1.
It’s no secret that schools are facing great budgetary
challenges. As a result, school leaders
are faced with difficult decisions when it comes to appropriating funds. Today’s principals often have great influence
with these decisions as per their site-based budgeting responsibilities. From the principal’s perspective - What is
the value of staff development for school site and system-based custodial
personnel? How should these programs be
evaluated?
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From an accounting perspective, these programs for staff development of custodial staff need to be evaluated according to the consideration of net worth. Do these programs help cut costs by making the custodians more proficient in their work? Does it drive down costs for the organization as a whole? This may be true because the custodians are simply more enriched and committed to the organization so it cuts down on turnover. In my experience when we have invested in the betterment of individuals they have felt more committed to the organization and their loyalty is increased. Another type of training may be introduction of new policies or new products. The time invested in these internal trainings is easily paid off as it allows employees to be trained as efficiently as possible. New products or policies can potentially increase productivity which drives up the net worth of the employees. These are just two examples of how investing in custodian training can increase the net worth and therefore be a wise accounting decision. A third perspective is the maintenance of the building by the custodial staff which protects fixed assets and also helps cut spending. But this is also a benefit for the facilities management perspective of school leadership and site based management.
ReplyDeleteIt is important for a school leader to consider these implications of staff training. A leader must look at the long term benefits and avoid the temptation of only thinking about the loss of time or the expense of the training. School leaders must dedicate time to the dedication and productivity of their employees. They need to consider that although employees may be willing they may not have the resources they need to achieve the goals the organization has for them. The principal needs to actively participate in investigating means to increase the effectiveness of the employees as this is an area of such high school expenditure.
As any administrator or manager in the business world understands it is highly important to invest in proper education or training for any staff members. As with any teaching staff member receives some sort of training when starting a new job such as the grading system, behavior expectations, etc. so should any support staff member. It is a requirement for any staff member working to receive training and development to be able to properly attend to the responsibilities for which they are assigned.
ReplyDeleteMany custodial personnel are required to do multiple aspects of the job and if they do not receive staff development then some even basic health requirements may be put into jeopardy. One example that I can pull directly from within my own classroom this year was when I needed someone to come in and clean up a mess on the carpet when a student threw up in class. I did not have the proper training as to what was necessary when cleaning up a mess like that and I was looking to the custodial staff to do what was needed to make the area both clean and safe for my other students and myself.
Another responsibility for the administrator is to determine which type of training and development to invest in. I use the words invest because like with professional development for teachers, staff development for the custodial staff will continually improve the work habits and methods of the staff. Also, after time an administrator could have in-house staff that have been in the different programs and that have been around start to conduct the trainings in order to eventually save money for the district or the school itself. This would allow for the initial liability of the training and development to turn into an asset to the district because the trainings would now be done for free by other staff members.
When it comes down to addressing the effectiveness of the program, any administrator would need to come up with a list of expectations and then follow-up with finding out what it is that the custodial staff are doing. Another way of evaluating the programs would be to see how well the staff are taking to the policies and procedures put into place within the district. This could be done using observations of the staff and work, as well as surveying the staff to see where they feel they could use more development and training in order to do their jobs effectively.
For the second part of this assignment I found a monthly financial report for Smyrna School District in Delaware (http://www.smyrna.k12.de.us/financial/ExpenseReport.pdf). The financial report is up to date as of the end of October. Looking at this one page document from the perspective of an average layperson some of the following could be determined about the school district.
One of the most important things when looking at the budget is that the school district is operating on a budget less than that of last year. Another interpretation of the monthly budget is that when broken down line-by-line each individual school does not actually receive a large amount of money when you look at all the school is spending money on. Another thing at the end of the report it shows that approximately 30% of the overall budget has been spent. Looking at the school year in Delaware and looking at when this report was made only about two months into the entire school year. This could potentially mean that the district will be over budget by the end of the year.
In the end the report allows us to examine what it is that is getting spent and to what degree it is being spent. This monthly report allows both the school and the public to examine what we are doing to keep the educational process going and how we are going to keep it running in the future by finding better ways in which to spend the money.
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ReplyDeleteFrom the principals perspective, the value of staff development is a large expenditure in terms of the budget. The staff as a whole in my school needed a literary credit for license renewal. Since the district did not have money for tuition reimbursement for this or funds for outside professional development for 130 teachers they turned to the staff for help with this. To save money, the school has created a team of teacher leaders who will lead the staff in literacy workshops. This helps the school district save money and also helps the teachers gain leadership experience.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to the reading in chapter 11 and from the information in the voice thread I have had some personal experience with the budgeting process as a classroom teacher. During the auditing process at my school last year they found that too much our funding was going towards copy paper and copier repair. These funds could be put to better use by purchasing teacher and classroom resources for standardized testing. The school gathered together along with the guidance of our administrative staff to come up with a remedy to this problem. To help our school use this money more effectively we have tried to go almost paperless with our interactions with each other and with our students. All staff documents that were once given to us in paper form are now shared via Google documents. Our students also have accounts so quizzes, tests, and information can be shared with them in this manner as well. It has cut down our use of paper and copy supplies tremendously.
The monthly financial report I obtained was from the New Castle Vocational technical school district in Wilmington, Delaware (http://www.nccvotech.com/pdf/FY_2013_MTH_RPT_July12.pdf). This report was set up so it was easy to interpret from a layperson's perspective. The largest expenditures in their school district is personnel and transportation. I don't believe this is different than any other school district. This school district spends $11,600 on homeless transportation. This could be perceived that they have a relatively large amount of homeless students who are provided transportation that is separate from the other transportation account.
There are two very vaguely labeled expenditures that might be questioned by members of the community. One is equalization (2,921,719) and all other costs (838,020). A person who was looking at this from the outside the district might wonder what “other costs” that $838,000 is being spent on. One of the lowest amounts of the budget was dedicated towards professional development and teacher of the year. I don't think this figure is much different in any other school district.
From this report, a layperson can see that personnel and transportation are a very large portion of a school's budget. This school district also spends a significant amount of money on adult education. The only thing from this budget that would be questionable is the large sums of money that are vaguely labeled. It would be helpful if it was itemized further.
In order for a layperson to understand the monthly budget of a school district, I believe it is important for them to first have a general idea of the overall budget. I received the monthly budget reporting sheets as well as the annual budget sheet from Lakeview Community Schools. To explain the budget in lay terms, I would first reference the annual budget. There are two categories in the annual budget, the revenues and the expenditures. In each category, there are line items as to where the money is coming from, and where the money is being spent. Many of the listed items are easily understood by the layperson, such as summer school, guidance services, and special education. There are some categories however, that may need to have an example to go along with it. For example, the designated or reserved portion of the expenditures may need to be specified with examples that fit into that category. Explaining that pre-paid items such as software programs that have a fee and sick leave would fall into this category would help people have a better understanding of what these funds are set aside for. The revenue minus the expenditures equals the fund balance. Having this understanding will help people have an understanding of the big picture and therefore, better understand the monthly reports as well.
ReplyDeleteThe monthly report that I received, was slightly different. This report consisted of itemized areas of expenditures. The first number indicates what fund the money is coming from, then, where the money is being spent is identified, such as middle school, elementary, special education, etc.. The original budget for this area is the next item, followed by the revised budget for that area if necessary. The fiscal year to date activity is then listed followed by the unexpended balance. So basically, the area money is being spent is identified with the annual budget for this area, the amount that has been spent so far, and the amount that is remaining for this expenditure. This report also indicates the budgeted amounts, activity, and balance for each of the accounts that the district has.
While each of the listed revenues and expenses can get confusing, the basic idea of the report can be easily understood by the layperson. These reports keep track of the amount of money the district brings in, tracks where the money is being spent, and identifies the remaining balance of each of the accounts for the district.
Investment in the development of custodial staff should be dependent upon the needs of the staff in the school. These decisions should be made based upon the potential positive impact of the training on the performance of custodial staff: what is the intended learning and impact and is that learning necessary for the people in the building?
ReplyDeleteI reviewed the financial report of Boyne City Public Schools, which can be found at: https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicItemDownload.aspx?mk=50065466&fn=agenda.pdf on page 1. I chose this report because it is a district that is local to me, and because they have a unique way of reporting the financial information of the district. When compared to monthly financial reports that I have seen at Charlevoix Public Schools or Northwest Academy, Boyne City schools have clumped all of their expenditures according to the different school funds. All payroll, general fund, capital fund, and food funds were reported as a total sum as opposed to including any description or line items. These numbers, to a lay person, would mean very little as they are completely out of any context: what is the budgeted amount for each of these funds? What has been spent since the implementation of the budget and is that in keeping with the stated budget or different? Further, it is unlikely that a lay person would understand the differences between the general fund and capital fund, and it is my perception that this was done with that knowledge: it is a way to report the information without providing meaningful data.
For monthly financial documents to serve the purpose of creating an informed, involved community, it is important that schools and districts explain expenditures for laypersons: what was the planned and actual amount? Is this in accordance with the annual budget, or does the budgetary data reflect any potential shortfalls?
If I had an opportunity to be a decision maker in the district, I would review the purpose of public financial documentation and encourage the Board of Education and Business Manager to create a monthly financial report that includes budgeted amounts, actual amounts to date, and some detailed line items of larger expenditures.
From a principal’s perspective, it is of great value for a school to develop the custodial personnel. The main reason for this value is the mandates and regulations placed on schools with regards to sanitation, chemical use, and storage of equipment and chemicals. There are also mandates and regulations placed on those trained to clean up certain pathogens. OSHA http://www.osha.gov/law-regs.html has many laws and regulations guarding and protecting staff and students in schools. It is important that all staff are trained to handle custodial duties properly, and individuals not trained, to leave custodial duties to those who are trained. If OSHA regulations are violated by a school, a school can pay hefty fines and fees. It is in the best interest for safety and for the budget to invest in proper training and development for not only custodial personnel, but also all staff who may come in contact with making a custodial decision.
ReplyDeleteTwice a year at our school we have training through OSHA. This training provides the needed information for all staff to make the best judgments for how to handle a situation. There are certain people on our staff who are specifically trained who are called on to handle certain messes – such as those containing blood, harsh chemicals, bodily fluids, etc… Teaching staff are not allowed to take care of such things as they do not have the proper training and could hinder their safety and the safety of others, not to mention put the school at risk of those hefty fines and fees for not following regulations.
The development of staff and custodial personnel can be evaluated based on incidence reports and how each incident was handled. Evaluating each incident and making necessary adjustment to the handling of the incident will insure better handling in the future. Also, staff and custodians can take quizzes on their knowledge of custodial work and responsibilities. These quizzes can be collected by administration and evaluated for possible adjustments in training. This is something out school does as well – after each training session, we take a quiz on our understanding and turn it into our administrative staff. Though this can seem cumbersome at times, this has proved to be an important process for school safety and keeping budgetary costs in balance by avoiding any potential mess-ups of regulation. So the message his, invest now and save later.
The value of staff development for custodial staff will depend on the needs of the school and the needs of the staff. Is there an issue with the work that is getting done? Does the school want to include the staff in current development or make plans to offer develop pertaining just to the custodial staff? Before any money is spent on development, the purpose, intentions, and impact of development must be outlined so that the school knows if this was a good use of money or not.
ReplyDeleteThe budget report that I reviewed can be found at
http://www.colonial.k12.de.us/sites/default/files/shared/budget_variance_09302012.pdf
I chose this report because I felt that it was a very good report that any layperson could understand and follow. Like most reports, there are a lot of numbers and this report does a very good job of identifying what all of the numbers are. They have all of their revenue and expenditures very well identified and broken down by sites.. This report would be helpful for auditing purposes, as it shows categories so that one can see where the money is being appropriated.
I will start with week 5 blog;
ReplyDeleteAs I look at our budget, which is often we look at as administrators sharing inforamtion to our monthly board members. We often go over the rent first and then our student count and how much that year will be spent on that. Then we go over staff salaries and benefit costs for the year. We take a look at what is spent on supplies and educational web based programs, field trips, sports, ceremonies, and substitutes.
Next, we look at what staff are paid for out of title dollars. The supplies, parental involvement, and discipline programs and data.
We look at the line item for preschool because that is funded differently than our general population. Preschool teachers and supplies are funded differently, so we discuss that in depth.
Lastly, we look at our overall expenditures for the school year and compare it to the last year and try to make sure that your school is not over budget. Fortunately for us for that last three years we have continued to grow. We are financially sound and we hope to stay that way and based our budget at a reasonable student count to continue to maintain a good budget.
Week 6 Blog
As a school I am confident we offer our staff a great deal of professional development to our teachers and support staff, that works with students. What I am not confident in saying is that we offer our custodian and kitchen staff enough or any professional development/training. I feel we put policies and procedures in place, but it comes from staff that have been on the job for numerous years and they put them in place and as an academy we just follow.
I will say that our custodian is retiring this school year and we have a new one that we hired part-time to learn from him before he goes. I plan on putting together a check list for our new team. We actually hired two new part-time custodians due to our continued growth. I plan on really putting together policies and procedures for the upcoming year and from here on out.
From the principal’s perspective - What is the value of staff development for school site and system-based custodial personnel? How should these programs be evaluated? As an inspiring educational leader I believe the value is very high when it comes to staff development. I think as a principal staff professional development is crucial for staff because it keeps the educational community current on best practices for the staff, students, and parents. A principal should make sure that funds are set aside for professional development when the budget is being proposed. I think education never ends in any profession especially teachers. Also the custodial staff should be included in necessary budgetary decisions because without them being present there would be no educational establishment, staff, and students. They are a vital part of the educational community because we need a safe, clean, and operational building to work and learn in. Therefore the principal needs to know that both staff and custodial development is necessary and should not be set aside.
ReplyDeleteAs an aspiring school leader I believe it is crucial to have professional development opportunities for site based and system based personnel. It is important first for both parties to have a general idea of what the budget consists of and what needs to improve. In having the necessary information, site based and system based personnel can be included in the decision process of the school district. More often than not, educators have a better idea of what is needed within their classrooms for student success. Thus, if they have professional development about budgetary decisions, this could help the school district improve.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the evaluation of staff can be conducted by analyzing incident reports throughout the years. The administrators can analyze how the personnel handled each incident and evaluate it for effectiveness. In addition, various quantitative measures can be take such as surveys and quizzes to ensure that the personnel understand the expectations of being a part of an organization that uses a site-based budget.
As with any profession, in order to maintain any amount of professionalism and knowledge of the latest trends and changes in a craft, one must have training and classes. Staff development is the approach schools and school districts use to ensure that educators continue to strengthen their practice throughout their career. It is vital that a school leader realize this fact and encourage teachers to continue their education. Staff development improves the teacher’s knowledge base of changes and improvements that are coming along as well as equips the teachers with the skills to pass on to their students.
ReplyDeleteA strong school leader realizes the importance of staff development for custodial personnel. It is the building personnel that keep our students safe. It is important to have the appropriate training and staff development about keeping harmful chemicals out of reach and even the appropriate way in which to use positive statements/reinforcement when redirecting a student’s behavior.
Additionally, taking the time to properly train any staff member- teaching or custodial- could be the difference between children learning the value in all work.
These programs should be evaluated by what is seen. In my opinion, a “great” staff development training in one in which teachers are able to implement the newly learned material right away. For example, if a teacher learned a new method in which to teach a new math strategy or a new writing technique, then when a school leader walks into his or her room, a simple observation (during the time for that subject) should reflect the strategy or technique learned in the training. The effectiveness of the training is reflected by how well the teachers are able to implement the new material.
As far as the custodial staff is concerned, the same evidence should be true. If the custodial staff went to a safety training about storing and discarding harmful chemicals or machinery, then the school leader should be able to look around the building and even in the storage areas to see if things are stored and discarded properly. There should never be harmful cleaning products or dangerous machines left unattended because that would be evidence that the training was ineffective.
Accounting Basics
ReplyDeleteI analyzed the October 2012 financial report from The Willmar Public Schools in Minnesota. (http://www.willmar.k12.mn.us/sites/default/files/file/pdfs/finance/reports/2013/OctoberBoardReportFY12-13.pdf) At the beginning of the report, summaries are listed in layperson’s terms. This brief narrative is quite helpful and draws attention to the largest differences between this year and last year. The data is pretty clear in the tables on the following pages, but the summaries present a quick snapshot of the current budget. While local revenues are down, state revenues are up from the previous year. Both salary and benefits expenditures are up from the previous year with the report siting contract settlements, staffing adjustments, School Improvement Grant staff, and employee benefit choices. Purchased Services were up and the report references iPad lease payments. The iPads were mentioned several times throughout the report and it is evident that this iPad purchase was a major one, and one that was carefully planned for in the budget.
While I do not have much personal experience with school accounting, I can relate to the Willmar district in bringing in a large amount of new technology. Choosing to invest in technology, which often becomes obsolete at a rapid pace, is a decision that cannot be taken lightly. The report shows that the district is planning not only for the lease payments of the iPads, but also for insurance on them – which is crucial when putting expensive technology in the hands of students. My school just received a set of iPads for our middle school students to use while at school. Not only did it take over a year to figure out how to pay for them, but we had to determine a plan for future use and support as the technology ages. It’s also challenging to plan for all of the extras needed with something like iPads – insurance, cases, software, apps, headphones, etc. This monthly report does not go into detail about all of those things, but I’m sure the district could have a separate financial report based solely on the iPad project.
As a school principal, the summary portion of this report, written in layperson’s terms, would be really useful as a quick reference. Rather than pouring over all the intricacies of the data, this brief overview would often provide most of the information needed at a glance.
From a principals perspective, there is a need to invest in proper education or training for all staff members. If there is a need for teaching staff members to receive additional training to stay on the progressive journey of education, then the need should also be filled for support staff members as well in order to properly handle their own responsibilities.
ReplyDeleteIn the school system, you will find that many custodial personnel are required to do multiple aspects of the job therefore; staff development must be in place otherwise the basic health requirements are weak and the safety of school is at risk. Restrooms, classroom accidents, etc. are just a few examples when there is the need for someone to come in and clean. There must be proper training for the custodial staff to do what is needed to make the area both clean and safe for teaching staff and students.
The administrator must determine the type of training and development. He or she must understand that taking the time to invest in this type of training for the custodial staff will continually improve the work habits and methods of the entire staff. As a way to keep cost down , the administrator always has the in-house option. There may be a staff member that has leadership characteristics with the background to possibly conduct the trainings which will eventually save money for the district or the school itself.
To address the effectiveness of the program, the administrator must have list of expectations as a guide along with a follow-up plan to evaluate the staff which could be handled by the actual custodial staff, other staff members and administration to see where they feel they could use more development and training in order to do their jobs effectively.
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ReplyDeleteStaff development is critical for school success. From the school site based management perspective the administrative team is responsible for the establishment of a system and the evaluation of the personnel. In the case of custodial personnel, the administrator must oversee a system that is efficient, cost effective, and sustainable even when custodians are replaced. There must be a level of control in place in the system where custodians can self monitor themselves but also be accountable to the administration. There must be training conducted where custodians learn the proper procedures for specific functions. Currently, our school contracts with a cleaning and maintenance company to provide their services. From a budget standpoint the service does allow the school to pay one fee instead of salaries, retirement, and health benefits. The fee to the company however does not allow the school to make financial adjustments such as incentives or reductions in pay. It also creates a middleman that is answerable to administration rather than direct personnel accountability. What the current arrangement does not take into account is that every school has specific needs and time frames for work to be accomplished.
ReplyDeleteIn a system-based approach, schools also lose the needed benefit of control of the personnel. In both cases, the administration will want to conduct staff development which address specific needs. There has to a be procedures for accidents, such as cleaning a spill, throw-up, or blood. The custodial staff must be aware of correct chemical use and procedures for waste removal. They must know when the time is right to use a weed trimmer or other loud noise making machines. Custodians are not always trained in customer service or their given guidelines with professional relationships with staff and students. To accomplish these tasks correctly, there must be system in place that provides adequate training for the custodians. It may be done by in school personnel or by outside sources.
An important step in conducting an in-service training for all staff is to have clearly stated objectives and expected outcomes. There needs to be clear instructions and time lines for task accomplishment. When setting up staff development it is important for everyone to understand the lines of communication. The administration must be clear that a check list must be done daily, weekly and monthly. It also must be clear that the administrator will go over the check list on the same schedule. If the custodians are properly trained the school should run smoothly.
I have elected to look at my school's monthly financial report because I have the daily task of communicating the different elements of the budget to lay people. Parents, board members, teachers, and often charitable organizations who give grants need a simplified version of the budget to understand the financial situation of the school. I have provided a sample of an explanation that I gave this week to the Board about why our utilities bill has increased even though we have placed cost cutting practices, in addition to usage guidelines in place. In explaining I stated, The Physical plant includes all shared expenses with the Episcopal Church, along with telecommunications, contracted services, cleanings, and maintenance for school costs. Due to Hawaii’s use of low-sulfur oil for electricity and Asia’s increasing demand for this type of oil, electricity costs are expected to increase each year. HNS is concurrently engaged in an energy audit to determine best practices for electricity savings, recycling, and water-use minimization.
I have elected to look at my school's monthly financial report because I have the daily task of communicating the different elements of the budget to lay people. Parents, board members, teachers, and often charitable organizations who give grants need a simplified version of the budget to understand the financial situation of the school. I have provided a sample of an explanation that I gave this week to the Board about why our utilities bill has increased even though we have placed cost cutting practices, in addition to usage guidelines in place. In explaining I stated, The Physical plant includes all shared expenses with the Episcopal Church, along with telecommunications, contracted services, cleanings, and maintenance for school costs. Due to Hawaii’s use of low-sulfur oil for electricity and Asia’s increasing demand for this type of oil, electricity costs are expected to increase each year. HNS is concurrently engaged in an energy audit to determine best practices for electricity savings, recycling, and water-use minimization.
DeleteI provided the specific numbers to the board and the explanation of the increase. I also outlined what we are doing to hold down costs. It is very difficult for lay people to understand the numbers without an explanation and a description of the causes. A graph or pie chart is also helpful in giving a visual example of allocations from a financial statement. Most schools spend the majority of their budget on personnel and building maintenance. In a financial statement it is good to break down other areas in a separate chart or graph. I was able to do this with a pie graph allowing the board to see the expense distribution of program supplies including equipment, travel, contracted services, and dues and memberships. This will allow the board to vote on different allocations.
The communication of the financial statement must include clear concise language explaining the numbers. It must also include the rationale behind the distribution of funds.
Accounting Basics Blog Assignment-Haden
ReplyDeleteStaff development is key to insuring and providing a cohesive environment for the students. From a principal point of view, you want to maximize productivity while boosting morale. Through staff development, you are focusing on the embitterment of the individual, giving them more purpose making them feel a part of the team; while instilling in them that they are an appreciated and valued. Custodial personnel are normally undervalued and underappreciated members of the staff. If we can maximize their abilities through staff development such as mandatory training and teach them to self develop in order to enhance their inner abilities. We must look at the big picture and avoid looking at this as lost capital. Although they may be willing to excel within their career, they may not have the resources they need to meet the standards you have set; therefore staff development is a necessary tool to enhance their education and professionalism. After the implementation of development training we must evaluate the effectiveness of the training to see areas of growth and areas in which we are subpar. Also, leaders must list expectations and hold staff accountable, but also reward small incentives for prolonged productivity.
I reviewed Hopewell City Public Schools comprehensice financial report located at ,http://www.hopewellva.gov/files/Hopewell_CAFR_FYE09.pdf. When I began to look into the financial report I will admit I was a bit overwhelmed. Although somewhat complex and elongated this report thoroughly explains the annual budget allowing for one to see where the money is going and where we may begin to cut cost for the upcoming year. The City of Hopewell does a good job breaking the financial report down in the beginning before they get to the technical part of the report that can be a bit harder to understand. I believe that any financial report can be difficult to understand therefore, gathering with a member that may be involved with the actual generation of the report may allow for an individual to gain better understanding of how the report works and how to improve the budget for the upcoming year, because afterall improving the budget year to year is what we aim to accomplish.
I would like to believe that it is a high priority of a principal to ensure that there is enough funding for all staff to attend some type of staff development every year. Realistically though, given the state of school finance, and lack of funding, I believe most school principals would not put a high priority on staff development of the custodial personnel unless it involved ensuring the school was in compliance with state and federal health and safety requirements. An exception I could see to this would be training a newly hired custodial person who had an identified need of training when they were hired.
ReplyDeleteAny staff development for custodial personnel would need to be evaluated by what the impact of the training had on the school, and how the school benefited by the training. I think the principal would have the custodial supervisor complete a report requesting the training and its benefits, and then an after training report which would explain what was gained and if the training was worth while. The principal would need to evaluate the value of the training against the cost of the training to see if the benefits were of high enough value to the school to invest in.
When I read last month’s financial report from AFSA High School, I think there are several things that a layperson could understand from it. Because the report includes four different sections, some of them may be a bit more confusing than others, especially when looking at all the different departments. There are a few sections that are easier to understand as well.
ReplyDeleteI believe most lay persons could understand the projected budget and what the actual budget to date is on a monthly report as it pertains to both in expenditures and revenues when looking at the financial statements because there are columns that state what the actual values are for those items on the financial report. By looking at the % to date column, a layperson could get an idea if a certain line item was being over or under spent by that particular date. They would not know the cycle of the revenues and expenses though, so something that may look to be over based on the % to date could actually end up being on target. For example, memberships and fees, or professional development could have 50% of the annual budget allocation spent by October, but there may not be any large items coming in for the rest of the year so it would actually be on budget, but it would appear not to be.
By looking at the monthly check register, they could get an idea of where some of the money that the school is spending goes. They could also see how much, or how little, business the school does with local businesses. This could give the person with a good, or bad, perception as to how the school supports, or doesn’t support the local businesses. Even though the checks do not specify what they checks were for, I believe that a reasonably perceptive layperson could probably figure out what, or why, the check was written.
The typical reasonably perceptive layperson should, after reading the entire financial report, have an idea of how the school’s financial situation stands. They could get this by looking at all the revenues, assets, and comparing this with all the liabilities and accounts due listed in the financial summary. On this document, it shows the ending balance, which is either negative or positive and it’s quite obvious if the school is in the hole or not. Because this monthly document doesn’t take into account several of the accounting “tools” that the Minnesota government is using to fund the school, they could get a false perception on where the school stands. In Minnesota, the state holds back a percentage of what each school is supposed to receive from state funding until after the school year is actually done. Because of this, the financial picture usually looks much more grim than it actually is until the end of the year.
CONTRACT V. SYSTEM-SUPPLIED OPERATIONS/MAINTENANCE SERVICES
ReplyDeleteThe economics of both plans must be examined in all maintenance and operations programs in an effort to decide whether to use contract or system-supplied services. Many factors should be considered in examining system-supplied operations/ maintenance services including cost utility, which is a major asset in determining the best program.
If a district operates its own maintenance program, it can avoid delays and costs associated with taking bids, opening them, and perhaps negotiating for services or materials of equal quality; overhead charges of companies performing maintenance functions can be eliminated. There need be no time delay with an in-house maintenance system, but should be part of contingency planning, there is a possibility of making more efficient use of personnel in terms of scheduling peak-load or peak-time operations. District employees can be required to provide higher standards of workmanship than can the contractor working or a profit.
On the other hand there are problems associated with implementing system-supplied operations/maintenance services. Some maintenance functions require specialized procedure that may not be needed more than two or three times per year, and the skilled employees necessary to accomplish this work may be too expensive to include in local staff. Although time and money may be saved at the bid phase by employing local staff perform the job, the costs related to equipment, depreciation of maintenance buildings, special insurance, and sick leave pay add to the budget.
The decision to purchase maintenance or use private maintenance contractors, revolve around whether the services are obtainable at a fixed price through competitive bidding; whether contracted services are more cost effective than employing special workers within the district; and capital outlay projects. Each situation has unique variables involved, and decisions should be based on individual circumstances, due to the recent influx of a large volume of computers and other electronic devices which has given a new dimension to maintenance, electrical, and security issues.
Several factors can influence the decision to purchase contract services, including the task of keeping the optional number of employees with specific skills under contract; a reduction in collective bargaining problems; and the fixing of contractor’s fees for supplies and materials for a specified time.
Regardless of the organization of the maintenance program in the district, whether contract or system-supplied services, an individual plan for each structure and item of equipment must be established. The value of staff development for school site and system-based custodial personnel is significant and has a tremendous impact on the success of the maintenance program. These programs should be evaluated on a continuous basis and should be made a part of all maintenance and operations personnel programs in the district. Annual efficiency reports should be prepared on each person by an immediate supervisor, and the sum of all ratings should serve as a basis of retention, transfer, and merit salary adjustments.
What is the value of staff development for school site and system-based custodial personnel? How should these programs be evaluated?
ReplyDeleteStaff development for custodial personnel (for ANY personnel alike) is extremely valuable. Staff development can come in many forms and may be minimal or extensive based on an analysis of the job itself. What information is needed to assume responsibilities of job description and perform job duties successfully? The information should be prioritized and scheduled. Other training may be required by the state such as blood borne pathogens, hazardous materials, waste, etc. The value of the training is evident in job performance and practices. The goal should be to motivate staff to be efficient, productive, and thorough.
The programs should be evaluated on cost, time relative to training hours (on the job or in addition to), and outcome of training based on employee performance.
There are many factors to consider when deciding between contracted versus system-supplied maintenance services. First, is quality of service or product. It is easy to begin with considering the cost of each, however when it comes to the safety of our students and the long term sustainability of the facilities, it is imperative that the administrator compare like services or products: are the services offered by Contractor A going to be of like quality with Contractor B or the local custodial staff? Once that has been determined, administrators and school business officials should compare the costs of each option. Which option provides the best cost to the district? This question will not necessarily be a simple review of which amount is smaller; it also requires consideration of serviceability, the expected ongoing maintenance cost of each product, and the anticipated long term usability and functionality of the equipment: will it continue to serve our needs for as long as it is expected to last? A third consideration when considering contracted versus locally provided maintenance is the locality of the provider. Is the contractor from the area? Many stakeholders - community members, board members, parents, will look at whether the school chooses local contractors when maintaining the school. Assuming the services or product are equal, the cost is reasonably similar, next an administrator must consider if the contracted provider is a local provider. Stakeholders can take offense when projects are bid out to contractors from other areas when the same money could be kept locally to support the local economy. Finally, an administrator should consider how similar projects have been done in the past. When making a change in how things are done, it is important to have an identifiable reason for the change and to communicate the need for the change. How will the school and students in the school benefit from doing it differently this time? And what were the parameters of your decision making?
ReplyDeleteIn sum, there are four primary considerations for administrators and school business officials when considering whether to use locally provided or contracted services: the quality of the program, the cost of the program, the locality of the program, and how things have historically been done in the district.
Staff development is a necessary component of any custodial program. The maintenance needs of any school or building change with the construction or addition of any new materials, supplies, or tools. As such, it is important that custodial staff are aware of the new developments and how they should be cared for, appropriate preventative measures, and how to ensure these things are done properly.
There are a number of factors to consider when evaluating maintenance programs: overall cleanliness, turnover of staff, the costs of the program and whether budgeted costs are reasonably close to actual costs, and the number of maintenance related emergencies that occur over time.
Overall cleanliness of the school communicates to students, parents, and the community whether the school is properly caring for the resources it has. As such, the department charged with maintenance and upkeep should be keeping the building clean. Next is employee turnover. A high rate of turnover can indicate a problem within the department, and with high turnover the cost of training and orienting new staff becomes much higher than is necessary. Addressing the cause of high turnover can save the school money in re-training of new employees. The costs of the program are an important aspect of the effectiveness of the department. Are costs reasonably budgeted, and are expenses kept to the budgeted amount? Finally, the quantity of emergencies over time. This wouldn't be necessarily just in one emergency, but over time are there an inordinate number of emergencies related to facilities maintenance and can this be attributed to equipment malfunction or inadequate equipment maintenance?
What is the value of staff development for school site and system-based custodial personnel? How should these programs be evaluated?
ReplyDeleteNo matter what position in the school, staff development for both school site and system-based custodial personnel should be considered highly valuable and made a priority. It may be natural to think that custodial jobs are straightforward and vary little from one type of building to the next. That may be true, but what inevitably will vary from building to building are the principal’s expectations. So even if a particular individual has worked in the same custodial field, and even in schools, for the past 20 years, that doesn’t mean that they will come into your school and begin their work in maintenance and cleaning up to your particular standards. For that reason, a principal should make staff development a regular practice any time a new employee is hired on, as well as any time a new procedure or standard is put into place.
I would measure the success of these programs with exit surveys for the custodial personnel and by observing the general cleaning and maintenance to see if the training had a positive effect on the work being produced. The surveys would let me know if the custodial staff felt the training was useful and time effective. The building observations would tell me if there was a disconnect between what the staff had learned and their subsequent work. It’s critical to see that training being put into practice.
The question of contract versus system-supplied operations/maintenance services depends on the specific job and the philosophy of the school district. A contract system has many pros/cons. Looking to outsource certain jobs may be essential due to the nature of the work. There may be skills that a vendor can supply that are hard to find in the general job pool. Often times, materials may be purchased at a lower rate because a contractor may have better sources to supply the need. A contractor can also save the school system money because along with a competitive bid they also have the equipment to do the job. The overhead associated with equipment can than be kept to a minimum. Contractors pay their employees and also take care of health benefits. This is often passed on to the school through the bid but it is not the schools responsibility. This frees up HR time and money.
ReplyDeleteThe negatives involved with contacting services is often related to the lack of control of job quality and personnel. While a contractor must do the job to the satisfaction of the school, interpretation of the job requirements can often cause delays or hostile relations. Contractors often take on several jobs at a time and disagreement can arise about job completion and timeliness. Delays may also cause cost overruns. This may cause legal problems if the contractor can not keep costs in line with the bid.
A system-based approach allows for better control of personnel. Since the school administrator is responsible for the oversight of the positions or the specific jobs, personnel are directly answerable. A school system can often get bulk items at a better cost than independent contractors unless the needed items are job specific. While the system-based approach may create competitive bids, there is often a loss direct budgeting controls. There is also the issue of time control. Time management is also under the control of the school administrator. There may be delays under this system, however the administrator has the authority to authorize overtime.
The negative about the system-based approach is that often the employees lack the skills to complete specific jobs. They require additional training which can cost time and money. There are also the HR issues such as overtime, health benefits, workman's comp, etc.
A combination approach is probably the best solution. You can get competitive bids for specific services but also control the personnel in normal circumstances.
Sunny Haden
ReplyDeleteHomework #6
Nuts and Bolts Blog
When talking about contract versus system supplied operations many questions arise. To start off we must assess the type of job at hand. Is this a permanent job which requires a watchful eye or is this job temporary such as a repair of some sort? Along with the degree of difficulty, is the staff at-hand qualified to do this job and if not can they easily be trained to do so. Next of course are the students, could this project in any way possibly cause physical harm the students or hinder the learning process, and if so when will this job be able to be completed? As school leaders we must take this into account and make sure our children are taken care of. Our next decision is capital, what ways can we save money not just off of the top but in the long run? It might seem more cost efficient to train in-house staff to do the work, but if done incorrectly that cost could sky rocket. If you privatize or contract then you are assured the work will be done by trained professionals who will meet your needs efficiently. Although this may be a bit more costly you are preventing future mishaps and keeping your staff where they may be needed. Throughout this decision making process all of your decisions will tie together in a logarithmic or puzzle-like way to reach the best outcome for your school or district.
As an administrator many factors must be weighed when making a final decision on the approach to maintaining the school's facility. When deciding to use contracted services versus system-supplied services the school leader must first access the needs of the building. An older facility may require more intense day-to-day maintenance which would require a staff that has specified skills. However, train-specialized labor will call for higher salaries which could put a strain on the overall school budget. This too can be an extenuating factor for new facilities as well as the need for such staff would have to be carried on a year-long contract; as facility maintenance is needed year-round. Another factor to consider is the time proficiency of maintenance. In-house services allow for more immediate resolves of facility issues. While contracted services could resolve the issues as well, the matter of time becomes the concern. In order to contract out for services the process of collecting bids and scheduling of work could cause delays that may lead to more services needed than when first addressed initially. For example, when I reported a very small wet spot in the tile of my office's ceiling, it had become two large spots and an actual leak before the issue had been fixed. The time delay in this instance was due to the process of bidding for contracted services.
ReplyDeleteThe overall systematic schedule of facility maintenance must be taken into consideration as well. There is the emergency maintenance to consider along with preventive care, seasonal care,recurring and periodic care. Some of the categories of maintenance care are better suited for contracted services in terms of cost analysis while other categories should be handled by system-supplied services. In the end, there will most likely be a combination of the two systems to maintain the building properly and cost effectively. Once the decision is made as to how each need will be addressed the school leader must then determine the overall training of the custodial personnel.
On most school sites the custodial personnel is assigned various tasks that require specific knowledge and training. The personnel must have training on the OSHA regulations in order to properly clean, store and depose of chemicals and other hazards. Some school sites consider basic training in electrical and plumbing systems. While most schools will probably choose to contract out for major electrical and plumbing repairs and replacement of equipment,training that will help the in-house personnel to provide daily maintenance of equipment for preventive care should be considered as an investment to the school.
The evaluation of the services should be done systematically and periodically. First, a facility Needs Assessment should be developed. Then a monitor system should be implemented to help determine how the needs are being met. Weekly reports, along with daily maintenance logs should be submitted to the school leader or facility manager for review of system maintenance along with scheduled department meetings and audits. The evaluation methods should determine if needs are met, if job quality is proficient and if the cost effect is manageable.
This is an important issue. Part of what the schools need to do is provide a safe learning environment in the schools. As a principal it is my duty to continually be aware of my building and the care that is being put towards it. I would need to put a needs assessment towards cleaning and maintenance, what is more important than other things. What parts of this school directly impact the students and staff? Temperature control, cleanliness, and upkeep are all important, but what other priorities need to be addressed on a daily or weekly basis. I would also need to show a level of Leadership by recognizing their positions publicly as an important part of our everyday leadership. Supplies need to be purchased, staff given time to work, overtime opportunities, substitutes, and all these need to be considered when planning for the budget. A communication needs to be constant between the principal and the business administrator. Emergencies can devastate a budget, especially with maintenance.
ReplyDeleteEvaluation with the budget needs to come from the safety audit a school should set into place each year. An insurance auditor or another outside source needs to be part of this to hold some of the liability aspects of maintenance.
School leaders are faced with difficult issue of appropriating funds and each principal does hold a lot of power in how this money is spent. Staff development for school and custodial personnel is important for a variety of reasons:
ReplyDeleteIt is important to keep up with current trends and standards within the district to achieve completion and competence.
It helps advance the knowledge and technology within each profession to current standards or above.
It can lead to increased community confidence within the district and administrators as to the knowledge and skills of those teaching their students.
It opens the possibilities for new knowledge and skills that can be applied to the benefit of the community and district.
Strides made in school safety and the increased awareness of the dangers that exist within schools by personnel can help to increase community support.
Support provided by the district through the principal is vital to the overall districts health and future stability. Staff development must be appropriate to satisfy the above factors and the knowledge of a developed administrator can accomplish this task.