MT. DIABLO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

SPECIAL BOARD MEETING – July 11, 2006

ATTENDANCE: Board: Linda Mayo, Gary Eberhart, Dick Allen, Paul Strange, April Treece

Administrative Staff: Superintendent Gary McHenry; assistant superintendents Gail Isserman and Dick Nicoll; Chief Financial Officer Gloria Gamblin; General Counsel Greg Rolen

1. CALL TO ORDER

President Mayo called the meeting to order in the Board Room of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District Dent Center at 6:02 p.m.

CLOSED SESSION: The Board adjourned to Closed Session at 6:03 p.m. in Room 6 of the Dent Center. Topics discussed included negotiations, anticipated litigation (two potential cases), and superintendent’s evaluation.

2. RECONVENE OPEN SESSION: The Board returned to Open Session in the Board Room at 7:00 p.m. President Mayo led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and reported the items discussed in Closed Session.

3. CONSENT AGENDA

Allen moved, Eberhart seconded, and the Board voted 5-0-0 to adopt the Consent Agenda thereby approving the following:

3.1 Certificated Personnel

3.1.1 Leaves of Absence, Resignations, Retirements, Employment

3.1.2. Resolution 06/07-01 Provisional Internship Permit

Adopted Resolution #06/07-01, authorizing Shane Borchert, Nadia Bedessie, Debbie Draper, Nicholas Kindred, Susan Vaccaro, and Helen Williamson to apply for a Provisional Internship Permit (PIP) in order to complete their respective assignments for the 2006-07 school year. All requests for a Provisional Internship Permit (PIP) must be presented to the Governing Board of a public school district for approval.

3.2 Classified Personnel

3.2.1 Leaves of Absence, Resignations, Retirements, Employment

3.2.2 Increase in Hours for a Part-Time Instructional Assistant for Walnut Acres Elementary School

Increased from 10 to 14 hours/week, an existing school-day-only Instructional Assistant position at Walnut Acres Elementary. There is no impact to the General Fund. The $1,063 cost difference for fiscal year 2006-07 is funded by the Walnut Acres Parent Faculty Club.

3.2.3 Creation of a Part-time Instructional Assistant Position for Walnut Acres Elementary School

Created a 180-day/year; 12-hour/week Instructional Assistant position at Walnut Acres Elementary. There is no impact to the General Fund. The $6,363 annual cost for fiscal year 2006-07 is funded by the Walnut Acres Parent Faculty Club.

3.2.4 Creation of a Full-Time Site Technology Support Technician II Position for Technology and Information Services

Created a full-time 40-hour/week, 12-month/year Site Technology Support Technician II position in the Technology and Information Services Department. There is no impact to the General Fund. The $75,144 cost for fiscal year 2006-07 is funded by Restricted Maintenance.

3.2.5 Unit Determination of Computer Systems Technician and Technology Customer Help Desk Technician

Transferred representation of the classifications of Computer Systems Technician and Technology Customer Help Desk Technician from Local One, Clerical, Secretarial, Technical (CST), to Local One, Maintenance and Operations (M&O), at the units’ request. The $1,102.01 cost of the increase to the four positions affected for fiscal year 2006-07 is funded through the General Fund.

3.3 Real Property Lease Agreement – Addition to The Creek, A Middle School Youth Center – Foothill Middle School

Approved in concept a request from the operators of The Creek, a middle school youth center located on the Foothill Middle School campus, to add 960 square feet to the existing relocatable building for a computer/study room. There is no impact to the General Fund.

4. PUBLIC COMMENT - None

5. COMMUNIATIONS - None

6. BUSINESS

6.1 Consider Approval of Positions and Budget to Address Recommendations of the Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team (FCMAT)

On June 20 and 27 the Board of Education reviewed several specific recommendations from the Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) to improve the District’s Personnel-Payroll system. At this time, McHenry asked the Board to consider approval of three positions: Director of Budget and Accounting and two Credential Analysts.

Public Comment John Ferrante, resident and computer programmer, questioned the need for the Credential Analysts. He said credential tracking is a routine task that can be done automatically with Microsoft Word and Excel.

Board Comment In response to Strange, Gloria Gamblin said funds in the overtime, extra pay, and substitute accounts for the Payroll and Personnel departments could cover the costs of the three positions. McHenry said $150,000 in “contracted services” is being set aside for the project manager position. Isserman explained that the tracking of credentials is already done automatically and is only one piece of the Credential Analyst’s job. The larger piece is manually matching the credential to every single subject that teachers teach to make sure they are perfectly credentialed for every class they teach. In response to Eberhart, McHenry said staff hopes that the project manager will be the next of the FCMAT-recommended positions to be filled. Later this week staff will interview a consultant who’s been suggested for the position. He would like to have it filled within a month. If the candidate is acceptable, the start date and fee schedule would then be worked out. If the candidate is not acceptable, staff have three alternatives: 1) find another consultant, 2) send out a request for proposal, and/or 3) create a job description and advertise. He cautioned that the position will probably cost about $150,000. He is not sure that he will recommend filling any other positions before the project manager is hired, although the needs in Payroll are critical. It is important to look at the District’s financial position, he said, so positions are brought forward in a way that does not overspend the budget. In considering each position, staff must look at how much it costs, if it’s affordable, and the implications of not filling it. Eberhart commented that even though there will be more money from the state this year than last, the District is still dealing with shrinking enrollment and other issues as well as having employee contract negotiations resume next spring. McHenry pointed out the need to determine how much of the new money is on-going and how much one-time. It may be possible to fill a position for one year, but not commit on-going resources to it. He will present changes to the District budget, based on the recently adopted state budget, at the August 8 Board meeting. He remarked that the FCMAT revealed the Personnel and Payroll departments to be short-staffed. Having a project manager will not change that situation, he said. Allen reported that he visited the Fiscal Services Department last week and talked to each employee working there to get a sense of the work and the workload. He remarked that as part of budget reductions over the years the Board has cut positions in Fiscal Services and never replaced them. He stressed the need to be aware of the penalties the District would be assessed if errors are made in mandated reports. Strange asked for an account of cuts in department staffing over the last five years. Treece noted that the District has cut management positions well below the level recommended by Ed. Code, and the limited number of central office positions is having an effect.

Board action Allen moved, Treece seconded, and the Board voted 5-0-0 to approve the creation of three positions: one Budget Director and two Credential Analysts. Fiscal Impact: $275,068 Funding Source: General Fund

6.2 Consider Approval of Job Description for Payroll Analyst, Personnel Systems Analyst, and Program Analyst

Treece moved, Allen seconded, and the Board voted 5-0-0 to approve job descriptions for Payroll Analyst, Personnel Systems Analyst, and Program Analyst in an effort to move forward in the FCMAT implementation process.

Board Comment Eberhart asked why the job descriptions include the requirement of a driver’s license without the District’s providing a District vehicle. Gamblin and Isserman said staff are rarely asked to do a task that involves driving; when there is such a task, those with their own cars are asked to do it and reimbursed for mileage. Eberhart questioned the category entitled “Sample Hazards,” which lists “Contact with dissatisfied individuals” as one. Gamblin said she would change the text to reflect the need to have effective customer relations skills. In response to Strange, she said the analyst position is new and will be primarily focused on Workers Compensation issues.

7. BOARD REPORTS

Eberhart asked how staff is planning to fill the number of certificated vacancies before the start of school. McHenry said there are no more vacancies than normal; however, the challenge is meeting the federal No Child Left Behind Act that allows only teachers who have been deemed “highly qualified” to work in the underperforming schools and the alternative education programs. Eberhart requested a report on how District staff plan to accomplish the recruiting goal.

8. ADJOURNMENT Mayo adjourned the meeting to Closed Session at 7:47 p.m. to discuss the superintendent’s evaluation.

9. CLOSED SESSION: Mayo adjourned the meeting at 10:30 p.m.

Gary McHenry, Secretary