Appendix A: Status of Recommendations and Savings
Chapter 6: Operations
| Rec# | General Recommendation | Implementation Status | TSPR's Projected Five-Year Savings (Costs) | Actual Savings (Costs) to Date | SISD's Projected Five-Year Savings (Costs) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Increase meal participation by eliminating operational barriers and implementing new programs. p. 167 | Complete | $72,147 | $6,130 | $30,650 | Menu evaluations and improvements and opening a combo line have improved student participation rates. Moreover, staff training and implementing procedures have enhanced employee customer service and improved production speed. |
| 21 | Establish a policy to recover the full cost of catering events, including the cost of labor, supplies and food and seek to expand the catering activities to include Career and Technology students in the process. p. 168 | Complete | $7,500 | $1,683 | $8,415 | The district implemented a policy change which allows the Food Service Department to charge organizations the full cost for catering banquets. The Food Service Department reduced its number of catered banquets and is recovering all related labor costs. |
| 22 | Develop and implement accurate, detailed and timely department budgeting and financial reporting systems that integrate with, and are supported by, the districtÕs financial management system. p. 173 | Complete | $0 | $0 | $0 | The district provides cafeteria managers training and copies of financial reports already generated by the director of Business and Finance and the director of Food Service. With the encouragement of the director of Food Service, cafeteria managers continue to learn about the financial operations related to food service production. Standard financial accounting procedures and timely, accurate food service operation reports were available and used by appropriate district administrators before the report release. |
| 23 | Develop a methodology and a process for establishing meals per labor hour standards. p. 174 | Complete | $0 | $0 | $0 | Although the district experienced calculation difficulties and chose not to calculate Meals Per Labor Hour (MPLH) totals, the director of Food Services carefully examined all financial aspects related to the department and significantly reduced expenditures by almost half since the reportÕs release in August 2000. The district reduced and continuously monitors staffing levels and projects that the department will Ōbreak evenĶ in 2002-03 for the first time. The district has accomplished the goal of this recommendation by monitoring and adjusting the production of the Food Service Department considering staffing levels, participation rates and meal production. |
| 24 | Relocate the dumpsters according to health code guidelines, and eliminate unnecessary employee time in transporting and handling of garbage. p. 176 | Complete | ($500) | $0 | $0 | The district relocated the dumpsters to adhere to appropriate health code guidelines. |
| 25 | Develop a comprehensive disaster recovery plan and test it. p. 182 | Complete | $0 | $0 | $0 | The network administrator and technology director developed and implemented a written technology data disaster recovery plan. |
| 26 | Prepare network infrastructure documentation and provide backup in an off-site location. p. 185 | Complete | $0 | $0 | $0 | The network administrator has documented the network infrastructure. Additionally, the board approved a proposal to purchase a fireproof container for records in December 2001. |
| 27 | Develop a technology forum for all Bastrop County school districts. p. 188 | Complete | $0 | $0 | $0 | The districtÕs director of Technology participates in a technology forum committee through Region 13 that includes 53 school districts in addition to the four in Bastrop County. The district prefers this liaison because the committee has a large pool of expertise. SISD is also one of five to six participants in a $500,000 Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF) grant. The director of Technology also provides consultation services at a monthly breakfast and participates in joint technology planning sessions with other Bastrop County and participating committee school districts. This recommendation has been accomplished in a modified manner. |
| 28 | Establish a District Transportation Committee, composed of district administrators and citizens, to review all options related to providing transportation services within the Smithville city limits. p. 199 | Complete | $0 | $0 | $0 | The board and district site-based planning and decision-making committees studied and addressed transportation issues that resulted in a single cross-town shuttle. The district prioritized safety and decided to maintain bus zones for district transportation. This recommendation has been completed in a modified manner. |
| 29 | Develop a checklist of documents that should be in each bus driverÕs personnel folder and audit each driverÕs file for compliance at least once per semester. p. 200 | Complete | $0 | $0 | $0 | The director of Transportation developed and implemented a checklist for all driversÕ personnel folders. The director of Transportation devotes more time to transportation cost analysis since the district divided and reassigned some of the custodial and maintenance responsibilities. |
| 30 | Perform behind-the-wheel evaluations of all bus drivers at least once a year. p. 200 | Complete | $0 | $0 | $0 | All drivers perform annual behind-the-wheel driving evaluations, which are carefully monitored and adjusted by the director of Transportation. |
| 31 | Install security gates on the doors of the transportation departmentÕs parts room. p. 201 | Not Implemented | ($250) | $0 | $0 | When the new high school is completed, transportation services will move to a larger, more suitable location with additional consideration given to the security of parts and equipment at that time. During 2001-02, theft of parts has not occurred, and the existing security door cannot be closed due to ventilation issues. |
| 32 | Implement a 15-year bus replacement system. p. 203 | Complete | $0 | $0 | $0 | The district monitors maintenance costs for its fleet, and the district has purchased an average of two buses per year since 1999-2000. The director of Transportation unofficially established a 15-year replacement schedule with an annual $100,000 vehicle purchase budget; however the district intends to keep vehicles beyond this time frame depending upon the condition of each bus. |
| 33 | Purchase and implement an automated fleet maintenance system. p. 203 | Rejected | ($5,100) | $0 | $0 | District administrators reviewed available commercial transportation software and determined the cost to be excessive. The district supports the current manual system for its small operation. |
| 34 | Conduct a study to determine the feasibility of outsourcing transportation services. p. 205 | Complete | $72,000 | $0 | $0 | SISD has researched and evaluated the possibility of outsourcing transportation and determined the long-range costs to be prohibitive. However, the transportation director and superintendent conducted annual system efficiency reviews for transportation during both 2000-01 and 2001-02. Adjustments in the system have improved fiscal efficiency. |
| Totals: Chapter 6 | $145,797 | $7,813 | $39,065 | |||
| TOTAL SAVINGS | $339,072 | $12,965 | $79,931 |