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Brockton school district : executive order 393 : Education [sic] Management Accountability Board report PDF

142 Pages·1998·4.5 MB·English
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Preview Brockton school district : executive order 393 : Education [sic] Management Accountability Board report

IB J UMASS/AMHERST ^325 3120bfc.01b51 MassachusettsDepartmentofRevenue DivisionofLocalServices MitchellAdams,Commissioner JosephJ.Chessey,Jr.,DeputyCommissioner 03W98 "<"y Copy Brockton School District Executive Order 393 Education Management Accountability Board Report January 1998 EDUCATION MANAGEMENTACCOUNTABILITY BOARD Michael Sentance, Chairperson William Dandridge Andres Lopez PeterNessen Ted Owens Mark Roosevelt Hugh Scott AlisonTaunton-Rigby SamuelTyler BrookeWhite-Sandford ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Administration & Finance Charles Baker, Secretary Kristen Keel, ChiefofStaff Massachusetts Departmentof Revenue MitchellAdams, Commissioner Joseph J. Chessey, Jr., DeputyCommissioner James R. Johnson, DirectorofAccounts Table of Contents Introduction I. II. ExecutiveSummary Findings Background Scope ofReview GeneralConditionsandFindings III. 1. BrocktonOverview 2. SchoolFinances 3. SchoolCommitteeBudgetTrend 4. TotalSchoolDistrictExpenditures 5. NetSchoolSpendingRequirements 6. SchoolCommitteeProgramBudget 7. FoundationBudget 8. Staffing-FTETrends 9. Payroll-Salarylevels,unioncontracts,newstaffcosts 10. ProfessionalDevelopmentProgram 11. SchoolImprovementPlans 12. TimeandLearning 13. TechnologyandComputers 14. SuppliesandTextbooks 15. TestScores 16. HiringandEvaluationofTeachersandPrincipals SignificantEducationMilestonesandIssues 17. ReviewofExpenditures 18. TransiencyIssue 19. SpecialEducation(SPED) andBilingual 20. CoursesandClassSizes FindingsofCertainFinancialDeficiencies 21a. AccountsPayableInternalControlWeakness 21b. FixedAssets iv. EmployeeSurvey v. Superintendent'sStatement- EducationReform vi. Appendix i Brockton SchoolDistrictReview Introduction I. TheEducationReformActof1993hastwomajorgoals:toachieveadequatefundingforalllocal andregionalschooldistrictsoveraseven-yearperiod;andtobringequitytolocaltaxationeffort basedonacommunity'sabilitytopay.InFebruary1997,GovernorWeldissuedExecutiveOrder 393toevaluatetheeducationreformprogramthatwasnearingtheendofitsfourthyear. BeginninginFY98,Chapter70stateaidforeducationwillreach$2,288billion.Withan investmentofthismagnitudeintheCommonwealth'sschoolsitiscriticalto "review,investigate andreportontheexpendituresoffundsbyschooldistricts,includingregionalschooldistricts, consistentwiththegoalsofimprovingstudentachievement." Tothatend,ExecutiveOrder393 establishedanEducationalManagementAccountabilityBoard (EMAB). TheSecretaryofAdministrationandFinance,servingaschiefofstafftotheEMAB,puttogethera teamofauditorsfromtheDepartmentofRevenue'sDivisionofLocalServicestoconductthe schooldistrictreviews.DOR'sDirectorofAccountsisthechiefinvestigatorwithauthorityto examinedepartmentaccountsandtransactions(M.G.L.Ch.44,Sees.45and46A). Thereviews arebeingconductedinconsultationwiththeStateAuditorandtheCommissionerofEducation. BrocktonisthesecondschooldistricttobereviewedunderExecutiveOrder393. Brockton municipalandschoolofficialscooperated fullywiththereviewteam. ThreeDORauditors conductedthefieldreviewoftheBrocktonSchoolDistrict(BSD) inAugustandSeptember 1997. Includedinthisreviewwasaconfidentialsurveysenttoemployeesoftheschooldistrict. Executive Summary II. Findings ThefollowingparagraphsincludesomeofthemoresignificantfindingsoftheBrocktonSchool Districtreview. Whenpossible,thereviewteamhasidentified andpresentedbestpracticesso thattheycanbeadoptedbyotherschooldistricts. Financialorreportingdeficiencieswerenoted. The"GeneralFindingsandConditions"sectionasreferencedcontainsamoredetailedanalysisof the resultsanddeficienciesdiscussedinthissection. TheBrocktonPublicSchoolshaveutilizedincreasededucationreformfundingtoaddressissues ofclasssizeandincreasedstudentenrollment;reinstituteprograms;enhanceinstruction;expand professionaldevelopmentopportunities;updatetextbooks,libraryandinstructionalmaterials; andtoprovidethenecessarylearningenvironmentbyimprovingfacilitiestotheextentpossible. Thefindingsaregroupedintoseveralbroadcategorieswhichareaddressed intheEducation ReformAct:TheFoundationBudget,StudentAchievement,GovernanceandManagement Powers,Teacher/StudentStaffing,TeacherCompensation,ProfessionalDevelopment,andTime and Learning. ExecutiveOrder393-EducationManagementAccountabilityBoard 2 Digitized by the Internet Archive 2014 in https://archive.org/details/brocktonschooldiOOmass Brockton SchoolDistrictReview THE FOUNDATION BUDGET • BrocktonismeetingitsbasicoverallfinancialobligationsestablishedbytheDOE. Infact, Brocktonhasexceededitsrequirednetschoolspendingrequirementsbyasmall percentageforFY94throughFY97.Theincreasehasbeenfunded throughadditional stateaid.SinceFY93thedistricthasreceived$210.7million,inincreasingincrementsof $41 millionto$65.9million,asaresultofthestate'sinvestmentineducationreform.The city'sshareoftotalnetschoolspendinghasbeendecliningsince 1994. Takinginflation intoaccount,theBSDhasseenrealbudgetincreasesbetweenFY89andFY97. [See sections3and5] • Thefoundationbudgetdidnotmandatespendinginanyspecificcategoryasitsoughtto providelocalcommunitiesthelatitudetoaddresslocalneeds. However,inorderto encourage appropriatelevelsofspending,M.G.L.Ch. 70Sec.9requiresthataschool districtreporttotheCommissionerofEducationwhenithasfailed tospendtheamounts incorporatedinthefoundationbudgetforfourcategories:professionaldevelopment, textbooks,afterschoolactivities("extendedprogramming") andextraordinary maintenance. InFY96,Brockton spentonly31%ofthetargetforprofessional development, 108%fortextbooks,and0%forboth afterschoolprogramsand extraordinarymaintenance. [Seesection7andAppendixB]. ForFY94-FY96thedistrict hasnotfiledanyreportwiththeCommissioner'soffice,nordidtheCommissioner's officeinformthedistrictofsucharequirementorrequestsuchareport. Finallyalthough Brockton'sschoolexpenditureshaveincreasedsinceimplementationofEducation Reform,manyfoundationbudgetcategoriesarebelowprescribedfoundationlevels. • Brockton'sincreasedfundinghasalsobeenused tofundsubstantialincreasesinspecial education. [Seesections7,Chart22 andAppendixB] ThefactthatBSDhastheabilityto provideprogramsforSPEDstudentswithinitsownsystemhaskeptcostsfromgoingup evenmoresubstantially.Thesignificantincreaseinspecialeducationcostsandits concomitantimpactonotherschoolprogramshasbeennoted inreportsbythe MassachusettsTaxpayersFoundation,theFoundationBudgetReviewCommission,the MassachusettsAssociationofSchoolSuperintendentsand therecentlegislative CommissiononSpecialEducation.AlthoughBrocktonhasallocatedanincreasing proportionofitsbudgettospecialeducation,itisstillbelowfoundationbudgetinSpecial NeedsTuition • TheschooldepartmentandthecityofBrocktonhavenoaccountingsysteminplaceto accountfor,orcontrol,fixedassets. Otherthantheexpenditures,thereisnoaccounting forthefixedassets. [Seesection21B] ExecutiveOrder393-EducationManagementAccountabilityBoard 3 Brockton SchoolDistrictReview STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT • AnobjectiveanalysisoftheMassachusettsEducationalAssessmentProgram(MEAP), thestate'seducationaltestingprogramfrom 1988-96,showsthatBrockton'sscoresare mixedforgradesfour,eight,andten. Thescaledscoresforfourthgradereadinghave remainedstableshowingnoimprovementacrossthefiveadministrationsofthetest; the scaledscoreperformanceforeighthgradershasdecreasedinallsubjectareasoverthis sameperiodandthescaledscoresfortenthgradersaremixed. [Seesection15and AppendixD]. GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT POWERS • EachoftheprincipalsinBrocktonwasgivenaraisebaseduponaratiooftheteacher salaryscale,indicatingthatperformancemaynotbeheavilyconsideredincompensation decisions. [Seesection16] TheEducationReformActremovedprincipalsfrom collectivebargainingunitsinordertogivesuperintendentsmoreleverageinmotivating theperformanceofprincipals. Thisnewmanagementtoolwhichwasgivento superintendentstofacilitateschool-basedimprovementdoesnotappeartohavebeen utilizedinBrockton. TEACHER/STUDENT STAFFING • Brocktonhasusedtheincreased investmenttobringstaffbacktolevelssimilartothose ofthelate 1980's. Thenewfundingresultedinadeclineinthestudent-teacherratio whichisapositivetrend foreducationalachievementandanappropriateuseofthe educationreformfunds. [Seesection9] TEACHER COMPENSATION • FromFY93toFY96,theexpenditureforteachersalariesrose29.8%reflecting newstaff aswellasraisesintheteachers'contract. Theaverageteacher'ssalaryroseslightlymore than11%intheperiodfromFY94toFY96, fasterthantheinflationrateof7.5%. Bythe endofthisperiod,theexpenditureforteachersalarieshadincreasedfrom42.6%ofthe schoolbudgetto58.5%. Whiletheseexpenditurelevelsarenotextraordinaryor unusual,therateofincreaseofthesesalariesisfasterthantherateofincreaseinthetotal schoolbudget,puttingpressureonotheraccountsintheschoolbudget. [Seesection9] PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENT • TheBrocktonSchoolDistricthasaprofessionaldevelopmentprogramthatwas furnishedtotheDOEin1995. ForthecurrentschoolyeartheBSDhasredefined the positionofAdministrativeAssistantforCurriculumandStaffDevelopment. The Assistant hasdevelopedintricatesignoffproceduresforprofessionaldevelopment reimbursement. Asnotedinthesurvey,32%oftherespondentsfeltthattherewere deficienciesintheprofessionaldevelopmentprogram. [Seesection10] ExecutiveOrder393-EducationManagementAccountabilityBoard 4

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