ANNUAL CAFR SUMMARIZES DISTRICT FINANCES
Representatives from District auditor Baker Tilly provided an overview of the Fiscal Year 2008-2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), which is posted online in a searchable pdf format. The CAFR provides a wealth of information on all aspects of District operations, and includes documents such as the budget, bond payment schedules, basic financial statements, retirement fund data, debt service data, and miscellaneous statistical information for the last decade, all in context with District accomplishments and future goals. Overall, Baker Tilly gives the District high financial marks: it has strong financial processes in place, adequate reserves, and has continued to pay down debt and contain its costs. The District has made a number of internal changes to bring its financial structures and processes in line with new accounting and auditing regulations, including minimizing cash transactions within the District and re-aligning responsibilities within the finance department. The audit firm recommends additional adjustments, such as further segregation of duties, tighter control over accounting journal entries, and more stringent internal financial reporting. Baker Tilly's John Rossi noted that while only the very largest districts have sufficient internal resources to fully comply with the regulatory ideal, it is Baker Tilly's professional responsibility to bring deficiencies to the attention of the BOE and administration. District 41 expects to have addressed these issues by June 30, the end of the 2010 Fiscal Year.
LONG-RANGE PLAN UPDATE
Superintendent Dr. Ann Riebock summarized District progress against the Long-Range Plan (LRP) that was developed in 2006, outlining District accomplishments and ways the District might go about renewing the plan for the future. The LRP was developed from three broad directions the BOE gave Dr. Riebock when she was hired in 2006:
1. Improve academic achievement
2. Create a long-range plan for district finances and facilities
3. Improve stakeholder relations
In all these areas--academics, finances and facilities, and relationships--the District conducts its work using continuous improvement principles, noted Dr. Riebock. These include collecting data to verify improvement needs and measuring success, and having processes in place for systematic review, adjustment and accountability. In most things, District 41 works in a collaborative mode with internal and external stakeholders, and systematically assesses what type and scale of involvement is appropriate and productive for various initiatives and decisions.
Academic improvement: New curricula and assessments aligned with standards in nearly all subject areas have been implemented according to the District's curriculum review cycle, which was developed to ensure that curriculum and instruction is current and consistent with best practices in education. Professional development for staff supports the curricular initiatives. Program reviews have been conducted for exploratory, gifted, special education, English as a New Language programs and District safety and security, and the recommendations from the reviews are being implemented. The District has also been working with the other Glenbard associated districts to better align all the elementary districts with each other, and with Glenbard High School District 87. This alignment work will help ensure that all Glenbard students enter high school prepared to succeed, creates a framework for sharing successes and overcoming challenges among districts, and in the future may provide economies of scale in the purchase of curricular materials used in common among the six Glenbard elementary districts (15, 16, 41, 44, 89 and 93).
Finance and facilities: The District has developed a long-range financial planning framework that includes annual financial trend projections and regular budget review. It uses a position-control process to evaluate all open positions to see if there are other ways the responsibilities of the positions can be met, rather than automatically filling them. New student data, human resource, and financial software have allowed the District to streamline its processes and find efficiencies. A Master Facility Recommendation was developed by a stakeholder committee and endorsed by the BOE. Although crowded, the buildings are in good condition due to the facility and infrastructure improvements as laid out in the capital improvement plan and age & obsolescence plan. These improvements include stormwater and paving work, and ongoing maintenance and replacement of systems components such as boilers and roofs. Technological strides include utilizing wireless capacity at all buildings, refreshing District computers, introducing Smart Boards and document cameras in some areas, updating instructional and office software, and establishing a technology committee. Professional development for staff supports the technological initiatives.
Relationships: For the last two years, the District has been working to broaden parent involvement by providing access, opportunity and invitation so that all parents can participate meaningfully in their child's education in ways that work for their family situation. It is also planning to collect and analyze stakeholder satisfaction data using in-house resources.
The District is now looking at ways to assess the success of the execution of these many initiatives, said Dr. Riebock, and has developed a scorecard to depict and monitor the strength and health of key areas over time. Next steps include continuing implementation of curricular improvements and program evaluation recommendations, increasing operational efficiencies, finalizing the Master Facility Plan and timeline, and continuing the alignment work with the Glenbard Associated Districts. Areas for conversation in the plan renewal process might include global learning, doing more with fewer resources, sustainable (green) initiatives, and learning in the 21st century. While the LRP renewal process planning is in the preliminary stage, there will be opportunities for engagement with multiple stakeholder groups, said Dr. Riebock.
DISPOSITION OF OBSOLETE COMPUTERS
The BOE approved disposition of surplus property, mostly computers, monitors, and printers. The equipment has accumulated as the district has replaced obsolete equipment. Some of it could be made functional, but is not able to support the software in use by the district. Other items are no longer supported by the manufacturer. The items will be offered to the People's Resource Center, and other school districts that have previously made use of surplus items from D41.
APPROVAL OF CASE MATTERS
As stated in previous Board Highlights, D41 is taking its rotation as the fiscal agent for CASE (Cooperative for Special Education). In that capacity it is asked to affirm actions taken by the CASE Board of Directors, which is composed of the superintendents of the member districts. The BOE approved the following CASE actions, which are documented in the Jan. 4 BOE packet: December accounts payable and payroll, treasurer's report and Fiscal Year 2010 budget matters.
About the Glen Ellyn School District Board of Education
Board members are unpaid volunteers, each representing the whole district. The board is accountable to the public and makes decisions as a unit based on what is best for the whole district. The board hires the superintendent, sets instructional policy, approves the budget and ongoing expenditures, and is ultimately responsible for the performance of the district. Board meetings are working sessions held in public during which the board conducts its business, and ample time is always set aside for public participation.
|
