Page 43 - School Planning & Management, November 2017

committees consisting of board members, community members and district staff to review district processes and identify those in need of improvement.
Once approved by the school board, the committee takes a deep dive into the process, evaluates its efficiency using benchmark data and best practice examples, and determines a solution. The committee presents their findings and proposed solution to the school board, which then approves the implementation of any new processes or tools to strengthen operations. The district shares these improvements with the community to demonstrate it is responsibly spending taxpayer money.
The Operational Excellence audits have improved efficiencies across the district, including custodial workflow, human resourc- es-related processes, and more. In 2014, the district found its student and staff accident management processes were inefficient. Staff members reported accidents by filling out paper reports and submitting them to a district clerk. The clerk then reviewed the reports to determine the next course of action and then gave them to Jim Westrum, the executive director of Finance and Business at Wayzata Public Schools, to review and approve. Westrum then sent any reports requiring an investigation to the district’s insurance company and began conducting the investigation. The audit found this process time-consuming, inefficient and vulnerable to errors. Employees could submit incomplete reports, administration could lose paper reports, and it required a large amount of filing and even more importantly, risk mitigation actions were not taken because the data was not timely.
The committee conducting the Operational Excellence audit found that using an online reporting system was a best practice, so the district retired its paper reporting process. Now using Public- SchoolWORKS’ Student and Staff Accident Management Systems, the district eliminated the risk of error and other time-consuming inefficiencies. The online form does not allow employees to submit incomplete reports, and once they are submitted, Westrum and other key district staff are immediately alerted to take action. The system has cut down on the amount of paperwork and allowed the district to save more than $50,000 in payroll costs after clerical positions were eliminated. The systems have allowed the district to see accident trends, which are used to to implement prevention strategies. “Analyzing reports for trends would have taken weeks with our paper process, but now it only takes a few clicks,” said Westrum.
For districts looking to replicate this initiative, Westrum suggests involving district stakeholders as much as possible, including recruiting the help of the community’s specialists
and professionals such as construction managers, legal counsel, leasing agents, architects, real-estate agents and more. Westrum also reiterates the importance of sharing updates with the com- munity.
stronger relationship with our community because they know we are doing our due diligence,” said Westrum. “We are using their tax dollars responsibly, we are keeping their children safe and we are providing an excellent education.”
Livonia Public Schools: Level UP LPS
In 2013, the Livonia community approved a $30 million bond for edtech. This was used to upgrade wireless capabilities; pur- chase 12,000 Chromebooks for students; replace desktop comput- ers in classrooms and labs; mount hundreds of Epson interactive
COOPERATIVE PURCHASING CONTRACTS CAN HELP SCHOOLS STAY WITHIN BUDGETS
OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS there has been a proliferation of purchasing cooperatives in the education space and it’s easy to see
why. Today’s procurement professionals continue to face the daunting challenge of spending less and getting more. Be it through increased efficiencies, aggregated knowledge or leveraging resources, cooperative purchasing contracts can help.
Strength in Numbers
The sheer volume of purchasing power aggregated by the size of the cooperative provides individual members with economies of scale — and pricing advantages — they would likely not be able to achieve on their own. Add to that the considerable time savings associated with researching new product categories, sourcing competitive quotes, and negotiating pricing. By eliminating time spent on these tasks, resources can be reallocated to focus on more strategic projects.
Cooperative contracts can also represent a revenue generating tool. On top of exclusive savings and rebates, a true member-owned coopera- tive typically shares its profits with members in the form of “patronage” refunds, which are based on a member’s annual purchases.
Time Efficiencies
“We average approximately 100 days from beginning to end, in terms of conducting an RFP,” said Rick Gay, Procurement Officer at Houston Independent School District. “Utilizing a contract that has already gone through a bid process means we have immediate access to an agreement that adheres to our board policies or state statutes. It also means we can quickly conduct a market trend analysis to ensure we’re in compliance with federal spend regulations.”
The procurement team at Houston ISD comprises 12 sourcing specialists that typically conduct 350-400 solicitations per year. That requires a significant amount of time and resources, and every measure of savings helps. “It’s all about ensuring that our end users get what they need, at the best price available, as quickly as possible,” Rick said. “If that means using a cooperative contract, I’m in!”
“The Operational Excellence audits have helped us create a
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