Progress Report
Glen Rose Independent School District
September 2003Introduction
In October 2001, Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn began a comprehensive review of the Glen Rose Independent School District (GRISD) at the request of GRISD's Board of Trustees. In February 2002, the Comptroller issued a final report detailing 64 recommendations that could result in a net savings of more than $4.1 million by 2006-07 if fully implemented. During April 2003, TSPR staff returned to assess the district's progress in implementing the recommendations.
Since 1991, TSPR has recommended more than 7,600 ways to save taxpayers more than $780 million over a five-year period in 100 school reviews throughout Texas. TSPR also conducts follow-up reviews of districts that have had a least one year to implement recommendations. These 60 subsequent reviews show that more than 90 percent of TSPR's combined proposals have been acted upon, saving taxpayers more than $135 million, with the full savings estimated to grow in the future.
Improving the Texas School Performance Review
Comptroller Strayhorn, 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 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 vowed to steer TSPR toward being more accountable to local school districts and the communities they represent.
Comptroller Strayhorn began by establishing new criteria for selecting school districts for future reviews.
Priority is given to districts judged poor performing―academically or financially―and to hands-on reviews that will benefit the greatest number of students.Recognizing that only about 51 cents of every education dollar is spent on instruction, Comptroller Strayhorn'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 buried inside individual TSPR reports. Instead, Comptroller Strayhorn has ordered TSPR to share best practices and exemplary programs 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 well to keep the solution to itself. Comptroller Strayhorn 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 are now 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 Strayhorn'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 Strayhorn 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.
GRISD experienced significant changes over the past 30 years. Prior to the 1970s, the district was rural, poor and relatively isolated. In the early 1970s, Somervell County granted Texas Utilities the right to build one of the state's few nuclear power plants, Comanche Peak Steam Station. Construction of the power plant brought construction workers to the county, made the district one of the most property wealthy districts in the state and increased the student population.
As the 36th-wealthiest Texas school district in 2002-03, GRISD built fine facilities and developed a comprehensive education system that attracts teachers and families from the nearby Dallas/Fort Worth area. Taxes are among the lowest in the state at $1.075 per $100 valuation. Texas Utilities, the largest single taxpayer in the district, supplies more than 90 percent of GRISD's taxes. Even under the utility deregulation approved by the Texas Legislature in 1999, the district will continue to have more than five times the property wealth of the average school district in Texas. For 2002-03, property values are $1,064,251 per student, or more than five times higher than the state average of $239,436.
The Comptroller contracted with SDSM, Inc., an Austin-based firm, to assist with the review.
The team interviewed district employees, school board members, parents, business leaders and community members and conducted a public forum on October 2, 2001, at the Glen Rose High School from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. To obtain additional comments, the review team conducted small focus group sessions with teachers, principals and community members and also interviewed the board members. The Comptroller's office also received letters and phone calls from a wide array of parents, teachers and community members.
To ensure that all stakeholders had an opportunity to comment, TSPR sent surveys to students, parents, teachers, school and central administration and support staff. The team received 456 responses from: 103 school and central administrators and support staff, 51 teachers, 95 parents and 207 students.
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).
GRISD selected peer districts for comparisons based on similarities in student enrollment, student performance and community and student demographics. The districts chosen were Groesbeck, Palacios, Seminole and Tatum.
In 2002-03, the district served a population of 1,674 students consisting of 77 percent Anglo, 21.1 percent Hispanic and less than 2 percent other. More than 40 percent of the student body of the district is classified as economically disadvantaged.
GRISD includes one high school, one junior high, one intermediate school, one elementary school and an administration building. TEA Regional Education Service Center XI (Region 11) serves the district.
TEA rated GRISD overall as Academically Acceptable in 2001-02. The rating remained the same for 2002-03 as the state switched from administering the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) to the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). TEA rated the high school and junior high as Exemplary and the intermediate and elementary schools as Academically Acceptable. In 2000-01, the district had an overall rating of Recognized. The high school, intermediate and elementary schools were rated Recognized, and the junior high was rated Exemplary. In 2001-02, 90.7 percent of all students passed all tests taken, 97.1 percent of all students passed the math portion of the test, 94.7 percent of all students passed the reading portion of the test and 90.3 percent of all students passed the writing portion of the test.
In 2002-03, the district employed a staff of 284.7 employees, with teachers accounting for 140, or more than 49 percent, of GRISD staffing. The district had expenditures of $14.3 million that same year. In 2002-03, GRISD generated 91 percent of its budgeted revenues from local taxes and 4 percent from local and intermediate sources. Approximately 4 percent came from the state, while 1 percent came from the federal government.
In 2002-03, GRISD budgeted 50.2 cents of every tax dollar on classroom instruction compared with the state average of 51 cents.
Excellent = More than 80% complete
Chapter Total Complete In
ProgressNot
ImplementedRejected Percentage
Complete/In
progressGrades District Organization and Management 7 7 0 0 0 100%/0% Excellent Educational Service Delivery 10 8 1 1 0 80%/10% Satisfactory Personnel Management 9 6 1 2 0 67%/11% Needs Work Financial Management 15 8 3 3 1 53%/20% Needs Work Facilities Use and Management 9 6 3 0 0 67%/33% Satisfactory Operations 9 8 0 1 0 89%/0% Excellent Computers and Technology 5 4 1 0 0 80%/20% Satisfactory Overall Grade 64 47 9 7 1 74%/14% Satisfactory
Satisfactory = 80% to 100% complete or in progress
Needs Work = Less than 80% complete or in progressExemplary Programs and Practices
TSPR identified numerous "best practices" in GRISD. Through commendations in each chapter, the report highlights model programs, operations and services provided by GRISD administrators, teachers and staff. The Comptroller encourages other school districts throughout Texas to examine these exemplary programs and services to see if they could be adapted to meet local needs. TSPR lists its original commendations below and provides updated information on each topic in italics underneath the original commendation.
- GRISD has an active volunteer program that is tailored to meet the needs of each school. During 2000-01, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) surveyed the elementary teachers to identify their needs, and surveyed the volunteers to identify their skills, preferences and availability. The PTA then matched the volunteers to meet the needs of the teachers, which created a positive experience for both teachers and volunteers.
The PTA continues to meet the needs of the teachers by carefully screening volunteers based on need and assigning volunteers with the particular requested skills to individual teachers. The elementary school principal said that in 2002-03, volunteers provided more than a million of hours of service to the different district schools.
- GRISD has a clearly defined process for updating its curriculum and ensuring that its guides are used to direct instruction. GRISD has curriculum guides for kindergarten through grade 12 and updates them regularly. The district developed a five-year curriculum planning schedule. GRISD grade level coordinators at the elementary and intermediate schools and department heads at the junior high and high schools work with teachers to ensure the guidelines are clear. One measure of an effective curriculum is how many students pass end-of-course exams. GRISD students scored higher than the state average on Biology I, English II and U.S. History end-of-course exams, and ranked first compared to peer districts. GRISD ranked second in the percentage of students passing the Algebra I exam.
In summer 2003, GRISD began working with five curriculum specialists to align the curriculum in the four core areas of math, reading/language arts, social studies/history and science to prevent gaps in the curriculum from one grade level to the next.
- Financial control is enhanced through budget information available to principals and department heads. Principals and department heads have immediate access to their school's budget information, with the ability to generate budget-to-actual reports from the system. Schools are also able to initiate purchase requisitions and electronically transfer the purchase requests to the Finance Department for review and approval. By authorizing access to the financial system, principals can review and maintain control over their budgets in a timely manner and be held accountable for excess expenditures.
The district continues to provide principals and department managers immediate access to their school's budget information so that they can maintain control over their budgets.
- An external investment advisor actively invests and increases the interest earnings on the district's investment portfolio. The district uses an external investment advisor who provides an independent, professional resource that increases the district's investment interest. The advisor's fee schedule is tied to portfolio performance and is capped at $10,000.
GRISD continues to pay the external investment advisor to invest and increase the earnings on the district's investment portfolio. In 2002-03, the advisor prepared an investment report and helped the district make long-term investment decisions.
- GRISD offers special promotions to increase student interest and meal participation. The Child Nutrition Services Department offers a number of themes and monthly promotions including barbecues, pasta bars, Grandparents' Day and Fair Day. These special programs improve student participation in meal programs.
By having cookouts and birthday parties, the Child Nutrition Services Department continues monthly promotions to encourage students to eat in the cafeteria.
- GRISD's Virtual Desktop concept allows students and staff to access their files from anywhere in the district. GRISD implemented a technology strategy that improved computer access districtwide. The district's Technology Advisory Committee recommended that the district implement the 'Virtual Desktop.' concept, which allows students and staff to securely log in at a computer or desktop anywhere in the district and have access to their assigned applications, user files and policies.
In 2002-03, the district extended the network to the community library to give district students access to their files during the summer. The district also has laptops with wireless connections that personnel can use to open their files from any location.
The following are some of the key recommendations that administrators and staff said 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 5: Implement staffing standards for schools using formulas based upon enrollment.
The district has reduced maintenance workers, custodians and teachers by 39 positions through attrition and early retirement, saving more than $5 million over five years. Previously, the district had a student-to-teacher ratio of 10:1; now it has established a ratio of 14:1 as a standard. District administrators said that staffing formulas were critical to helping them control costs.
Educational Service Delivery
Recommendation 11: Assign a district Gifted and Talented program coordinator.
In 2002-03, the district asked parents and school representatives to serve on a gifted/talented (G/T) committee to oversee the program. The director of Curriculum and Instruction chairs the committee so there is no additional cost to the district. The committee revamped a majority of the district G/T program to improve the G/T instruction, focusing mainly on consistency. All schools now use the same parent nomination forms. Once a student qualifies for the G/T program, all schools follow the same procedures while the student remains in the program.
Recommendation 12: Develop a districtwide plan for the Gifted and Talented program that ensures program continuity and effectiveness.
District administrators said this recommendation is crucial to improving their G/T program. The G/T committee, led by the director of Curriculum and Instruction, is responsible for the development of the G/T program. The committee appointed school G/T coordinators who meet with the director of Curriculum and Instruction on a monthly basis to share ideas, discuss concerns and maintain consistency within the program. The coordinators help ensure smooth transitions for students between each of the schools. The plan will be fully implemented by 2003-04.
Personnel Management
Recommendation 18: Redefine the Personnel and Human Resources function to reflect actual district needs and the performance expectations determined by the board.
This recommendation caused administrators to take time to determine district needs of the Personnel and Human Resources function. After careful analysis, GRISD reorganized existing staff and eliminated the director of Human Resources position. By redistributing the work among existing staff, the district avoided the cost of additional clerical staff included as part of the original recommendation.
Financial Management
Recommendation 28: Revise the budget planning process to include rigorous examination of proposed expenditures, performance measures and increased public input.
The superintendent presents a comprehensive report that includes revenues, expenditures, investments, budget and fund balance at each board meeting to inform board members about the district's financial condition. The budget report is presented in a format so the board members understand the process is an activity-based budget and board members noted they have a better understanding of the district's month-to-month finances.
Facilities Use and Management
Recommendation 42: Create a permanent facilities planning committee and develop a long-range facilities master plan.
Creating a permanent facilities planning committee had been a district goal to enable the district to meet student needs even before the review team issued its report. The recommendation gave the administration support in appointing a sub-committee to move forward. The new committee, which consists of school principals and the director of Administration and Support Services, met and developed a plan to present to the board about district facility needs. The long-range plan includes painting the school inside and outside; replacing the carpet and other floor coverings; installing new stadium seats; and renovating science labs.
Operations
Recommendation 53: Analyze meal costs periodically and set prices to fully recover costs.
The district saved $82,000 during 2001-02 by increasing meal prices and discontinuing the universal breakfast program. The district increased breakfast to $0.90 and lunch to $1.95.
Recommendation 55: Purchase automated bus routing software to design a more efficient and cost-effective route scheduling system.
The district did not purchase software but did analyze all routes, reducing the number of routes from 21 to 19 to be more efficient. By eliminating two routes, the district saved about $20,000 in annual operating costs. By adopting a rigorous methodology for providing access to routes, the district was able to avoid the cost of software while still improving operations.
Computers and Technology
Recommendation 61: Revise the technology plan to add detailed strategies, schedules and costs.
To maintain up-to-date technology, the district has addressed the technology plan through the district improvement plan (DIP). The DIP goal recommends examining equipment every three years to evaluate replacement needs.
GRISD has made steady progress towards implementing TSPR recommendations. The district has implemented 47 recommendations, 9 are in various stages of progress; seven have been reviewed, but not addressed; and one was rejected. This section addresses the key areas requiring additional attention.
Personnel Management
The district has reorganized the human resources function after a careful needs assessment. The next step in the process will be implementation of Recommendation 20, which calls for the development of a Personnel procedures manual. Because the district has cut staff, it is more important than ever that employees understand their roles and responsibilities and perform the jobs they are now assigned to do. A personnel procedures manual would ensure that staff treatment complies with the law and with district policies. GRISD should draft and implement a personnel procedures manual that outlines district procedures on such duties as developing job descriptions, posting jobs, conducting evaluations and handling payroll.
Financial Management
The district has not developed formal financial policies and a procedures manual that can be used to cross-train employees (Recommendation 29). Although the district has developed guidelines on an as-needed basis, effective practices for finance operations in school districts require written, approved policies and procedures to ensure adequate internal controls and to facilitate the training of new employees and cross training of current employees.
The district also has not developed a purchasing procedures manual (Recommendation 38). A purchasing manual guides district staff at all levels and helps train staff to use the district's established policies and procedures. GRISD should develop detailed purchasing manual to ensure that all staff members involved in the purchasing process are aware of and understand the district's purchasing policies. The manual also will help reduce errors and misunderstandings about the process and help ensure compliance with procurement laws and regulations.
GRISD's Ideas for Improving the Texas School Performance Review
The TSPR team does not assume that its process for performing school reviews works so well that it cannot be improved. As part of preparing the progress report, TSPR asked GRISD 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 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 continually be mindful of those things that did not work as intended so that the review process can be continually improved.
TSPR sent surveys to board members requesting their observations about the review process. Responses indicated that the review fairly portrayed GRISD's challenges and increased the board's and administration's awareness of these challenges. Board members who responded said TSPR provided realistic implementation strategies, timelines and fiscal impact recommendations to guide the district. Board members also said that the review provided focus and direction for the district and gave GRISD a good road map to follow.
District administrators thanked the TSPR team for providing recommendations to improve operational efficiencies. One board member said that the TSPR team had done everything it had been asked to do and the document has been useful. The board member suggested that TSPR should strongly illustrate what might happen if changes are not made. While TSPR attempts to show the benefit of implementing the recommendations, the final usefulness of the report depends on the motivation of the school district.
Another board member suggested that TSPR should meet with the board and explain in greater detail what the review entails and what the subsequent report is likely to look like. The board member noted that only 14 of the recommendations had to do with money and that the board needed to understand that the review was not just about money. He said the board needed to have a clear perspective of the process and understand that TSPR would also be looking at ways for the district to be more effective and efficient.
In an effort to improve this process, recent inquires from school boards contemplating a review have been handled differently. Packets of information and sample reports are mailed to aid them in their deliberations. TSPR also met with some boards to thoroughly explain the process, when requested. TSPR will review its procedures to see how it might provide board members with more detail at the beginning of each review.
