2017 Winter UPDATE

OPERATIONS / WINTER 2017 OPERATIONS ISSUE / SUMMER 2014

INDISPENSABLE TOOL for SCHOOL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Stay In Motion

ESSENTIAL OPERATIONS OF EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT

2018 ILLINOIS ASBO

B O O K K E E PE R S

CONFERENCE

Friday, March 16, 2018 | NIU Naperville Conference Center

GET AN INSIDER VIEW ON EVIDENCE-BASED FUNDING Catered to Support Professionals

KEYNOTE SESSION: EVIDENCE-BASED FUNDING IMPLEMENTATION Featuring Michael A. Jacoby, Ed.D., SFO, CAE Illinois ASBO Executive Director/CEO Dr. Jacoby is one of the primary architects of the new school funding system in Illinois. The Evidence Based Formula is a game changer for all school districts and will have an impact on local decisions and budget allocations. Support professionals will get an insider view on how this change impacts their district and the role they will play as this new funding becomes a reality.

The conference will also feature tracks for both payroll and non-payroll professionals. Attend or send your office staff to benefit from this empowering day of learning!

REGISTRATION OPENS DECEMBER 15 AT: WWW.IASBO.ORG

INSIDE

Illinois Association of School Business Officials UPDATE Magazine / Winter 2017 / v.25 / i.02

OPERATIONS

LEGAL ISSUE / SPRING 2018 OPERATIONS ISSUE / SUMMER 2014

INDISPENSABLE TOOL for SCHOOL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

CHAIN REACTION

THE IMPACT OF NEW LAWS ON YOUR DISTRICT

THE NEXT ISSUE: LEGAL ISSUES The Impact of New Laws on Your District.

Data-Driven Operations Measuring and analyzing the performance of district operations can impact student achievement and help create a high-performing, efficiently operating district. Analyzing proven Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in key operational areas is proving pivotal to cutting costs and positively impacting student outcomes.

Cover Story by Phillip Smith

24

LOOKING FOR PAST ISSUES? Visit ISSUU.com and search for Illinois ASBO.

What to Expect in a School Nutrition Administrative Review A Nutrition Program Administrative Review assesses compliance with federal and state regulations, recommends corrective actions and ensures the integrity of program payments. Understanding the process is key to a successful review.

By Kathryn Dundon, SNS

14

www.iasbo.org

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Changing it Up There are many options to choose from when it comes to your district ancillary services, starting with whether to manage the service in-house, outsourced or through a hybrid model. To bring some needed perspective, two districts share their experiences in changing up their services.

PERSPECTIVE

FROM-THE-PODIUM A Critical Piece in Student Academic Success. 07

By John Bryk, Ed.S. Coletta Hines-Newell and Stacey L. Mallek

FROM-THE-OFFICE Operations: The Backbone of Education. 09

FROM-THE-FIELD The Devil is in the Details. 11

POINT OF VIEW Audit Ready: Preparing for a Food Service Audit. 18

SCHOOL BUSINESS 101 Top Service Provider Qualities: Reputation, Reliability and Understanding the School Environment. 19

20 Physical Meets Digital:

How Capital Improvement Factors into 21st Century Learning As school districts update their facilities, it is crucial to understand how 21st century learning impacts both the physical and virtual environments and how those environments impact the instruction of students.

By Sean Gordon, CPMM, CPS and Keith R. Hammelman, PE

Get insights from the Illinois State Board of Education regarding errors they detect on the Pupil Transportation Claim and how to prevent them.

By Mark A. Morten

30

34

Transportation Technology That Pays for Itself

Investing in transportation technology not only enhances student safety — it also pays for itself by simplifying the record keeping process and ensuring proper bus upkeep.

By Ken Muehlfelder

RESOURCES

38 Building Use: Beyond the School Day ON MY LIST The Motivation Revolution

With so many perspectives on the use of school buildings and their campuses in play, developing a common understanding within your district on how facilities are used outside the school day is an important undertaking.

By Patrick S. Browne, Jr., CPMM and Dean T. Romano, Ed.D.

43

40

The Final Word Michael J. Schroeder

Chief School Business Official Channahon SD 17 Michael believes that leading school operations is all about staff and the trust you build with them. In Channahon, they have always sought to have student-focused staff that perform with a high level of integrity.

His connection with them is to provide them the resources and support they need to be successful and then get out of their way.

46

RESOURCES: School Nutrition and Wellness Resources Help keep your district compliant and maintain programs that benefit student health.

44 www.iasbo.org

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THE

MAGA ZINE Illinois Association of School Business Officials

CALENDAR OF

Northern Illinois University, IA-103 108 Carroll Avenue DeKalb, IL 60115-2829 P: (815) 753-1276 / F: (815) 516-0184 / www.iasbo.org

EVENTS

UPDATE Editorial Advisory Board

Check out www.iasbo.org or the latest Calendar of Events included in the UPDATE mailing for full seminar listings including location and PDC sponsorship and register for professional development today.

December June 2014 2017

S 27 3 10 17 24 31

M 28 4 11 18 25 1

T 29 5 12 19 26 2

W 30 6 13 20 27 3

T F S 31 1 2 7 8 9 14 15 16 21 22 23 28 29 30 4 5 6

January 2018

February 2018

S M T W T F S 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

S 28 4 11 18 25 4

M 29 5 12 19 26 5

T 30 6 13 20 27 6

March 2018

W T F S 31 1 2 3 7 8 9 10 14 15 16 17 21 22 23 24 28 1 2 3 7 8 9 10

Event

S 25 4 11 18 25 1

M 26 5 12 19 26 2

T 27 6 13 20 27 3

W T F S 28 1 2 3 7 8 9 10 14 15 16 17 21 22 23 24 28 29 30 31 4 5 6 7

Date

Time

Location

12/1/17

8:30am

SupportCon

12/6/17

9:00am

Situational Leadership

12/22/17 1/1/18

8:00am

Illinois ASBO Office Closed

DeKalb

1/10/18

12:00pm

Lunch & Learn Webinar: Radical Candor Book Study

Online

1/17/18

8:00am

Facilities Operations Program: Essentials of Grounds Operations

Lisle

1/17/18

8:30am

Leading Yourself, Leading Others and Leading Your Boss - AAC #1625

Alsip

1/19/18

1:30pm

PDC Networking Meeting

Itasca

1/26/18

9:00am

2018 Leadership Day

2/8/18

8:00am

2018 ASBO Executive Leadership Forum

Austin, TX

2/15/18

7:30am

Seminar on School Finance - AAC #1062

Naperville

2/23/18

9:00am

2018 Leadership Institute Alumni Day

TBD

2/28/18

8:00am

Facilities Operations Program: Essentials of Custodial Operations

Lisle

3/6/18

8:30am

FIRO-B: Behavior to Improve Results - AAC #1816

TBD

3/8/18

8:00am

Facilities Professional Conference

3/8/18

8:30am

FIRO-B: Behavior to Improve Results - AAC #1816

3/9/18

8:00am

20th Annual Risk Management - AAC #1283

3/13/18 3/15/18

5:00pm

2018 Leadership Institute Cohort

3/16/18

8:30am

Bookkeepers Conference

4/18/18

12:00pm Lunch & Learn Webinar: Managing Change

Downers Grove Lombard

TBD

Oak Brook Decatur Naperville Normal Naperville Online

5/3/18 - 5/4/18

8:00am

2018 Illinois ASBO Annual Conference

Schaumburg

5/14/18

9:00am

Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Naperville

6/13/18

8:30am

LIFO Assessment to Grow Leadership & Communications Skills - AAC #1500

Naperville

PDC MEMBERS Ryan Berry Legal Issues Patrick S. Browne Sustainability Catherine H. Chang Food Service Seth Chapman Budgeting & Financial Planning Yasmine Dada Principles of School Finance Eric DePorter Human Resource Management Jeff E. Feyerer Budgeting & Financial Planning Kathy Gavin Special Education Sean Gordon Maintenance & Operations Rich Hendricks Cash Management Anton Inglese Technology Stephen Johns Planning & Construction Tim Keeley Purchasing John Lavelle Risk Management Stacey Mallek Accounting, Auditing & Financial Reporting Patrick McDermott Public Policy Michael Schroeder Transportation BOARD & EXTERNAL RELATIONS MEMBERS David H. Hill, Ed.D. President Anne Noble SAAC Chair AT-LARGE MEMBERS Mike Johann Illinois Association of School Personnel Administrators STAFF MEMBERS Michael A. Jacoby Executive Director / CEO (815) 753-9366, mjacoby@iasbo.org Susan P. Bertrand Deputy Executive Director / COO (815) 753-9368, sbertrand@iasbo.org Craig Collins Statewide Professional Development Coordinator, (630) 442-9203, ccollins@iasbo.org John Curry Graphic Designer / Videographer (815) 753-7654, jcurry@iasbo.org Tammy Curry Senior Graphic Designer (815) 753-9393, tcurry@iasbo.org Zack Hildebrand Membership & Marketing Coordinator (815) 753-9371, zhildebrand@iasbo.org Rebekah L. Weidner Senior Copywriter / Content Strategist, (815) 753-9270, rweidner@iasbo.org

Illinois ASBO Board of Directors

David H. Hill, Ed.D. President Cathy L. Johnson President-Elect Dean T. Romano, Ed.D. Treasurer Jennifer J. Hermes, SFO Immediate Past President 2015–18 Board of Directors Mark W. Altmayer, Julie-Ann C. Fuchs, Eric M. Miller 2016–19 Board of Directors Jan J. Bush, Julie A. Jilek, Bradley L. Shortridge 2017–20 Board of Directors Mark R. Bertolozzi, Kevin L. Dale, Eric DePorter

Illinois ASBO Board Liaisons

Anne E. Noble Service Associate Advisory Committee Chair Carrie L. Matlock, AIA, LEED AP, BD+C Service Associate Advisory Committee Vice Chair Perry Hill IASB Board Liaison Calvin C. Jackson Legislative Liaison Paul McMahon Regional Superintendent Liaison Deborah I. Vespa ISBE Board Liaison

Privacy Policy

All materials contained within this publication are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, displayed or published without the prior written permission of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials.

You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.

References, authorship or information provided by parties other than that which is owned by the Illinois Association of School Business Officials are offered as a service to readers. The editorial staff of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials was not involved in their production and is not responsible for their content.

PERSPECTIVE / Board President

FROM–THE–PODIUM A Critical Piece in Student Academic Success The school year is off and running and most teachers and administrators are focused on how they can improve academic success by modifying teaching strategies, studying student assessment data and reviewing the curriculum standards. As a former classroom teacher, I am not diminishing the importance of solid teaching strategies, understanding the individual needs of students and mastering the Common Core state standards. However, there are other factors that contribute to a student’s academic success.

David H. Hill, Ed.D. It is important that teachers, administrators, students, parents and community members ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT COMM. CONS. SCH. DIST. 93 understand that the operations of a school district are an important part of the educational process. Educational research supports the fact that a proper learning environment contributes to the academic success of students. Therefore, business office, human resources, custodial, maintenance, food service, technology, transportation staff members along with all other personnel associated with the operation of the district play a vital role in the education of children.

SIMPLY SAYING

All personnel in a school district must work together toward one common goal: the academic success of all students.

Learning Environments and Academic Success There is a large and growing body of research that demonstrates the correlation between good learning environments and academic success. When schools have poor air quality, hazardous materials, poor acoustics and inadequate heating and cooling, these conditions are often correlated with elevated levels of truancy, absenteeism, higher teacher turnover and even lower student performance. Therefore, it is important that schools and districts do not undervalue the importance of operations.

In preparation for this article I searched many school district websites to review their mission statement. It was not suprising to find that many mission statements did not include any reference to the learning environment. In many cases, there was no mention of safe, secure and clean schools. No mention about a nutritious meal program or efficient and reliable student transportation. While these operational aspects are very important, not everyone understands their significance.

Behind the Scenes Essentials The outstanding work of operations departments across the state ensure that schools are clean and safe, learning environments are comfortable, technology equipment is operational, meals are nutritious and appetizing and the bus service is reliable and efficient. These are just a few of the operational tasks necessary to assist in the learning process. Just because some people might not understand or appreciate all the behind the scenes work necessary to manage the operations of a school district, does not diminish the enormous responsibility that those departments have. All personnel in a school district must work together toward one common goal: the academic success of all students. In the words of Helen Keller, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”

www.iasbo.org

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TRANSCEND YOUR DAY TO DAY TO REACH NEW LEADERSHIP HEIGHTS

A JOURNEY OF SELF-REFLECTION Have you ever stepped back to consider what your attitudes and actions say about you as a leader? Get needed insights from two proven leadership assessments, Life Orientations (LIFO®) and Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI®).

A STEPPING STONE TO PERSONAL GROWTH School and business leaders have applied this learning to turn around key work relationships, adjust their communication style and pursue greater leadership roles.

A 2018 COHORT IS FORMING IN BLOOMINGTON, IL! Apply Now to Start Your Journey: www.iasbo.tools/leadershipinstitute

PERSPECTIVE / Executive Director

FROM–THE–OFFICE Operations: The Backbone of Education This issue of UPDATE focuses on what I often refer to as the backbone of education — operations. This includes facilities, food service and transportation. Can you imagine a school district without these foundational services in place?

The professionals who run school operations are often as highly qualified as any other member of Illinois ASBO, yet they typically fly under the radar and are unseen in their community or even among the leadership of a school district. But not at Illinois ASBO! Our commitment to serving the professional development and recognition needs of these professionals is growing and the result is an increase in participation and membership from this sector.

Michael A. Jacoby, Ed.D, CAE, SFO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO ILLINOIS ASBO

SIMPLY SAYING

The professionals who run school operations are often as highly qualified as any other member of Illinois ASBO, yet they typically fly under the radar.

In the facilities area, we have industry-leading programs that drive a high-quality value for facility professionals.

CPS and CPMM are certification programs in conjunction with a national entity and we not only train our members for the exams, but more importantly in the knowledge they need to excel in any facilities arena. The Facilities Operations Program has been launched recently to bring consistent and progressive instruction for every area of school operations and leadership. And of course, our Facilities Management Designation Program allows facilities professionals who are new to Illinois ASBO to join for a nominal fee.

In addition, Illinois ASBO now hosts a Facilities Professionals Conference each spring and continues to be a partner in the Midwest Facility Masters Conference in Wisconsin. For networking, regional facilities groups are popping up across the state.

In the food service area, the professional development committee by that title has grown and is a constant producer of breakout sessions for our conferences.

Transportation best practices are regularly explored at our Annual Conference and it is the focus of our very first online administrator academy that will launch next spring!

This issue of UPDATE brings some amazing authors forward to communicate best practices in facility rental agreements, outsourcing, evaluating service quality, National School Lunch Program audits, transportation claims and technology, as well as capital improvements that pave the way for 21st century learning.

I think you will find this issue a “keeper.” That is our goal, to bring together the best in the business and produce content that is relevant, timely and evergreen! Enjoy.

www.iasbo.org

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GIVE ONE DAY to improve every day.

The 2018 Illinois ASBO Legacy project will serve Marklund, whose mission is to make everyday life possible for individuals with profound disabilities.

Your day of service will help make a happy, safe environment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Projects may include painting, organization, gardening, cleaning or building.

JOIN US FOR A DAY OF SERVICE PRIOR TO THE 2018 ANNUAL CONFERENCE!

SAVE THE DATE Wednesday, May 2, 2018

PERSPECTIVE / SAAC Chair

FROM–THE–FIELD The Devil is in the Details We can plan and strategize all we want, but if we do not implement real life strategies that work operationally then the “plan” is irrelevant.

In this day and age of financial uncertainties we need, more than ever, to look under every rock for the large or even small bits of savings and efficiencies that can be found. In this issue of UPDATE some of Illinois ASBO’s best and brightest members will share some new and not so new (but improved) approaches to being as operationally wise as possible. For example, is there a better way to use technology to maximize transportation efficiencies? Are you leaving money on the table with your transportation reimbursement claims? What about making some extra cash renting out facilities when school is not in session? Then there is the never-ending debate about in-house services versus outsourcing.

Anne Noble MANAGING DIRECTOR STIFEL, NICOLAUS & COMPANY

SIMPLY SAYING

Accomplishing small operational improvements, while working on the bigger tasks, can build a track record of success to share with your board.

Aim for Smaller Targets You cannot tackle every challenge or opportunity at once.

We all want to start with the big ones — the problems that would provide the greatest benefit by being solved first.

But sometimes the largest challenges and opportunities are left undone because the solutions are equally large and challenging. Do not be afraid to take on some smaller targets concurrently with your larger goals. The smaller targets may be easier to solve, especially if you can use some of the advice provided here or via other Illinois ASBO resources.

Accomplishing small operational improvements, while working on the bigger tasks, can provide great personal satisfaction as well as building a track record of success to share with your board.

We think our job is about finance, budgeting and accounting.

And it is. But none of that really matters if the operations are out of sync. The devil is in the details and the details are in this issue of UPDATE! We hope this issue helps you find a few nuggets of operational efficiency that you can put to work in your district.

www.iasbo.org

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CONTRIBUTORS

Patrick S. Browne, CPMM

John Bryk, Ed.S.

Kathryn Dundon, SNS

Dir./Facility Operations Yorkville CUSD 115

Asst. Supt./Finance & Operations Orland SD 135

Principal Consultant Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)

Is experienced in building construction and remodeling, building operations and maintenance, finance, strategic planning and union negotiations.

Pat is the chair of Sustainability PDC and became certified as a Plant Maintenance Manager in 2013.

Has 15 years of experience in education. John received his MA in administration from Chicago State University, CSBO endorsement from Governors State University and Ed.S. from Northern Illinois University.

Has worked for the Illinois State Board of Education in the Nutrition and Wellness division for 24 years. Most of Kathryn’s working life has been devoted to working in the food service industry including owning a restaurant, working in hotels and off-premise catering companies.

pbrowne@y115.org

jbryk@orland135.org

kdundon@isbe.net

Sean Gordon, CPMM, CPS

Keith R. Hammelman, PE

Coletta Hines-Newell

Dir./Buildings & Grounds Comm. Cons. Sch. Dist. 93

Senior Vice President Cannon Design

Dir./Food Service Arlington Heights SD 25

With 15 years of experience in commercial HVAC, Sean is the current chair of the Illinois ASBO Maintenance & Operations PDC. He also holds both CPMM and CPS certifications and has completed the Illinois ASBO Facility Management Designation Program.

As a firm-wide leader of K12 engineering, Keith brings 21 years of experience to CannonDesign. He is passionate about creating innovative engineering solutions for education clients and is a member of the Planning and Construction PDC.

gordons@ccsd93.com

khammelman@cannondesign.com

Is a past president of the Illinois School Nutrition Association and currently serves on the National Legislative Committee. Coletta was one of the founding members of the Northern Illinois Independent Purchasing Cooperative, a buying group made up of 74 districts. cHinesNewell@sd25.org

Stacey L. Mallek

Mark A. Morten

Ken Muehlfelder

Asst. Supt./Business, CSBO Arlington Heights SD 25

Principal Consultant, Funding & Disbursements Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)

Regional Sales Manager Central States Bus Sales, Inc.

Has worked in the school finance profession since 1994 and has held her current position for 11 years. She is a strong believer and participant in Illinois ASBO, including serving on the Accounting PDC and the Northwest Regional Organization and past service on the Illinois ASBO Board. smallek@sd25.org

Works with various local education agencies to ensure that their transportation claims are completed accurately and in a timely manner.

Mark performs data analysis on many other programs within the Funding and Disbursements Division.

Has over nine years experience in the school bus industry and has worked closely with superintendents, business managers and transportation directors throughout Northern Illinois.

Ken is a member of the Illinois ASBO Transportation PDC.

mmorten@isbe.net

kenm@centralstatesbus.com

Dean T. Romano, Ed.D.

Philip Smith

Chief Operating Officer Yorkville CUSD 115

ActPoint ÂŽ KPI Brand Manager TransACT Communications, LLC

Serves on the Illinois ASBO Board of Directors as Treasurer. He is also a part of the Legal Issues PDC and is a past SWASBO regional chair. Dean received his educational leadership Ed.D. from Aurora University.

Leads the ActPointÂŽ KPI team and leverages his extensive software and education industry experience to build innovative solutions for customers and partners within the educational industry.

dromano@y115.org

phillip@transact.com www.iasbo.org

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o t t Wha in t c e Exp l o o h c S a n o i t i r t u N m a r Prog TRATIVE S I N I ADM

W E I V RE

By Kathryn Dundon, SNS

ARTICLE

The purpose of the School Nutrition Programs (SNP) Administrative Review (AR) is to assess compliance with federal and state regulations, provide technical assistance, recommend corrective action and ensure the integrity of program payments. It is the responsibility of each School Food Authority (SFA) to know and understand all handbooks, manuals, alerts and notices, as well as any other forms of communication that provide further guidance, clarification or instruction for operating the programs.

The Administrative Review Process The Administrative Review is a multi-step process. All districts are on a three-year review cycle. On the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) website, you can find the list of schools to be reviewed for the current 2017-2018 school year. A reviewer will contact you to schedule the review at your district. Once review dates are established, your reviewer will work to gather information from you to prepare and start the review. This data provides the reviewer with baseline information about your policies and procedures.

During the review, ISBE is not required to evaluate all of your schools. The USDA provides guidance for the number of schools they must review for lunch and breakfast. When your reviewer arrives, the review begins with an entrance conference. The entrance conference is an opportunity for the reviewer to become familiar with you, your staff and their responsibilities and for you to show the reviewer everything that you have gathered for the review.

During the on-site review, ISBE will review program records and observe meal preparation and meal service to determine program compliance.

At the conclusion of the review, the reviewer will conduct an exit conference to discuss findings. This is the time for you to ask questions and get clarification. If necessary, fiscal action will be assessed when required by regulations.

A corrective action plan (CAP), written by the SFA, will be required to address all findings. The corrective action plan must address each violation with a plan on how to permanently correct the problem(s) found. The reviewer will evaluate your CAP and communicate when more

PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION (ISBE)

detailed information is needed. When the corrective action plan is accepted, ISBE will issue a closure letter. If there was fiscal action over $600.00, it would be at this time that those funds would be requested.

Administrative Review Monitoring Sections The Administrative Review process has been organized into six monitoring sections. Within each monitoring section there are several modules, each of which addresses a specific review area. For each module there are activities that occur during the preliminary data collection and while your reviewer is on site.

The monitoring sections are: 1. Access and Reimbursement 2. Nutritional Quality and Meal Pattern 3. General Program Compliance 4. Other Federal Programs such as: • Special Milk Program • After-School Care Program • Seamless Summer Option • Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program • Summer Food Service Program 5. Resource Management 6. Procurement

Three Ways to Stay Current 1.

2.

3.

Read The Outlook email newsletter.

Read the SNP Handbook.

Visit the ISBE website at: www.isbe.net/nutritionandwellness under “What’s New” as often as you can.

For other important information and resources on the School Nutrition Program Administrative Review, see the Resources on page 44. You can always call the ISBE office at (800) 545-7892 if you need additional help.

www.iasbo.org

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1) Access and Reimbursement

2) Nutritional Quality and Meal Pattern

Meal Access and Reimbursement encompasses Eligibility Determination (review of household eligibility applications (HEA) direct certification (DC) and CEP), benefit issuance, verification and meal counting, claiming and reimbursement. This section of the AR encompasses both Critical Areas and General Areas.

The Nutritional Quality and the Meal Pattern consist of the meal components and quantities and are considered critical areas of the review process. The nutrient content of meals and compliance with the meal pattern form the foundation of the programs at your schools. Your reviewer will ensure, through visual observation and a review of production records, that reimbursable serving lines meet the daily and weekly requirements by their respective age/grade groups and for all meal service lines.

Common findings and fiscal action for eligibility documentation include: No approved HEA/DC is on file. ($) HEA is approved in the wrong category. ($) HEA does not match benefit issuance document. ($) SFA did not maintain DC documentation. ($) SFA did not maintain Extension of benefits. ($) Student eligibility status is not updated in (POS) or roster. ($) Changes in benefit are not made at the end of 30 day carryover period. ($) Documentation supporting CEP is not found. ($) Verification issues. ($)

Common findings and fiscal action for meal counting and claiming include: Not taking a proper meal count no matter where the children receive meals. ($) Math errors (always double check math prior to claim submission). ($) Counting errors. ($) Meal counts exceed number of children eligible. ($) Second and/or ineligible meals were included in the Claim for Reimbursement. ($)

Furthermore, documentation must show that for a selected week of review that you are using production records and have child nutrition (CN) labels, product formulation statements and/or standardized recipes to show how menu components contribute to the meal patterns.

Common findings and fiscal action for nutritional quality and meal patterns include: CN labels or product formulation statements are not available.

Vegetable subgroup requirements were not met. ($) for repeat problems Menus missing components. ($) Portion size issues.

Missing or inadequate production records. These are vital to support what food you served and how much you served.

These must be completed on a daily basis for breakfast, lunch and snack. Also, make sure production records record everything especially substitutions. Whenever possible, please use ISBE’s production record, which can be found in the NSLP Administrative Handbook. ($)

($) = may result in fiscal action being taken against the district

ARTICLE / School Nutrition Program Review

3) Program Compliance

4) Other Federal Programs

The general areas of program compliance include civil rights, professional standards, SFA monitoring, local wellness policy, smart snacks, water, food safety (HACCP Plan), reporting and record keeping, outreach for the School Breakfast Program (SBP), Buy American, Summer Food Service (SFSP) Program and the Seamless Summer Food Service Program.

If you operate the Afterschool Care Program, Seamless Summer Option, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program or the Special Milk Program, ISBE will also review these programs for compliance. If your district runs any of these programs, fiscal action is possible when there is non-compliance.

Common findings include: Civil rights training has not conducted for the required staff. Training must be done annually.

Children with special dietary needs have not been properly accommodated.

On-site reviews have either not been done or were not done by February 1. This is an annual requirement. The reviews should be checked once completed to ensure all information has been documented.

A written, local wellness policy is not available.

There is no written food safety plan.

The template printed out from the website is only acceptable if it has been completed and will include the practices and procedures to be followed by your staff.

•• Temperature logs have not been completed. They are available, however, staff are not using them.

•• Sites do not have two sanitation reviews conducted by local health departments.

Sites are serving snacks which are not smart snack compliant.

Professional standards are not met for all food service staff.

Outreach is not conducted for breakfast and the Summer Food Service Program.

The general areas of review do not normally require fiscal action, however, withholding of program payments may occur, in whole or in part, to any SFA for repeat or flagrant violations that are not corrected.

5) Resource Management Resource Management and Procurement reviews are also part of the SNP AR. ISBE’s office has different staff that conduct these reviews. Most of both reviews are completed off-site.

This year, ISBE is working to coordinate the review effort to provide a more seamless review. Resource management reviews will be conducted in conjunction with the traditional administrative review components. One review report will be issued, containing findings for both the administrative review and the resource management review.

The Resource Management risk assessment will be distributed and collected, to capture your potential risk.

The review areas for Resource Management are based on risk. Resource Management has four areas: • Non-profit school food service account • Paid lunch equity • Non-program foods • Indirect costs

6) Procurement ISBE is required to monitor School Food Authorities to ensure purchases meet federal procurement statutes/ executive orders, and ensure federal regulations are followed as outlined in 7 CFR 210.21© and 2 CFR part 200.

As a pre-review step, the district must complete a procurement questionnaire sent to public school districts in May 2017 and the requested documents sent by email to nutritionprocurement@isbe.net. A copy of the Code of Conduct and detailed Procurement Procedures must be provided with the completed forms. After the information is collected, districts will be selected based on risk factors, for a more detailed procurement review. www.iasbo.org

| 17

By Coletta Hines-Newell DIR./FOOD SERVICE ARLINGTON HEIGHTS SD 25

AUDIT READY

Many of us have felt the stress of preparing for an audit while also running our food service programs.

The audit can only take place while the operation is up and running, so who really has time to prepare?

These four areas can help ensure audit success.

Proper Procurement The path to a successful food service audit starts here. Arlington Heights SD 25 has found it very valuable to be a member of a purchasing cooperative run by food service directors. Through a cooperative, you can build a network of directors/managers whose opinions you trust and value, while knowing that all proper procurement regulations are being followed. When you are thinking of making program changes or facing an upcoming audit, there is a network of peers you can reach for guidance.

Efficient Menu Planning A well-written bid gives you the building blocks for a good menu. For efficient use of federal commodity dollars and to meet meal regulations, it is best to have a cycle menu in place. The cycle can be any length of time; District 25 uses a three-week cycle. Do not worry, a cycle menu does not get boring or stifle creative menu planning! You can add days for seasonal items, manager’s specials or limited time offers. Each year, take off a few of the items that bring low participation and add a few new items rather than creating a new menu each month.

Build a binder or document folder with all the nutritional information and product formulations statements/CN labels for the items you plan to serve on the cycle for the year. This can be done prior to the school year start, preventing you from scrambling to achieve this prior to the auditor’s visit.

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UPDATE Magazine / Winter 2017

Useful ISBE Tools This school year, ISBE provided school districts with a nutritional analysis software system. Data entry of all your products is very time consuming, however the results are worth it. If you are struggling to get started with the nutritional analysis software, consider hiring a consultant to help with data input.

District 25 utilizes the ISBE review checklist at the start of every year. This is the same list that the auditor shares with you before a visit and is available on the ISBE website.

Using this list at the start of each year ensures you will have everything in place when the audit is scheduled. It helps remind you of all the small details needed for a good audit.

Ongoing Staff Development Staff training or professional development is very important and should be an ongoing process during the year. Not only do professional development hours need to be met, but it is also important that your staff knows the regulatory requirements of all the meal programs offered.

Run your food service program as audit ready as possible. This removes the stress when you receive word that the auditor is on their way.

PERSPECTIVE / On the Profession

SCHOOL BUSINESS 101 What are the top qualities you look for in an ancillary service provider? look for reputation, reliability, pricing (obviously) and whether they have a positive “ We interest in the district and are looking out for us. We want to work with companies who are easy to work and communicate with.”

VERENA R. NUNEZ Purchasing Agent, Aurora East SD 131

look for quality of service. Not necessarily the lowest bidder, but instead the provider “ We with a track record of great service. High staff retention rates are also important to watch for.

This way, once you have workers who know your staff and buildings, you will not have to start the training process again every time staff turns over.

It is important that providers are responsive to your specific needs, as expectations and needs vary by district. We contract out a large part of our services and we want contractors who are looking to create a partnership and relationship with the district.”

DR. MICHAEL G. ZELEK Associate Superintendent, CSBO, Grayslake CHSD 127 in their field is sort of a given. We want someone who knows how to deliver the “ Expertise service and do it well. Beyond that, we look for understanding of the school environment, how we work fiscally with the board and the approval process. Schools do not run like a regular business where invoices are paid as they come in, so flexibility and willingness to listen and change as needed is key.

Lastly, we look for responsiveness to both our inquiries and to parents. If food service or transportation has problems that involve students or parents, we want vendors that understand the sensitive nature of responding quickly and competently.”

TOM KINANE Dir./Technology, Elmwood Park CUSD 401 a business manger, of course one thing I am always looking at is cost — but it “ As is not cost in a vacuum. Service and reputation are important too. That is why business managers are always communicating and getting references from each other. What it comes down to is the best bang for the buck. It may seem simple, but our decisions are made based on customer service and price.”

TERRY A. LABELLA Treasurer, Worth Twp. School Treasurers Office www.iasbo.org

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CHANGI IT UP There are many options to choose from when it comes to your district ancillary services, starting with whether to manage the service in-house, outsourced or through a hybrid model. Once that decision is made, the process of bidding, forming contracts and ensuring a smooth transition begins.

To bring some needed perspective and get your creative juices flowing, two districts share their experiences in changing up their services.

GING ARTICLE

By John Bryk, Ed.S.

ASST. SUPT./FINANCE & OPERATIONS ORLAND SD 135

Coletta Hines-Newell

DIR./FOOD SERVICE ARLINGTON HEIGHTS SD 25

Stacey L. Mallek

ASST. SUPT./BUSINESS, CSBO ARLINGTON HEIGHTS SD 25

FOOD SERVICE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENTS: ACHIEVING A WIN-WIN SCENARIO Arlington Heights SD 25

About 15 years ago, Arlington Heights School District 25 made the decision to expand their self-operating food services to other districts. The school board president at the time was attending a meeting with neighboring districts who were dissatisfied with various components of their outsourced food service programs. He encouraged the director of food services to connect with one of these districts — leading to an intergovernmental agreement that created a win-win situation for both districts. That agreement is still in place.

Since then, District 25 has also entered into intergovernmental agreements with two other districts. These agreements have allowed District 25 to stay completely self-operating and the other districts to remain mostly self-operating except for the shared administrative team.

EACH AGREEMENT IS UNIQUE District 25 provides not only the administrative team, but also the employees who work in two of the districts it has agreements with. The third district maintains its own in-house food service staff and District 25 only provides the management personnel who are in charge of administering the program. Additionally, one district has a summer program included and another has an after school program included. In each case, the contract value is dependent on the services included in the agreement.

THE AREAS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED WHEN ENTERING INTO SUCH AN AGREEMENT INCLUDE: 1. TERMS OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT — What will be provided? (i.e. menus to meet the National School Lunch Program) 2. TERMS OF ONSITE MANAGEMENT — Will a manager be on site all day, certain days, only for meetings with district administrative personnel?

3. MEAL PREPARATION — Where are meals being prepared?

4. MEAL CHARGES — Who will handle the money from students?

5. USDA COMMODITIES — How will they be handled?

6. EQUIPMENT PURCHASES/MAINTENANCE — Who owns the equipment? Which party will be held accountable for preventative maintenance?

7. SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM/NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM STATUS — Each task required to be part of the School Breakfast Program/National School Lunch Program needs to be assigned to either the managing district or the district receiving the service: • Annual Application • Renewal Certification of Agreement and Policy Statement • USDA Commodities • Free and Reduced Price meal applications and all necessary processing and communications to households • Monthly Claims for Reimbursement 8. ADDITIONAL SERVICES — This could include catering or additional programs such as snacks or early childhood.

9. INSURANCE 10. INDEMNIFICATION 11. DEFAULT www.iasbo.org

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REASONS TO CONSIDER GOING INTERGOVERNMENTAL A Higher Level of Expertise

The expertise needed to run a school food service program within the regulations of the Federal Meal Programs, including the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program, has changed over the years. The individual overseeing the programs needs to understand all the regulations in regard to preparation of menus, procurement of food and supplies and financial management.

Directors of these programs must be well educated in business and food/ nutrition management.

The Cost of Highly Qualified Personnel

Many districts want to stay selfoperating, however, the struggle to cover the salary of highly qualified personnel to run the programs may be a deterrent to do so. Some districts have maintained the ability to run a self-operating program using intergovernmental agreements. This creates larger operations where the administrative and labor costs of the managing district can be shared between the participating districts.

Between this sharing of costs and the lack of a profit factor, participating districts can all save money.

New Guidelines Make it Harder on Companies

Management companies run good programs in many school districts. However, changes to nutritional guidelines in the National School Lunch Program, the percentage of free and reduced students and the size of a district are all factors that affect participation in a district’s food service program. These factors also affect a management company’s ability to make a profit in some districts, which may cause them not to bid on such districts. This is where an intergovernmental agreement may be an option as a managing district needs to cover the costs of their self-operating program but doesn’t have the same profit intention as a management company.

A WIN-WIN COLLABORATION Intergovernmental agreements should be written in a collaborative way that allows the needs of both districts to be addressed and all necessary details should be included in the language of the agreement. Agreements needs to be reviewed by both school boards involved, signed and submitted to ISBE yearly.

ARTICLE / In-House vs. Outsourcing

OUTSOURCED TRANSPORTATION: MAKING A SUCCESSFUL SELECTION & TRANSITION Orland SD 135

After having the same transportation provider for a number of years, Orland SD 135 received a request from another vendor that led to re-bidding out their services. They awarded the contract to a new vendor as the lowest, most responsible bidder, only to find out that the new company was not up to the task. The company had underbid, couldn’t employ adequate drivers (an industry-wide problem) and was unable to provide adequate service — leading to $90,000 to $100,000 in contract violations for the company and a rough year for the district.

With the help of legal counsel, District 135 and the transportation company ended their agreement and parted ways, putting the district back in the bid process in FY 2016. Although they ultimately rejoined forces with their former provider, the district came away some valuable lessons to share about how to wisely engage the transportation bidding, selection and transition process.

LESSONS LEARNED IN TRANSITION Gather All Perspectives — When considering outsourcing or rebidding transportation services, it is important to gather all your district stakeholders to thoroughly examine all viewpoints and perspectives. It is equally important to consult with other districts that have recently transitioned to outsourcing transportation services or working with a new transportation contractor to gain an understanding of bidding success and lesson learned.

Keep the Community Informed — First and foremost, let your stakeholders know why the district is outsourcing transportation or rebidding transportation services and the timeline for executing your transition plan. As the first day of school approaches it is advantageous to prepare your students, parents and staff of anticipated delays the first few weeks as your new transportation service works through the transition. It is equally important to ensure your board is informed during the process since they will undoubtedly be fielding calls from parents about late buses and missed stops.

Include Everything in the Bid — When formulating your bid it is vital to outline all the specific details that your district requires to meet the needs of your community. The specifics in your bid detail tend to lean towards the reason why your district is rebidding or outsourcing transportation in the first place. There is no detail that is too small or insignificant. If drop-off and pickup times are a concern, be specific. Other details to consider include: • Video surveillance • How many cameras per bus • Location of cameras on bus • Audio • Retrieval of video Do not assume anything will or will not happen if it is not within your bid specifications.

Plan for the Worst — There is an endless amount of detail that can be included in any bid, but what District 135 has found to be an essential piece is what happens when things go poorly. The phones are ringing constantly about complaints, your inbox is flooded with email complaints from all stakeholders and your superintendent and school board want answers, not excuses.

Your bid should outline monetary penalties for all violations within the agreement. With that said, it is even more important to exercise the penalties within the contract promptly and consistently as they occur. This may seem harsh, but it has been the district’s experience that contractors tend to pay attention and solve your issues much more quickly when their profit margin begins to shrink. Your first instinct may be to try and help your new transportation contractor and make concessions to try to improve service quickly. Remember that you are responsible to the stakeholders in your district, not to the contractor.

Hold Your Contractor to Their Word — How can a district avoid the possibility of a disastrous start to a new school year with a new transportation service? You can reduce the risk of a poor start in transporting students by holding your contractor to all preparatory timelines identified in your bid.

Schedule frequent meetings with your new contractor to verify milestones are being met and take nothing for granted. If the district anticipates any issues or delays the first days of school, make sure these issues are communicated to all stakeholders as soon as possible. The district’s ability to communicate any potential issues to the community quickly and accurately will relieve some of stakeholder reaction.

Use Your Available Resources — Lastly, consult with your friendly neighborhood school business officials (SBOs) when it comes to outsourcing or rebidding transportation services.

There is a wealth of knowledge among the SBO community and many SBOs who are willing to assist their colleagues.

www.iasbo.org

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ARTICLE

By Phillip Smith

ACTPOINT® KPI BRAND MANAGER TRANSACT COMMUNICATIONS, LLC

Data-Driven Operations USING KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS TO TRACK SUCCESS

The impact of data-driven decision-making is powerful.

School districts routinely analyze academic data to inform their strategy for student growth and achievement, with this practice playing a significant part in enabling Illinois schools to increase graduation rates from 82 percent in 2012, to 86 percent in 2016 according to the Illinois Report Card.

To address these obstacles in district operations, the Council of Great City Schools (CGCS) created a framework for measurement and analysis to help district business leaders think strategically about how to improve processes, conserve resources and impact student achievement.

The ActPoint KPI project began in 2004 with TransACT Communications and had five goals:

District business and operations leaders are finding that measuring and analyzing performance of district operations can also have an impact on student achievement and can help create a high-performing, efficiently operating district. A focus on analyzing proven Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in areas such as transportation, food service, maintenance and business service departments across the district is proving to be pivotal in meeting the mission to cut costs and positively impact student outcomes.

1. Establish a common set of non-instructional KPIs a district anywhere in the nation could use.

2. Allow a district to benchmark performance on these key performance indicators.

3. Identify and document effective management practices of the top-performing districts to improve their operations.

4. Automate performance data in a way that allows districts to improve resource deployment and decision making over time.

5. Develop standards of excellence on each of the indicators.

Creating the Framework

The challenge most district operations leaders face when beginning to analyze and benchmark KPIs against peer cohorts is where to start. Any given department in a school district can perform hundreds of tasks on a daily basis, which makes selecting the right performance to measure challenging when starting from scratch. After collecting and recording individual performance, the likelihood that a district selected and gathered data in an analogous way to a peer district is unlikely, which makes the important step of identifying strengths and weaknesses by comparing your performance to peer districts nearly impossible.

“We invented what is now a full-fledged national performance management system for urban schools across the country,” said Dr. Michael Casserly, Executive Director of the Council of the Great City Schools. “The Council of the Great City Schools saw a major need to provide a tool which would allow our members to find the lowest cost and highest service level providers on the non-instructional side. The metrics we created and the data analysis tools which followed filled this gap.” ActPoint KPI is an online data and resource center that allows districts across the nation, regardless of location, to access guidance and performance information on key performance indicators, as well as visually manage their own performance.

“There are many indirect relationships. A bad experience on the bus in the morning could impact a student’s day in a negative fashion. If they do not like the food we serve, their hunger may be a distraction. If the building is too hot or cold, it could create an environment that is not conducive to learning.”

Jeff King, Chief Operating Officer, CSBO, Illinois School District U-46

www.iasbo.org

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SUCCESS STORY: ILLINOIS SCHOOL DISTRICT U-46

Measuring performance and using data to manage performance is one of the ingredients to success at U-46. “It allows us to convey our success to our customers/public and to show that we are a highquality organization,” said Jeff King, Chief Operating Officer. “It also is a basis to reflect on areas of need and what actions we can pursue to improve our customer experience and provide the positive support necessary for academic success.”

To meet the primary challenge of creating KPIs that are impactful in an individual department but measurable across the country, CGCS formed technical teams to vet proposed KPIs and then applied six-sigma methodology to define them. After several rounds of testing and adjusting, CGCS identified over 500 KPIs that operations professionals can use to measure, compare and manage their operational performance effectively.

A Framework for Analysis CGCS recommends a framework for analyzing data in an operational program that is very similar to what districts routinely employ for instructional programs.

Step 1: Measure Your Results Record performance on KPIs in the current year, as well as previous years if possible. At least three years of historical trend data is optimal when comparing annual data.

Step 2: Compare Your Results Gather the performance of peer districts (for example, by student size, geography or poverty rate.) The search can be local, statewide or national because school districts across the country face similar problems, regardless of proximity to each other. Using comparative performance data enables districts to identify peers who have already solved a problem they might be experiencing and to learn from their process.

Step 3: Manage for Results Use the peer-to-peer data to identify places where the district has strengths and weaknesses. Leaders can then collaborate to identify areas that, if improved, will make the biggest impact on the short and long term goals for the district and set transparent goals around performance so that employees have a clear, measurable result to achieve each year. An important aspect of this step is to not “set it and forget it.” Engage in routine performance analysis to measure the progress towards transparent goals and adjust course along the way.

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UPDATE Magazine / Winter 2017

KPIs for Operations The Council of Great City Schools has identified Key Performance Indicators that conserve resources and impact student achievement for operations leaders across the district.

Finance:

Accounts Payable.

Cash Management (Treasury).

Payroll.

Financial Management.

Grants Management.

Procurement.

Risk Management.

Operations:

Food services.

Maintenance & Operations.

Safety & Security.

Transportation.

Human Resources:

Teacher Retention – Average for years 1-5.

Teacher Absences.

Employee Separation Rate.

Information Technology:

IT Spending per Student.

Average Age of Computers.

Mean Time to Resolve Tickets.

ARTICLE / Data-Driven Operations

Where to Begin

With over 500 metrics spread across 13 different functional areas, the question of where to begin looms large for districts that do not currently have a KPI program. After developing KPIs for each department, CGCS and its task force then split them into three tiers that help districts determine how and when to use each type: • Power Indictors: High-level, strategic metrics designed for school boards or superintendents.

• Essential Few: Mid-level, managerial metrics to help chief officers or department heads.

• Key Indicators: Granular, informational metrics to be used by staff or to help identify a root cause of an issue.

It is important to know that it is not necessary to begin with all 500 KPIs to have an enormous benefit on your district. When building an analytics practice, selecting a few Power Indicators will give you a strong indication of where you need more information in your district. After getting started, you can drill down into Key Indicators to find out where to optimize.

Food service, payroll, transportation and building maintenance have each proven to be strong functional areas to begin a KPI program because optimization in these departments can have a direct impact on student achievement or create significant cost-savings.

Food Service According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control, student participation in school breakfast programs is correlated with increased academic grades and standardized test scores. Well-fed students have sustained energy which can have a direct impact on their ability to learn.

“A hungry child cannot learn. None of us perform at our best when hungry,” said Jean Ronnei, former Chief Operations Officer at Saint Paul Public Schools. Ms. Ronnei is the past President of the National School Nutrition Association. She started her career in the food service department as a director and now works with many school districts nationwide as a senior consultant for Pro-Team Foodservice Advisors.

Ms. Ronnei recommends, at a minimum, to track the following metrics monthly, quarterly and yearly: • Food cost (including commodities).

• Labor cost (including benefits, worker’s compensation, taxes, leave pay, temp costs).

• Supply costs.

• Equipment costs.

• Indirects (chargebacks, leases/rent, fees, dues, travel, repairs, etc).

• Participation by meal category and grade grouping (adjusted for variables such as enrollment, attendance factor and number of school days).

• Fund balance.

• Meals per Labor Hour (MPLH).

• Inventory by site.

Payroll The payroll department offers an area where creating streamlined processes and automation can reduce costs.

Smaller districts with limited options to choose from when it comes to making staffing changes find that business services department, the payroll, accounts payable and purchasing departments are all functions where savings can be found if labor costs are fixed. That savings can be translated to dollars which can go back into the classroom.

“With key indicator information available in a timely fashion, the department can quickly implement programmatic adjustments such as menu changes, staffing adjustments and modify equipment purchasing decisions.”

Jean Ronnei, Senior Consultant, Pro-Team Foodservice Advisors and former Chief Operations Officer at Saint Paul Public Schools

Districts can determine how efficient their payroll department is by seeing how they compare to other districts on metrics like cost per paycheck and paycheck processed per FTE. After identifying their performance, districts who learn from their peers find that a high number of off-cycle payments leads to higher costs when a check has to be manually created and issued. This leads to reduced efficiency, as payroll staff has to spend more time creating the checks.

Some of these issues can be avoided if checks are deposited electronically and processes are put into place to ensure payroll information is entered accurately.

Making process adjustments like these reduce the need for a higher headcount in payroll departments and can preserve resources for the classroom.

Important KPIs to benchmark in payroll are: • Cost per paycheck • Paychecks processed per FTE per month • Paychecks deposited via direct deposit • Paychecks processed off-cycle Transportation Transportation analytics are unique in that they provide the additional benefit of being able to effectively prove the need for more resources to the public. For example, it is generally recognized that younger fleets are less costly and more reliable, but it can be difficult to advocate for the enormous cost of a new fleet on a levy without performance data that shows exactly how an older fleet impacts costs or student outcomes.

Other metrics help districts point to problem areas that are difficult to quantify anecdotally. Many districts face bus driver shortages and find it difficult to train and retain quality bus drivers, all of which impacts reliability, safety and costs. Tracking your district’s turnover ratio and how long it takes to fill a bus driver position can help a district analyze root causes and implement innovative retention strategies like providing a training program for perspective job candidates or tutoring to pass required tests. Other districts have provided shirts with district logos to ensure that drivers feel like they are part of the district and included in district culture.

Four KPIs in transportation which all districts should consider measuring are: 1. On-time performance 2. Cost per rider 3. Miles between preventable accidents 4. Live miles per deadhead miles (miles driven to get to or from a route) Building Condition & Maintenance Order Completion Studies have shown that cleaner facilities positively impact student outcomes. According to a CGCS study,1 students in deteriorating school buildings score between 5 to 11 percentile points lower on standardized achievement tests than students in modern buildings.

In fact, extended maintenance work order completion time potentially correlates to psychological or practical effects on students, including students feeling undervalued or unable to use certain equipment or technology effectively.

Despite the significant impact on student growth and achievement, maintenance and operations is often one of the first departments to face cuts when the district is facing challenges.

However, making cuts without data can lead to or continue to propagate uneven workloads between buildings and waste resources on poor service levels. Several KPIs can help leaders who are facing budget cuts identify places to reduce costs while preserving service levels.

Some of the most common indicators are: • Custodial workload (district-wide as well as by site) • Work order completion time and rate • Supply costs • Worker turnover ratios as well as time-to-fill vacancies Maintenance and operations data provide substantial opportunity for cutting costs. Leaders can see where they have a variance in custodial workloads across sites, shift resources to handle an influx of work orders and find cost-savings by comparing the amount of money spent on common supplies. This creates cleaner learning environments at a lower cost, ultimately allowing operations departments to demonstrate preserved service levels across school sites while meeting or beating the budget reduction goals.

ARTICLE / Data-Driven Operations

Data–Driven Results

“Key Performance Indicators: From Promise to Payoff,” 2 a report published by the George W. Bush Institute, reported that districts using ActPoint KPI and the CGCS framework for analysis have saved their districts millions of dollars and improved services levels.

Changes

Used the “sunshine” from the KPIs on cost-per-student metrics to negotiate lower contract costs.

Results

Saved at least $40,000.

Changes

Used the KPIs as a method to assess and validate staffing requirements.

The results of building a strategy using performance data in district operations are inspiring. Given a focused effort on measuring performance on a few key indicators and some time to implement targeted best practices that can be learned from peer districts, operations leaders can confidently ensure their resources are contributing to student growth and achievement. Performance analysis makes advocating for more resources from the public easier and helps demonstrate a return on investment.

As districts work under the reality of the new political environment, measuring performance and using KPIs to reach both these goals could have even greater importance. “Earlier this year, a senior White House advisor to the president indicated that part of the new administration’s goal was to ‘infuse levels of accountability, metrics and deliverables’ into a system that lacked all three,” said Dr. Casserly of CGCS. “With our KPI system, the nation’s urban public schools are ahead of you on all three.”

Results

Saved $500,000 in labor.

Changes

Changed IT policies and practices.

Results

Improved IT service delivered to district.

Changes

A free report, which highlights KPIs, annual performance around the nation and gives guidance about how to use common indicators is available at: www.transact.com/actpointkpi

Optimized transportation.

Results

Saved millions.

Footnotes: 1. https://info.transact.com/hubfs/KPI/Articles%20and%20Studies/FacilitiesReport.pdf 2. https://info.transact.com/hubfs/KPI/Articles%20and%20Studies/GWBI-Key-Performance-Indicators.pdf

www.iasbo.org

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IGITAL How Capital Improvement Factors into 21st Century Learning

By Sean Gordon, CPMM, CPS

ARTICLE

DIR./BUILDINGS & GROUNDS COMM. CONS. SCH. DIST. 93

Keith R. Hammelman, PE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT CANNON DESIGN

As school districts update their facilities, it is crucial to understand how 21st century learning impacts both the physical and virtual environments and how those environments impact the instruction of students. Some of the first questions to ask when conducting any capital improvement to a facility are “How does this improvement impact the 21st century learning environment” and, ultimately, “How does this affect the delivery of a 21st century curriculum?”

To answer these questions, we must reflect on what the key characteristics of a 21st century learning environment are.

21ST CENTURY LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS A 21st century learning environment promotes interaction and creates a sense of community, which enables formal and informal learning to happen. Key aspects are spaces which are flexible, transparent, technology rich and student-centered.

Students continue to grow and change as they attend each school year and their learning environments need to remain flexible and adapt to their multiple learning styles as they grow. Students are introduced to new experiences each year, increasing expectations to learn and grow in social and emotional maturity. Therefore, capital improvement projects must respond to these needs as well.

When embarking on the process of a capital improvement project we often break down the improvement into three distinct categories: 1. Bricks and mortar construction.

2. Technology.

3. Design and furniture.

The most obvious category is the bricks and mortar construction, but often overlooked until the later stages of design and construction is addressing the technology and furniture needs of the learning environments. Waiting until later stages in the design phases to address these last two items is a mistake and these items should be integrated throughout the planning of the capital improvement project. Without inclusion of these items the creation of a 21st century learning environment is put at risk and may not be able to be achieved during a capital improvement project.

EVEN IF A DISTRICT HAS UNDERGONE TECHNOLOGY REFRESHES WITH THE LAST FEW YEARS THEY MAY STILL REQUIRE ADDITIONAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT TO SUPPORT THESE EVOLVING METHODS OF EDUCATION. www.iasbo.org

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1) BRICKS AND MORTAR CONSTRUCTION Educational spaces meet 21st century learning standards by applying specific design principles. Examples of these principles include: • Creating a learning space that is easy to reconfigure and can engage different kinds of learners.

• Giving students a work space, studio or workshop to put their ideas and theories to the test.

• Making the building an active learning experience with technology.

• Applying various textures in finishes, natural light and strategically applied paint colors for a multisensory setting.

These types of spaces allow for connecting different curriculums and are multi-purpose in nature, which can double as professional development or after-hours community space.

Many students prefer to work alone, however this is an option not often granted in their future careers and collaboration fosters the development of new ideas which exposes students to opposing viewpoints. A key aspect to 21st century learning environments is a to create a student-

centered space which allows a student to explore and take control of their education. We should also account for the spaces in between the classrooms and how these factor into learning, turning traditional classroom corridors into a flexible learning spaces for one on one student interaction or even small group learning within the building. The ability to tack on walls for pinups or critiques, ledges for displaying other types of work and bench seating for gathering all allow for activities to take place outside of the classroom and in public spaces.

Flexibility can also be planned into each of the learning environments through the use of movable partitions, which will allow for classrooms to be easily adapted by staff to allow for the teaching of multiple curriculums and for co-teaching within the building. Transparent educational environments are those spaces which put learning on display for others to see. This can be as simple as creating a STEM laboratory within the building so that others can view what is happening within the space. This transparency effectively puts the learning on display and invokes curiosity as to what is happening within the spaces. These types of spaces can be designed with an inviting feel which will encourage collaboration, exploration and discovery.

2) NEW TECHNOLOGY FOCUS The method of education has changed significantly because of cultural changes caused by technology and the current generation of “technology native” students.

Technology integration in learning involves more than just use of technology, but students using technology to achieve goals in a different way than was possible before.

With this heightened focus on technology in the learning environment, a school district should involve the district’s information technology staff throughout the planning and design process.

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING INFRASTRUCTURE Applications will allow students to collaborate where and when they are most ready to learn. This helps students access advanced information needed for their research when they need it. This builds a foundation of lifelong learners to continue to pursue an education, while meeting work and family commitments. This new style of digital learning makes education more accessible and affordable to students not only within the building but worldwide. It opens new ways to be able to collaborate and learn from others.

Even if a district has undergone technology refreshes with the last few years they may still require additional capital investment to support these evolving methods of education. While most of the innovation will come by way of applications, the existing infrastructure in place must be considered a limiting factor if not refreshed during a capital improvement project. Capital improvement plans should not only account for the advancement of education delivery today but should also prepare today’s buildings to develop into the digital buildings of tomorrow.

This type of learning presents new challenges. Where we used to focus on the educator, we now must focus on the ability for students to assume the role of presenter.

As evidence of this, Google has published a plethora of resources about understanding digital literacy and digital citizenship, including YouTube videos, teacher’s guides and lesson plans. The concepts covered in these resources include screen sharing, screen casting and collaborative document development. These functions are available today.

However, most deployed infrastructures are not optimized to fully support the human interaction of these functions.

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UPDATE Magazine / Winter 2017

ARTICLE / Capital Improvement Planning

The future of education will include real-time assessment.

These assessments will offer students rapid feedback on their understanding, allowing both students and instructors (who can access this information) to concentrate their efforts on where further understanding is most needed. Adaptive hinting, which provides guidance to incorrect responses, corrects misperceptions immediately and helps students to figure out problems in real-time. The infrastructure necessary to support this type of learning and delivery must be considered during a capital improvement project.

FACILITIES AND IT MERGE (THE IMPACT OF IoT) Perhaps the largest impact technology will have on capital improvements is in the facility systems. Most of the equipment within traditional facility systems is becoming more automated and instrumented, so the operations and maintenance is becoming more IT related. The Internet of Things (IoT) promises significant changes. IoT’s effect on building management system (BMS) effectively places the building under IT’s budget. The possibilities of IoT technology within facilities are compelling. IoT technology within traditional facility systems support three important goals: 1. Reduce costs.

2. Reduce risk.

3. Improve the educational experience.

To protect investments in IoT-integrated buildings, capital plans should include systems that are scalable and adaptable. It is reasonable to expect that advances in educational methods and applications will be coming.

Any capital improvement project should prepare today’s buildings to develop into the digital buildings of tomorrow.

3) FLEXIBLE DESIGN AND FURNISHINGS In addition to looking at technology when creating learning environments, one should look at how furniture and interior design will be integrated into the design of these spaces.

Best practice in education no longer supports the idea of the teacher as an authoritarian figure standing in the front of the room scrawling on a chalkboard. The role of educators has been reshaped so that they work beside students providing support and encouragement for the student’s personal journey. A traditional classroom with four walls, desks in row and a whiteboard at the front of the classroom will not meet the needs of a 21st century learning environment.

When thinking of 21st century learning you must consider many specific design principles that allow movement and flexibility; this should be applied to all furnishings as well. They must be easily adaptable to the continuously changing student. Creating a furniture selection which allows for collaboration and small group instruction is a necessity. Flexible furniture creates a setting that allows movement and flexibility that engages all learning styles.

Students become more engaged in the activity or lesson given when they are able to maneuver and shift their body with ease. Varying types of furniture can range from tables and chairs on casters, bouncy balls, adjustable height stools or folding nesting tables. If furniture continues to be an afterthought when planning for a new facility, then it will also remain a limiting factor in student learning.

A TEAM EFFORT The creation of a capital improvement project which successfully factors in 21st century learning into the project requires a full team effort which needs to start at the beginning of the project. The success of these projects involve a collaborative process with the entire team from the school district, architect, engineers and construction teams.

www.iasbo.org

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By Mark A. Morten

ARTICLE

The 10 most common mistakes made when filing the transportation claim are: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Leasing a School Bus/Depreciation Schedule Lines 4a & 4b Allocation of miles and expenses Allocation of supervisory salary costs Reporting a batch of radios and/or cameras as a depreciable expense 6. Calculation of Lines 5a-5c 7. Proration of Special Education/Pre-K miles 8. Payment of improvements to bus garage from Fund 60 9. Reporting of offsetting revenue from other programs (Pre-K, Title I, 21st Century, etc.)

10. Reporting expenditures as both a direct cost and a depreciable expense Out of all the frequent mistakes listed, there are three common errors that are most critical to avoid when completing your claim.

1) Leasing a School Bus/Depreciation Schedule

When a Local Education Agency (LEA) leases a school bus, the LEA is eligible to receive 20 percent of the fair market value of the vehicle or the lease payment (minus interest and fees), whichever is less, in any one fiscal year. One of the most common errors that ISBE encounters is when an LEA reports the incorrect amount for the total lease amount. The error occurs when only one year of the total lease amount is reported when adding the asset. See Figure 1.

PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT, FUNDING & DISBURSEMENTS ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

The total lease amount should reflect the principal amount of the lease multiplied by the number of lease payments.

If the school district enters into a five-year lease, with each lease payment being $8,000 (principal only), the total lease amount would be $40,000. See Figure 2.

(figure 2) Year 1 Lease Payment

$8,000

Year 3 Lease Payment

$8,000

Year 2 Lease Payment

$8,000

Year 4 Lease Payment

$8,000

Year 5 Lease Payment Total Lease Amount

$8,000 $40,000

However, when the lease payments for each year are different amounts, the LEA should add up the total amount of the lease payments for the lease period. In Figure 3, the LEA enters into a five-year lease with different lease payments in each fiscal year.

(figure 3) Year 1 Lease Payment

$8,500

Year 2 Lease Payment

$8,300

Year 4 Lease Payment

$7,900

Total Lease Amount

$40,300

Year 3 Lease Payment

$8,100

Year 5 Lease Payment

$7,500

In either example, the total lease amount should add up to the lease payments for the duration of the lease period.

Asset Details (figure 1) Sequence Number

100

Asset Type

Vehicles (Student Transportation)

Description Ownership

Date Acquired

Principal Cost / Market Value

Total Lease Amount (Lease Payment X number of Years of Lease) Annual Rate of Depreciation Useful Life / Lease Period Registration Number Seating Capacity Details

2017 IC 72 Passenger Bus

Mul. Year Lease / Lease Purchased 7/14/2016 $65,464

$8,000 (should be $40,000) 0.2

5 Years

VIN Number Goes Here 72

Bus #2 www.iasbo.org

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2) Lines 4a and 4b

The number of resident pupils (headcount) who are not enrolled on a regular route but are transported on a reimbursable curriculum-related field trip is entered on Line 4a of the Pupil Transportation Claim. The number of days that resident pupils who are not enrolled on a regular route but transported on a curriculum-related field trip is reported on Line 4b. The number reported on Line 4b is usually inflated to reflect a number that would show a higher than average number of field trip days per pupil. For example, the number of days on Line 4b (5000) in Figure 4 is divided by the headcount on Line 4a (100) which results in 50 as the number of field trip days per pupil who are NOT ENROLLED ON A REGULAR ROUTE. This claim would be marked for further review due to the high number of field trip days per pupil. If the number of days on Line 4b (250) in Figure 5 is divided by the headcount in Line 4a (125), the result is two field trip days per pupil who are NOT ENROLLED ON A REGULAR ROUTE. This would be a more common result.

Reimbursable Curriculum-related Field Trips for Resident Pupils who are not enrolled on a regular route:

(figure 4)

4a 4b

Number of resident pupils (headcount) who are

100

NOT ENROLLED ON A REGULAR ROUTE

but transported on a reimbursable curriculum-related filed trip Number of resident pupils (headcount) who are

NOT ENROLLED ON A REGULAR ROUTE

but transported on a reimbursable curriculum-related filed trip

5000

(figure 5)

4a 4b

Number of resident pupils (headcount) who are

NOT ENROLLED ON A REGULAR ROUTE

but transported on a reimbursable curriculum-related filed trip Number of resident pupils (headcount) who are

NOT ENROLLED ON A REGULAR ROUTE

but transported on a reimbursable curriculum-related filed trip

125 250

Additional Error Checks

During ISBE’s review of the claim, there are additional error checks that are performed before the correction period of the claim (mid-October through mid-November). These checks include:

• Fall Housing Report Error Check — The number of pupils reported on Line 1d (total number of public school K-12 regular education pupils on a regular route) are added to the number of resident pupils reported on Line 4a (number of resident pupils (headcount) who are transported on a reimbursable curriculum-related field trip but not enrolled on a regular route) and then compared to the enrollment number in the Fall Housing Report. If the variance between the two numbers is plus or minus five percent, the claim is marked for further review.

• Line 15 to Total Expenditures — The total sum of Line 15 (Lines 14a through 14h) is compared to the Annual Financial Report. If the Line 15 total has a variance that is plus or minus 10 percent, the claim is marked for further review.

ARTICLE / Transportation Claim Errors

3) Allocation of Miles and Expenses

The incorrect allocation of miles to the allocation of expenses is another commonly reported error. District-owned and operated transportation systems must prorate all expenses based on the ratio of miles traveled in each transportation category (regular, vocational, special education and/or non-reimbursable) to the total miles traveled in all categories operated by the district. This method of proration applies to the employees included in Lines 14a (Salaries) and 14b (Employee Benefits) on the claim unless the district can document the number of hours worked per category to the total number of hours worked per person (23 IL Admin Code Section 120.90 (d)). The error most commonly occurs when LEAs report expenditures that do not equal the allocation of miles. The miles and corresponding expenses shown in Figure 6 are that of a district-owned transportation system.

Mileage

Miles

Percentage

45,000

31.3%

10. Total Regular Transportation Miles to and From School a) Total regular route miles

5000

b) Total regular curriculum-related field trip miles 11. Total Vocational Transportation Miles to and From School a) Total vocational route miles

4700

b) Total vocational curriculum-related field trip miles

300

3.1%

12. Total Sp. Ed. Transportation Miles to and From School 65,000

a) Total special education route miles

5000

b) Total special education curriculum-related field trip miles

43.8%

13. Total Non-Reimbursable Miles (Reg. and Summer Terms) a) Total non-curriculum related field trip miles

25,000

b) Total Pre-Kindergarten miles

10,000

Expenditures

REGULAR

3.1% B

VOC. ED.

43.8% C SP. ED.

21.8% D

NON-REIM

100% E

a) Salaries

48,202

4,774

67,452

33,572

154,000

b) Employee Benefits

20,345

2,015

28,470

14,170

65,000

c) Purchased Services other than lines, d, e & f

5,321

527

7,446

3,706

17,000

g) Supplies

3,130

310

4,380

2,180

10,000

h) Other

1,878

186

2,628

1,308

6,000

Percentages for corresponding mileage

31.3% A

21.8%

TOTAL

14. Direct Costs

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T r a n s p o r t at i o n

Technology

That Pays for Itself Millions of students enter and exit school buses every day of the school year. Every week there seems to be a story in the news of a child forgotten on a bus, or one that exited at the wrong location. For schools and districts this creates an incredible liability, one that must be addressed.

With continual advancements in smart fleet technology by GPS companies, having access to real-time child location services, including a timestamp of when any child enters or exits the bus, as well as on vehicle child check monitoring is now within reach. The technology can track and store data reliably, while also automating the invoice submission process so schools and companies can claim transportation expense reimbursement in a matter of minutes instead of weeks. Investing in transportation technology not only enhances student safety — it also pays for itself by simplifying the record keeping process and ensuring proper bus upkeep.

By Ken Muehlfelder

ARTICLE

REGIONAL SALES MANAGER CENTRAL STATES BUS SALES, INC.

FINDING AVAILABLE FUNDS

What many schools are not aware of is the availability of federal funds for services they are already performing every day — funds that can be used to offset the expense of new child monitoring technology. For example, the Medicaid School Based Services (SBS) program provides reimbursement for transporting eligible special needs students. For each Medicaid eligible student with an Individual Education Plan (IEP), the school is eligible to receive a reimbursement of $500 - $1,000.

Freeport School District 145 receives and average of $40,000 per year utilizing this plan. They have reported that after six months of use, the reimbursements have paid for the system’s annual service.

Reimbursements Simplified Many schools are receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in reimbursements, while others performing the same services are receiving nothing. With these funds readily available, one would think that every school would be taking advantage of the financial opportunity. However, due to the government’s data submission requirements and need for auditable records, many schools have been hesitant to attempt to request this otherwise accessible funding.

School districts without smart fleet technologies in place have historically had to use form based reimbursement submissions to Medicaid. This involves monitoring and tallying eligible student ridership via checkboxes on paper forms. This process is time consuming and makes it hard to accurately capture the data needed.

This paper based method can also lead to error prone claims and payback issues. Often, school districts implement their own data collection process prior to aggregating all of the data for submission to Medicaid.

The time and expense of collecting, tracking and submitting this information, as well as the risk of audit, causes many schools to discontinue seeking reimbursement or refuse to submit a reimbursement in the first place.

RFID Data Capture Much of the smart fleet technology in the market today uses radio frequency identification (RFID) cards that gather accurate, real-time data on students with special needs, as well as the bus attendants that provide their care. With the data captured through these scans, schools can seamlessly report student ridership within the Student Data System guidelines and quickly access Medicaid reimbursement dollars that would otherwise go unclaimed.

The value of a RFID card based student tracking system goes beyond special needs students. Schools can implement it to help keep their bus riding students safer with real-time child checks and monitoring to know precisely where the bus and students are located — delivering peace of mind and accountability of for all students and drivers.

OPTIMIZING BUS PERFORMANCE

While smart technology is being used to track and monitor student safety and help better facilitate transportation reimbursement, other technology is being used to ensure buses — one of the largest investments that schools make each year — are also being monitored and operating at optimal performance.

The best way schools can achieve the highest return on their bus fleet investment is to ensure their buses remain on the road and are properly serviced. If a bus is not working or operating efficiently it creates stress within the entire fleet and decreases the opportunity to seek necessary reimbursements. Two companies that utilize and deliver smart bus technology are Cummins Engines and Zonar Telematics. The two have paired up to provide real value for fleet owners and managers.

Buses that have Cummins engines can add a smart technology package, like Connected Diagnostics, which monitors and reports real-time engine fault code analysis along with probable diagnosis and recommended action.

With real-time information in hand, dispatch can let drivers know what corrective actions a driver should take and if the vehicle needs to stop before more catastrophic damage occurs. Paying for tow truck service is much less costly than a new engine.

MAXIMIZE YOUR TECHNOLOGY ROI

When balancing the need for bus and student safety with the expense of such investments, make sure your school district understands the benefits that technology can provide and how it can be used to help maximize the reimbursement and return on your investment.

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Facilities Use: Beyond the School Day

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UPDATE Magazine / Winter 2017

ARTICLE

By Patrick S. Browne, Jr., CPMM DIR./FACILITY OPERATIONS YORKVILLE CUSD 115

Dean T. Romano, Ed.D. CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER YORKVILLE CUSD 115

Each building owned and operated by a local school district represents one of the most significant physical assets within their community. A local school building, its repairs and the annual operational costs are paid for by local taxpayers.

Interestingly, public school districts vary significantly on how they view the use of these buildings outside the school day. Some school districts have a closed campus policy in which the use of facilities for non-school related activities is prohibited. Other school districts have an open campus policy in which outside organizations have significant use of local schools at little to no cost. As you can imagine, a wide range of variances exist between these two extremes.

ESTABLISHING YOUR DISTRICT’S PERSPECTIVE With so many perspectives on the use of school buildings and their campuses in play, developing a common understanding within your district on how facilities are used outside the school day is an important undertaking. The outcome of this effort will create a unique perspective for each district. Instead of creating a bias toward one viewpoint or another, below are a series of considerations and questions that can be used to hone in on what facility usage should look like in a given district.

Top 12 Facility Use Considerations: 1.

2.

3.

4.

What is the current practice regarding facility use in your district?

How long has this practice been in place?

Are there conflicting perspectives between district stakeholders?

If facilities are available for use, has your district established a priority matrix to determine which groups (categories of users) have priority when requesting use?

5. Has your district established a timeline for scheduling use (seasons)?

6. Has there been a cost analysis completed within the past five years to determine the true cost of the utilization of your facilities outside of the school day?

7. Does your district utilize facility use software to manage the process of booking requests?

8. Does your district require a specific level of insurance naming the district as additionally insured while using a facility?

9. Does your district charge fees for the use of facilities?

10. Do fees vary based on existing building staffing during off hours?

11. Does your fee schedule vary based on category of user?

12. Does your district invoice users for the full cost with any applied discount for a specific user category to reinforce the value of using district facilities?

DEVELOPING A COMMON UNDERSTANDING WITHIN YOUR DISTRICT ON HOW FACILITIES ARE USED OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL DAY IS AN IMPORTANT UNDERTAKING. www.iasbo.org

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DEVELOPING A TRANSPARENT FEE STRUCTURE A common question asked in districts by the community and board of education is how fees for use were established.

Often the answer to the question is that surrounding districts were surveyed to collect their facility use rates and fees were based on those comparable data. Providing a fee structure based on real cost of operation allows you to better answer that question when it arises.

TOTAL COST OF OPERATION Whether analyzing for an entire district or single school or campus, start with determining the total annual cost of operation for a building or site. Costs may include utilities, custodial services, event setup, security and overtime. Do not forget to include any of the soft costs that may be required to manage the operations, capital costs associated with decision making, management and oversight of school facilities. The final inclusionary cost is the annual capital investment needed to keep facilities in a state of good repair.

ANNUAL COST PER SQUARE FOOT With total annual cost of operation of a facility having been calculated, an annual cost per square foot can be determined. This is calculated by dividing the total annual cost of operation by the gross square feet of the facility or facilities being considered.

The second step leading to the establishment of an hourly cost of operation is to determine the number of usable hours that a space can be utilized. Below are some components to consider in your calculation: • USE BY THE DISTRICT TO SUPPORT STUDENTS (Daily 8:00am – 3:30pm) 180 days x 7.5 hours/day = 1350 hrs.

• OUTSIDE USE ON SCHOOL DAYS (3:30pm – 9:30pm) 180 days x 6 hours/day = 1080 hrs.

• OUTSIDE USE ON WEEKENDS (8:00am – 9:00pm) 104 days x 13 hours/day = 1352 hrs.

• OUTSIDE USE ON NON-ATTENDANCE DAYS (8:00am – 9:00pm) 180 days x 13 hours/day = 2340 hrs.

HOURLY COST OF OPERATION To calculate the hourly cost of operation, use annual cost per square foot total and divide it by the sum total of the annual usable hours for a facility. Take this hourly square foot cost and multiply it by the total square feet of a space in question to determine the hourly cost of operation for a specific space. To simplify this process, some districts will establish an average cost for spaces of similar size (such as a gymnasium, cafeteria or classroom).

TAKE THE NEXT STEP If this discussion has created a new level of interest in facility use, you can begin by walking through the questions provided and identifying your hourly cost of operation. With this knowledge in hand, start a conversation with your internal team to share what you have found. Do not be surprised if it leads to a rich conversation with differing opinions.

In some cases, your conversations may lead to the construction or renovation of a district facility use plan, inclusive of organizational priority categories, fee schedules and discount structures and timelines and guidelines for facility use. In other cases, your conversations will simply lead to an affirmation that what you are doing regarding facility use in your district is exactly as the stakeholders feel it should be. Either way, you will have a defined answer ready to share when your policy is put into question.

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UPDATE Magazine / Winter 2017

In April of 2016, McHenry High School - West Campus hosted the Illinois ASBO CPMM Facilities Certification Training & Exam. Pictured above, (left to right): Scott Mackall, Ken Roiland and John Fuhrer.

RESOURCES The Motivation Revolution Rewards-based performance has been commonplace since the advent of the industrial revolution. But recent research has shown that a rewardsbased system can actually lead to poorer employee performance. External forms of motivation in business are on their way out.

Mastery Mastery is a mindset. People are either focused on their performance or on learning. The desire to perform completes a task, while the desire to learn leads not only to a task’s completion, but to the mastery of that task.

People are driven by a desire to direct their own lives, learn and create new things and to do better by the world around them. Daniel Pink argues in Drive, that to motivate employees who work beyond basic tasks and to increase performance and satisfaction, you must give them these three factors: Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose.

A study of 11,000 industrial scientists and engineers found that the desire for intellectual challenge was the best predictor of productivity. Managers that provide opportunities for their employees to master a new task that provides enough challenge, open the door for increased productivity.

Autonomy People have a desire to be self-directed.

The idea that people are resources that need to be at a certain place at a specific time is fading away in many corporate environments. Managers are beginning to view employees as partners who need to direct their own lives.

Jeff Gunther, CEO of Meddius, recently instituted a results-only work environment (ROWE) where employees don’t have any set office time. They just have to get their work done. The freedom to do great work has led to higher productivity and lower stress throughout.

Purpose People have the desire to do something that has meaning and is important.

Often times, paid work does not fulfill this desire for meaning. Businesses that focus on profits without valuing purpose will end up with poor customer service and unhappy employees.

Both millennials and baby boomers rate the ability to give back to society as more important than pay when seeking employment. “Many entrepreneurs, executives, and investors are realizing that the best performing companies stand for something and contribute to the world.”

Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined and connected to one another. When that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives.

On My List Drive The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

By Daniel H. Pink

Overview: Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with monetary rewards or the threat of negative consequences for poor performance. This is a mistake, according to Daniel Pink.

Based on more than four decades of research on human motivation, Pink challenges the long accepted norms of human motivation that external motivation and rewards are necessary for improved performance. Instead, he argues that employees want to find meaning the work they do.

www.iasbo.org

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School Nutrition and Wellness Resources See article, pg. 14 – 17

NUTRITION AND WELLNESS OVERVIEW The Nutrition and Wellness Programs Division of the Illinois State Board of Education offers a multitude of resources to help school districts develop and maintain programs that benefit student health. www.isbe.net/nutritionandwellness

RESOURCES AND TRAINING Access archived training resources, webinars and workshops that cover a wide variety of nutrition and wellness topics such as: • Food distribution • Food service training • Nutrition program workshops • Family day care www.iasbo.tools/isbewellnessresources

THE OUTLOOK NEWSLETTER The Outlook newsletter is published monthly for those participating in the School Nutrition Programs in Illinois and provides nutrition program news. Get The Outlook sent to your email by clicking the link provided on the web page. www.iasbo.tools/outlooknewsletter

SFA NUTRITION AND WELLNESS REVIEW Is your district in line for a nutrition and wellness review? See a list of SFAs planned for review in the 2017-2018 school year. www.iasbo.tools/sfareviewlist

ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW CHECKLIST During the Administrative Review, the Illinois State Board of Education will review program records for compliance with state and federal regulations. This checklist will assist in preparing for the School Nutrition Programs (SNP) administrative review. www.iasbo.tools/reviewchecklist

Illinois ASBO members can find all of these resources on the peer2peer Network online community under UPDATE Resources.

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UPDATE Magazine / Winter 2017

RESOURCES

SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAMS ADMINISTRATIVE HANDBOOK This handbook offers an overview of school-based nutrition programs and resources for menu planning. It also provides a breakdown of federal and state regulations, verification procedures, benefit issuance and certification eligibility. www.iasbo.tools/nutritionhandbook

USDA ELIGIBILITY MANUAL FOR SCHOOL MEALS The Eligibility Manual for School Meals provides comprehensive information on federal requirements, policies and procedures for schools with children participating in these programs. www.iasbo.tools/mealmanual

COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY PROVISION PLANNING The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) provides an opportunity for schools and local educational agencies in high poverty areas to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students. Hear from school district staff and parents who have witnessed the benefits of CEP within their communities. www.iasbo.tools/CEPguidance

MONITORING AND REVIEW INFORMATION Learn more about the Administrative Review process, its goals and how to prepare. Access documents that will help prepare your district for a review. www.iasbo.tools/ISBEreviewinfo

ACCOMMODATING STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS Access resources on laws and regulations regarding accommodating students with special dietary needs. www.iasbo.tools/ISBE_dietaryneeds

DEVELOPING A FOOD SAFETY PLAN The Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act requires all food service area employees or food handlers that work with open/unpackaged foods, food service equipment or utensils, or any food contact surfaces to receive an approved food handler training. Get vital information for food handler training programs. www.iasbo.tools/ISBE_foodsafety www.iasbo.org

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THE FINAL WORD SPEAKING UP ABOUT SCHOOL OPERATIONS MICHAEL J. SCHROEDER Chief School Business Official Channahon SD 17

Being a CSBO in a smaller elementary school district… our organization is quite flat. While providing leadership in the areas of transportation, capital improvements, food service and facility operations, it is essential a CSBO offers servant leadership to assist staff in the removal of obstacles to effective school operations.

It’s all about staff and the trust you build with them.

In Channahon, we have always sought to have student-focused staff that perform with a high level of integrity. My connection with them is to provide them the resources and support they need to be successful and then get out of their way.

Technology and funding will likely continue to be the top issues… impacting school district operations over the next five to ten years.

Districts are already in search of creative ways to build their technology infrastructure to support enhanced instructional technologies. Funding for technology initiatives must be accessible for 21st century learners to be prepared for workplace demands now and into the future.

One practice districts can adopt now to improve operations is... regularly review the variety of sources consuming electricity in your buildings for potential cost-saving solutions. Most districts at this point have taken advantage of energy saving initiatives that pay for themselves through grants and reduced energy consumption. Electrical contractors and school architects typically are well-versed in the multitude of ways school districts can save money through grants and reducing energy expenses.

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UPDATE Magazine / Winter 2017

DISCOVER & SHARE INNOVATION Learn, connect and innovate around current topics in school operations at this yearly professional development opportunity for facilities professionals!

Benefit from the expertise of your peers as well as service providers at this dynamic conference.

ATTENDEE AND EXHIBITOR

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

Thursday, March 8, 2018 | Chicago Marriott Oak Brook

Power Up Your

Insights, Inspiration & Impact

9

Hours of Breakout Sessions

1,000+ School Professionals and Exhibitors

2

Inspiring Keynote Speakers

There is no limit to what can happen when school professionals and industry partners get together to share their expertise and create better solutions for schools. The 2018 Annual Conference is returning to Schaumburg with a brand new, two-day format — packed with the best professional development and networking in school business.

May 3 - 4, 2018

Schaumburg, IL

REGISTER TODAY TO EXPERIENCE THE POWER! www.iasbo.org