conflict with the proper discharge of assigned duties and responsibilities or that creates a conflict with the best interest of the district." Local Policy DBD also requires employees who believe they have a conflict of interest to disclose, in writing to their supervisor any past or present business relationship with any vendor or bidder, regardless of the nature or amount, before board action is taken on a procurement in which such vendor or bidder participates.
In September 1999, FBISD's board strengthened its conflict of interest policy by approving Local Policy DBD-R requiring the superintendent, cabinet, budget managers, principals, directors, coordinators, assistant director of purchasing, buyers, budget officer and any other employees with primary purchasing responsibility to complete a DBD-E Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form. The Conflict of Interest Disclosure form is to be submitted to the internal auditor by September 15th each school year, whether there are matters to disclose or not. They also are required to submit additional forms when there are additional matters to disclose. All other employees are required to submit the Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form when they have matters to disclose.
The internal auditor informed the review team that no substantial interests were disclosed on affidavits received as of April 13, 2000.
COMMENDATION
FBISD strengthened its local conflict of interest policy to require all management-level employees and employees with primary purchasing responsibility to annually submit to the district's internal auditor a Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form, whether there are matters to disclose or not.