1. Copy of Emergency Preparedness Handbook

2. Visible Building Evacuation Plans

3. Emergency Exit Signs

4. School Building Disaster Plan

5. Evidence of Training of School Site Students and Staff

6. First Aid Kits

1. All of the sites visited had the state Civil Defense and Disaster Planning materials available.

2. The administration at the sites visited understood the responsibilities and requirements for disaster preparedness.

1. Ensure that district administrators and employees remain thoroughly familiar with the Civil Defense Planning Guide for school officials.

1. The Safety and Loss Control Officer shall continue monitoring the annual update and revision of the "Civil Defense and Disaster Planning" portion of the comprehensive safety plans at district sites to ensure compliance.

2. The Safety and Loss Control Officer shall continue employee training related to the Civil Defense and Disaster Planning Guide.

3. Principals shall continue regular disaster preparedness exercises at school sites.

1. Observations of Recently Modernized Buildings

2. Interviews with Buildings and Grounds Staff

3. Interview with District Chief of Police

4. Interviews with Custodial Staff

5. Interviews with Site Administrators

6. Documents Regarding School Security Systems

1. Modernization efforts underway in the district incorporate security devices in schools undergoing modernization. However, contractors doing modernization work in some schools often either damage the wiring of existing fire and intruder alarm systems or install new security equipment that is incompatible with existing systems.

2. Buildings and Grounds staff in charge of maintaining alarm systems provided information that showed there are potentially serious problems with fire alarm systems in many schools. There are two types of fire alarm problems. The first type, correctable problems, includes systems damaged by contractors doing modernization work, new systems that are not complete, partial systems not covering some buildings at a site, system repair deferred because of system reconfiguration or pending modernization projects, and a few sites without any alarm systems at all. Alarm maintenance staff estimates that this first type represents problems at almost one-third of the district’s 131 sites.

3. The second type of fire alarm problem arises from design errors where communication is either severely or partially limited or the phone system transmitting the signal is defective. Alarm maintenance staff is particularly concerned about this type of problem because this represents potential system failures that only will be discovered in the event of a fire.

4. Intruder alarm systems are also unreliable. Interviews with both the Police Chief and alarm monitoring staff revealed that the false alarm rate for intruder alarms is 90 percent. Most of these false alarms are district or non-district personnel who either do not know how to disarm the alarm or are not aware that the alarm is armed and do not disarm it.

5. Until November 15, 1999, when the district Police Department was scheduled to add a second shift that would be on duty at night (prior to this the department only worked from 7:30 AM until 4:30 PM), the Oakland Police Department had the responsibility of responding to intruder alarms set off at night. Because of the high rate of false alarms (equaling thousands of false alarms annually), Oakland police have been very slow to respond, sometimes one to two hours, and sometimes do not respond at all. This has resulted in a "cry wolf" mentality in which police might not respond at all to an actual burglary or attempted burglary at a school site.

6. Another result of the false alarms and lack of knowledge in how the systems operate is that some schools do not reset their alarms (fire or intruder), or simply shut them off. This means that even those alarm systems that are functional will not be in operation when needed.

1. Ensure that all alarms in use are operational.

1. The Director of Architectural Services shall hold contractors accountable for the work they do on modernization projects. Contractors should not be allowed to walk away from a job when they have disabled or disrupted security systems to the point that they either do not function or function erratically. Develop performance clauses in contracts requiring contractors to make systems that they damage functional or face financial penalty.

2. The Director of Architectural Services shall standardize alarm systems (both intruder and fire) as they are replaced to ensure compatibility with other systems at a school and with the central control unit used to monitor alarms.

3. The Chief of Police shall develop written procedures for arming and unarming alarm systems. The Chief shall be responsible for ensuring that all school site personnel are trained in these procedures.

1. Comprehensive Safety Plan and School Safety Plans

2. Intruder Alarm System

3. Fire Alarm System

4. Exterior Lighting

5. Perimeter Access and Fencing

6. Trespassing Signs

7. Key Issuance

8. Interview with Director of Buildings and Grounds

9. Interview with Administrative Supervisor of Custodial Services

10. Interview with Safety and Loss Control Officer

11. Visits to District Schools

1. District schools have plans in place to protect the safety of people and property, but those plans are rendered less effective in some schools where alarm systems do not function properly, as detailed in Standard 1.2.

2. Discussions with directors of Buildings and Grounds and Custodial Services, as well as discussions with principals during visits to schools, revealed that the exterior lighting and fencing are inadequate to provide much security. There is a reluctance to invest in exterior lighting because that lighting is often the target of rocks and other flying objects wielded by vandals. Chain-link fences are cut through on a regular basis and do not provide much of a deterrent to people who want to enter school grounds.

3. Despite these security setbacks, all schools do have security plans in place to protect people and property on campuses as required by the standard. Trespassing signs are posted throughout school buildings, and visitors are directed to the administrative office to begin their visit at each school. At the schools we visited, however, visitors did not sign in and were not required to wear badges.

4. Buildings and Grounds staff attempts to discourage vandalism and graffiti by immediately covering and repairing the area where the tagging or vandalism occurred. Schools in high-crime areas have initiated parent patrols, in which two to four parents patrol the outer perimeter of their campus to look for suspicious activity and call the school’s administrative office if they spot problems.

5. Several interviewees indicated that fences are regularly cut and intruders are free to roam on campuses, committing vandalism, burglaries, and other crimes. Buildings and Grounds has responded by assigning one of its personnel to the daily repair of fences as needed on campuses throughout the district.

6. Despite the fact that several types of safety plans are required, there is no position designated as responsible for ensuring that the district is held accountable for complying with these plans.

1. Revise the district’s security plan to reflect the district’s current needs and problems. The plan should be used to drive decisions on expenditures to increase security at district schools.

2. Investigate the possibility of using stronger fencing material than chain link to deter intruders from entering campuses.

3. Designate a position to be responsible for holding the district accountable for complying with various plans related to school safety.

1. Buildings and Grounds staff shall conduct a comprehensive analysis of the building security systems, external lighting systems, and perimeter fencing at all schools as part of revising the district’s security plan.

2. The Safety and Loss Control Officer shall add a requirement to the district’s security plan that all visitors with schools register with the main office and wear identification badges while on campus.

3. The Superintendent shall designate the Safety and Loss Control Officer as the position responsible for holding district personnel accountable for complying with district safety plans.

1. Interview with Administrative Supervisor of Custodial Services

1 Maintenance and custodial staff are not informed regularly of restrictions pertaining to storage and disposal of flammable or toxic materials. According to the Administrative Supervisor of Custodial Services, there was a onetime instruction for maintenance and custodial personnel several years ago, but it is not an ongoing practice.

1. Provide regular information to custodial and maintenance personnel on storage and disposal of flammable and toxic materials.

1. The Director of Custodial Services shall provide regular training on storage and disposal of flammable and toxic materials.

2. The Director of Custodial Services shall keep records of all personnel receiving this training and ensure that training is regularly offered.

1. Observations at school sites

2. Interviews with site administrators

3. Interviews with Buildings and Grounds Director and Police Chief

1. Key issuance generally is handled by principals at each school to control access, but this works with varying degrees of success depending on the principal. In some cases, principals hold tight control of keys and only a few personnel have access to specific areas of the school. In other cases, principals are more lax in key issuance and allowing building access, according to Buildings and Grounds and Custodial Services personnel. There have been documented cases of people entering and leaving school buildings as late as 2:00 AM.

1. Put in place and enforce a standard key control policy for all schools.

1. The school board shall revise board policy detailing specifically which administrators in the district are allowed to issue, make, and inventory keys for each site including the district administrative facilities.

2. The Buildings and Grounds Director shall buy locking key boxes for all school sites and require their use.

3. Each school Principal shall establish a key sign-out system that records the person to whom the key is issued, which door or doors it opens, who authorized the issuance of the key, and the date the key was issued.

4. The Principal shall be the only person allowed to carry master keys for their campus.

1. Observations during site visits

2. Discussions with Principals during site visits

1. Only special education students are transported to school using district buses. All other district students either use the city’s transit system, private transportation, or walk to school. Loading was observed at one school and the area was monitored to ensure student safety.

2. Parking is a problem at some schools, and traffic is heavy around some schools, particularly during the morning hours when students arrive and during the afternoon hours when students are leaving.

1. Develop policies and procedures to ensure safe interaction between motor vehicles and school personnel, students, and parents.

1. The Superintendent shall ensure that all elementary and middle schools have monitored crosswalks.

2. Principals shall ensure that all schools have at least one school employee monitor the bus loading area prior to and during loading of special education buses.

3. Principals shall ensure that their school has adequate drop-off and pick-up areas.

1. Observations during site visits

2. Interviews with site administrators

3. Interview with Buildings and Grounds Director

4. Interview with Police Chief

5. Interview with Administrative Supervisor of Custodial Services

1. The majority of school sites visited did not have sufficient exterior lighting to ensure security during evening hours.

2. Lighting at some of the schools visited was broken and had not been repaired. The Buildings and Grounds Director indicated that his staff depends on schools to report when broken lights need replacing.

1. Improve exterior lighting at all schools.

1. Buildings and Grounds staff shall replace all nonfunctioning exterior lighting.

2. The Director of Buildings and Grounds shall retain a security expert to analyze the need for exterior lighting at each campus.

3. Buildings and Grounds staff shall install additional exterior lighting near doorways, in all courtyards, between buildings, in open fields near schools, and all other areas at schools that need lighting to increase security at night for after school activities and help with security surveillance.

1. Observations during site visits

2. Interview with Buildings and Grounds Director

3. Interviews with Site Administrators

4. Interview with Police Chief

5. Interview with Administrative Supervisor of Custodial Services

1. The auditors were unable to obtain a written graffiti abatement plan.

2. Graffiti and vandalism are significant problems in the district. Buildings and Grounds maintains two graffiti teams that paint over graffiti every day. There are four schools where graffiti is so prevalent that one of the teams goes to those schools every morning to paint over the graffiti and then makes its rounds to other schools where graffiti complaints have been called in.

3. Buildings and Grounds has to make emergency repairs to broken windows, broken doors, broken lighting, and other vandalism at schools every day. The department has one person who makes repairs to cut fences every day.

4. Even with the effort to deal with graffiti and vandalism quickly, there is too much damage for Buildings and Grounds to deal with every incident because it lacks the necessary resources. On-site observations still revealed areas where graffiti had not been painted over and vandalism had not been repaired.

1. Intensify efforts to eliminate graffiti and vandalism.

1. The Director of Buildings and Grounds shall add staff to crews responsible for vandalism and graffiti abatement so that the department can deal with those situations in a more timely manner.

2. Principals at each school shall involve parents and other community members from surrounding neighborhoods to the greatest extent possible to decrease vandalism and graffiti.

3. The district should work with local law enforcement with the Graffiti and Vandalism Abatement Plan.

1. Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Plan

2. Evidence of Disaster Preparedness Drills

3. Observations during site visits

4. Interview with district Safety and Loss Control Officer

1. The district has complete written plans on file describing procedures the district is to follow in the event of different types of emergencies.

2. All of the campuses visited had on file written plans describing procedures to be used in the event of an emergency. However, many of the campuses visited needed to update those plans to reflect changing personnel or conditions.

3. Although there was evidence that some schools regularly conducted emergency preparedness drills, other schools did not conduct such drills regularly.

1. Ensure that all campuses have up-to-date plans describing procedures to be used in an emergency.

1. Principals on each campus shall update campus emergency plans and confirm with the Safety and Loss Control Officer that plans have been updated.

2. Principals shall conduct emergency preparedness drills on all campuses at least twice a year and confirm with the Safety and Loss Control Officer that drills have been conducted.

3. Principals should ensure that campus employees receive regular instruction regarding emergency plans to ensure that they have thorough knowledge and training of the appropriate actions to take in an emergency.

1. Board Policy

2. Observations during site visits

3. Interview with Safety and Loss Control Officer

1. The district requires each elementary and middle school to conduct fire drills once a month and each high school to conduct drills at least twice a year. However, there is no current procedure to ensure schools conduct drills as required.

2. One middle school visited at the end of the month had not conducted a fire drill for that month, though required to do so. While the team was not able to visit every elementary and middle school in the district, there likely are others that do not conduct fire drills on a monthly basis.

3. All schools visited did have fire evacuation plans clearly posted throughout the facility, general procedures to be followed in the event of fire, and assembly areas for students and faculty.

4. The Safety and Loss Control Officer indicated that a safety checklist had developed that combined OSHA, FCMAT, Fire Department, and other guidelines to determine if schools were operating safely. The safety checklist was to be used by custodians to conduct a quarterly check of school conditions; however, the safety checklist inspection has not yet been implemented. Such a check would include a determination if schools were conducting fire drills either monthly or twice a year.

1. Conduct fire drills at all schools as required by district policy.

1. The Safety and Loss Control Officer shall implement the safety checklist inspection using school custodians conducting inspections on a quarterly basis. As part of the inspection, have custodians confirm to the Safety and Loss Control Officer that fire drills are conducted as required by district policy.

1. Interview with Administrative Supervisor of Custodial Services

1. Maintenance and Custodial personnel have not been trained regarding the chemical compounds used in schools, their shelf life, or the potential hazards associated with them. This subject is not covered in the curriculum offered by the union in its safety training.

2. One example of the importance of such training occurred recently in the district when a custodian mixed ammonia and bleach together for cleaning purposes, a common danger that would be avoided if custodial and maintenance personnel were trained regularly in the proper handling of these materials.

1. Provide training to all maintenance and custodial staff on chemical compounds used in schools, their shelf life, and their potential hazards.

1. The Director of Custodial Services shall ensure that all maintenance and custodial staff receive regular training on chemical compounds used in their daily work and shall maintain records of the frequency of training and staff members attending.

1. Interview with Safety and Loss Control Officer

2. Interviews with Buildings and Grounds Staff

3. Interview with Administrative Supervisor of Custodial Services

1. The Safety and Loss Control Officer developed a safety checklist consisting of standards from OSHA, FCMAT, the Oakland Fire Department and other safety standards that could be used by custodians to conduct inspections on a quarterly basis. However, the inspections have not yet been conducted on a regular basis.

1. Initiate quarterly safety inspections using the safety checklist developed by the Safety and Loss Control Officer.

1. Custodians shall report the results of the safety inspections to the Safety and Loss Control Officer, who shall compile the results and report them to the Superintendent. The Superintendent shall report the results to the board.

2. The Safety and Loss Control Officer shall make recommendations to the board for correction of all unsafe conditions.

3. The board shall review the recommended corrections and direct the Director of Buildings and Grounds to make the corrections.

1. Observations during site visits

2. Interview with Administrative Supervisor of Custodial Services

3. Interviews with Buildings and Grounds personnel

4. Interview with Chief of Police

1. All campuses visited had access gates of sufficient size to permit the entrance of emergency vehicles and equipment.

2. Gates are designed to permit quick entrance.
 
 

1. Continued compliance with Education Code Section 32020 and periodic review by law enforcement and fire protection agencies to ensure compliance with their requirements.

1. Observation during site visits

2. Interview with Administrative Supervisor of Custodial Services

3. Interviews with custodial staff during site visits

4. Interview with Safety and Loss Control Officer

5. Interview with Environmental Health Specialist

1. The school facilities in the Oakland Unified School District are old, with 86 percent of the district’s schools over 30 years old. The age of the facilities makes maintaining neat facilities more difficult, but not impossible. The district has invested a substantial amount of money in modernizing these old facilities since the early 1990’s, over $86 million in modernization efforts since 1992/93. The district modernized 21 of its facilities in 1999 and is scheduled to modernize 25 more in 2000.

2. There is one overall condition that creates a hazard at various schools concerning staff and student safety. The hazard arises from the fact that many schools have bars on the windows to protect schools from vandalism and entry, but the bars do not have a quick release on the inside that would allow quick exit in the event of fire. Buildings and Grounds is aware of this hazard and acknowledged the need to work on replacing these bars.

3. We observed other conditions during some site visits that present health and safety issues that need to be addressed. Two schools had ventilation problems caused by lack of proper maintenance of the air conditioning and heating systems; one school had also had flooding caused by a leaking roof that aggravated the ventilation problem by causing mold and mildew problems. The Environmental Health Specialist, who is relatively new to the job (one year in the position), said that a lack of human and financial resources as well as a lack of equipment and training had prevented implementation of programs designed to monitor and improve indoor air quality. Poor ventilation and lack of maintenance and monitoring of indoor air quality present health risks to students, faculty and visitors to schools.

4. Other fire hazards are caused at schools by space heaters that must be used to heat some rooms, particularly portable facilities, and fires that are set by vandals in garbage cans, on playgrounds, and in other open areas on campuses.

1. Improve the sanitary conditions at schools and eliminate known fire hazards.

1. The school board shall provide appropriate resources for Buildings and Grounds to address staff and student safety concerning the non-opening windows inside the school building.

2. The school board shall provide appropriate resources for the Environmental Health Specialist to implement the "Tools for Schools" program that focuses on good quality indoor air, particularly fixing problems related to poor ventilation systems.

3. The Safety and Loss Control Officer shall provide on-site in-service training for all operational personnel in the area of site safety and cleanliness. The training shall include fire safety procedures.

1. Observations during site visits

2. Interview with Environmental Health Specialist

3. Interview with Safety and Loss Control Officer

1. The Safety and Loss Control Officer developed a safety checklist consisting of OSHA, FCMAT, Fire Department, and other guidelines that could be administered on a quarterly basis by custodians. However, these inspections had not been implemented by the time she left the position in late October.

2. The Environmental Health Specialist indicated that her position did not currently have the resources to conduct the type of inspections and monitoring needed to identify health hazards in district facilities, particularly air and water quality.

3. Campus personnel indicated that regular inspections were not conducted to identify conditions that are hazardous to health and safety, and that they were only able to deal with fixing the most immediate problems.

1. Implement the safety inspection process recommended by the Safety and Loss Control Officer using the safety checklist.

2. Provide the Environmental Health Specialist the resources necessary to maintain and monitor water and indoor air quality in district facilities.

1. Observations during On-site visits

2. Evidence of inspections

1. The sites visited had the appropriate fire extinguishers in each building, and all current inspection information was present.

2. Since only a limited number of schools could be visited on this site visit, and since some schools were cited in the initial "get on the bus" tour for not having appropriate fire extinguishers with current inspection information, it is not known whether all schools have come into compliance with this standard since the initial visit.

1. Develop a fire extinguisher maintenance program.

1. The Director of Buildings and Grounds shall ensure that all schools have appropriate fire extinguishers in each building located where they are visible and accessible. Current inspection information should be available for all fire extinguishers.

2. Principals shall continue to have all fire extinguishers inspected annually to ensure continued effective operation.

3. All extinguishers shall be serviced or replaced once every two years and immediately after each use.

1. Observation during site visits

1. All sites visited had no obstructions at the fire exits.

2. One facility that had been cited during the initial "get on the bus" tour for having a blocked fire exit had cleared the fire exit of all obstructions.

3. Since only a limited number of schools could be visited on this site visit, and since some schools were cited in the initial "get on the bus" tour for having blocked fire exits, it is not known whether all schools have come into compliance with this standard since the initial visit.

1. Ensure that all schools have free, unobstructed access to all fire exits.

1. The Safety and Loss Control Officer shall provide additional in-service training to all campus employees on the importance of maintaining free, unobstructed access to all fire exits.

1. Interview with Director of Buildings and Grounds

1. The district has two new underground storage tanks; only one of them is used currently. The district took out other tanks several years ago because they did not meet the legal requirements.

2. The new storage tanks have double-wall containment and leak detection devices as required by law.

1. Continue regular monitoring of leak detection devices on storage tanks.

1. Buildings and Grounds staff shall continue monitoring leak detection devices.

1. Interview with Environmental Health Specialist

2. Observations during site visits

3. Accreditation files

1. Interviews and files indicated that asbestos inspection and asbestos work were being completed by individuals accredited by AHERA.

1. Continue monitoring to ensure that individuals conducting asbestos work and asbestos inspections are accredited by AHERA.

1. The Environmental Health Specialist shall continue to ensure that individuals conducting asbestos inspection and asbestos work are accredited by AHERA.

1. Observations during site visits

2. Interviews with School Principals

3. Interview with Director of Buildings and Grounds

4. Interview with Administrative Supervisor of Custodial Services

5. Interview with Risk Manager

1. Playground equipment on some campuses is not safe. A Principal at one campus indicated that he had been trying to get Buildings and Grounds to install safety mats under playground equipment for several months and had put in three requests, but none had been answered.

2. Playgrounds at several campuses visited had cracks in the asphalt surface, which presents a safety hazard.

3. Custodians at several campuses and the Administrative Supervisor of Custodial Services indicated that there were safety concerns with their playgrounds being used on weekends for drug activity and needles being left on the playgrounds. Custodians must pick up these used needles before children can use the playgrounds. Besides causing a potential safety hazard to students, these needles create a safety hazard for the custodians picking them up. There is no policy for safe disposal of these needles.

4. The Director of Buildings and Grounds indicated that playground safety plans had been developed for district campuses but had not yet been implemented.

1. Develop a comprehensive playground safety program that implements the playground safety plans developed for campuses.

1. Buildings and Grounds shall upgrade playground equipment on those campuses where it presents safety hazards. This includes the installation of safety matting made of non-toxic rubber that is glued or mechanically fastened with recessed and covered anchor bolts, with edges that are beveled to permit wheelchair access, and the matting should extend well beyond the edge of playground equipment to ensure safety from falls.

2. Playground with asphalt surfaces that have become cracked or have buckled should be repaired immediately.

3. Buildings and Grounds should implement the playground safety plans developed for each campus.

4. A policy regarding handling and disposal of hypodermic needles should be developed and implemented.

1. Observations during on-site visits

2. Discussions with Maintenance Personnel on-site at schools

1. On-site observations and discussions with Maintenance Personnel at the schools visited indicated that the district is in general conformance with this standard regarding safe work practices on boilers.

2. Though work practices regarding the boilers appear to be safe, some of the boilers themselves need upgrading. Boilers at one school do not function at all and students taking showers after gym classes have no hot water.

3. Boilers at one school were in the process of being replaced as part of modernization efforts.

1. The district should plan for the replacement and upgrade of old boilers or fired pressure vessels as funds are available through modernization projects, deferred maintenance, or other funds.

1. Interview with Administrative Supervisor of Custodial Services

2. MSDS documentation

3. Interviews with Custodial Staff during site visits

1. MSDS sheets are available on campuses but are not updated or maintained. The Administrative Supervisor of Custodial Services has kept an updated set of MSDS sheets but the copies at individual school sites are not regularly maintained.

1. Ensure that the district maintains Materials Safety Data Sheets in a central location with copies provided to all campuses.

1. The Safety and Loss Control Officer shall ensure that when the district receives a hazardous substance or material the manufacturer has furnished a Material Safety Data Sheet as required by law. If the MSDS is missing or incomplete, the Safety and Loss Control Officer shall request a new MSDS from the manufacturer. If a complete MSDS is not received, the Safety and Loss Control Officer shall notify the California Occupational Safety and Health Division that the required MSDS has not been made available to the district.

2. The Safety and Loss Control Officer shall maintain copies of the MSDS for all hazardous materials and ensure that they are kept up-to-date and made available to all affected employees.

3. The Safety and Loss Control Officer shall review each MSDS received for new and significant health and safety information and, when distributing the MSDS to affected employees, highlight the new and significant information to ensure they are aware of it before using the material.

4. All employees using hazardous substances should receive training on those substances in their work area at the time they are originally assigned to their position and whenever a new hazard is introduced into their work area.

1. Employee Safety Handbook

2. Emergency and Preparedness Plans

3. Interview with Safety and Loss Control Officer

4. Observations during on-site visits

5. Interview with Administrative Supervisor of Custodial Services

1. The Safety and Loss Control Officer position was created to put together a safety program. The person who was the first to fill that position made important strides in developing that program, including development of an employee safety handbook, district and school emergency plans, training tapes for district staff and students, and other components of the first program to directly address the safety of students, staff, and visitors to the district. Though many of the components of the program have been developed, the program has not been fully implemented.

1. Implement the components of the safety program throughout the district.

1. The Associate Superintendent for Business Services should fill the vacant Safety and Loss Control Officer position as quickly as possible so that position can fully implement the program.

1. Training information from Safety and Loss Control Officer

2. Interview with Safety and Loss Control Officer

3. Interview with Administrative Supervisor of Custodial Services

4. Information on safety training provided by union

1. Labor unions to which district employees belong provide safety training to their members but employees who are not members of those unions do not currently receive safety training.

2. The Safety and Loss Control Officer developed a variety of safety training tapes that have been used for some preliminary training.

1. Implement a comprehensive safety training program that is offered to all district employees on a regular basis.

1. The Associate Superintendent for Business Services shall fill the vacant Safety and Loss Control Officer position as quickly as possible.

2. The Safety and Loss Control Officer shall use the training materials already developed and continue developing new materials as needed to provide training to personnel on all campuses and in the central office.

3. In situations where employees might need more intensive or specialized safety training, particularly areas such as Buildings and Grounds and Custodial Services, the Safety and Loss Control Officer shall either support the training curriculum already being used by the Directors of those areas or work with the Directors to develop and provide the needed specialized safety training.

1. Interview with Safety and Loss Control Officer

2. Interviews with campus personnel during site visits

1. First aid training is part of the training curriculum and the training materials developed by the Safety and Loss Control Officer before she left her position with the district. But as with other safety training, only preliminary training has been done.

1. Include first aid training as part of the training provided to all district personnel assigned to school sites.

1. As the Safety and Loss Control Officer implements the comprehensive employee safety program, and the training associated with it, he or she shall ensure that first aid training is provided to school site employees. This may be accomplished through a "train the trainer" program whereby an employee from each campus is trained and certified to teach first aid and then provides training to other campus personnel.

1. Long Range Facilities Master Plan, Final Draft

2. Interviews with the Associate Superintendent, Directors for Architectural Services and Buildings and Grounds, and the Facilities Planning Specialist

3. A Focus Group with District Principals

1. The district has initiated the development of a long-range master plan by contracting with URS Greiner Woodward Clyde Consultant Group for its development.

2. The process used to initiate the master plan involved a broad based task force including representatives of business, the city, the port, parents and both district and school staff.

3. The master plan includes the following information for each school:

4. A number of assumptions had to be made in the development of the master plan due to the lack of clear direction from the district. These assumptions included:

5. The draft master plan is based on enrollment forecasts prepared by a demographer appointed as a member of the master planning team.

6. Educational suitability, technology readiness and space utilization were not included within the master planning process.

7. Educational specifications for elementary schools were included in the master plan but none have been prepared for middle schools or high schools.

8. Priority aspects of the long-range facilities master plan are outlined in chapter seven and alternative scenarios are presented. The scenarios and priorities identified are those of the master plan team after consultation with district administrators and from comments at the community hearings.

1. While the draft master plan provides a good overview of the condition of facilities and future enrollment projections, it is lacking in the areas of educational suitability, space utilization and technology readiness. The district should take steps to add these components to the plan.

2. The draft master plan is based on assumptions that have not been fully discussed and adopted by the district. The district should determine standards for year round schools, kindergarten programs, school size and capacity standards and adjust the master plan as appropriate.

3. The master plan includes educational specifications for elementary schools but not for middle schools or high schools. These should be developed prior to implementation of the plan.

1. The Director for Facilities Planning should prepare specifications for the addition of educational suitability, space utilization and technology readiness to the master plan.

2. The Director for Facilities Planning should prepare recommendations regarding standards for year round schools, kindergarten programs, school size and school capacity for presentation to the board.

3. The master plan team should develop proposed educational specifications for middle schools and high schools.

1. Interview with the Director of Facilities Planning

2. The California State Department of Education Facilities Planning and Construction Guide

1. A copy of the California State Department of Education Facilities Planning and Construction Guide is on file in the office of the Director of Facilities Planning.

2. The director has utilized the guide in the development of the facilities planning process.

1. The district should continue to utilize the guide as they refine the master planning process and throughout the implementation of the plan.

1. Interviews with

2. Review of Facilities Status Report dated November 24, 1998

3. Review of Proposed Facilities Master Plan.

4. Review of OPSC Web site.

1. Measure C is a local general obligation bond approved by voters to provide the District $170 million over a 20 year period to address facility repair and improvement. Bonds valued at approximately $56 million have been sold with an additional $20 million to be sold in February.

2. The district is limited in the sale of additional Measure C Bonds by a promise to voters that taxes would not be increased higher than the current $26 per $100,000 of assessed value. Therefore there are no immediate plans for bond sales but an estimated $113 million may be sold at a future date as part of the funding package for new construction projects.

3. The district proposed to pass a bond issue in March 2000 to fund new construction. The original level of the bond issue was $512 million, which would produce a tax rate of $94.00/$100,000 in assessed value. However, the level of the bond issue may be divided into two parts with the first issue being slightly over $3 million

4. The district participated in the City of Oakland Measure I Bond program. The City’s Disaster Response Plan called for the use of district gymnasiums and cafeterias as mass care facilities in event of disaster. In 1997 the district received $1.3 million for site improvement projects.

5. The district is investigating the possibility of participating in the Federal Qualified Zones Academy Bonds Program. This is a federal program that is operated through the state. While the program is only for academies, there appears to be a liberal criteria for qualifying as an academy.

1. The district should continue to attempt to pass local general obligation bonds and continue to locate additional funding sources such as the Qualified Zones Academy Bonds Program.

1. The board should efficiently manage the bond campaign.

2. Appropriate staff, including Government Liaison/Project Manager, should increase efforts to locate additional funding sources.

1. Long Range Facilities Master Plan, Final Draft

2. Interviews with District Administrators and Directors

1. The process used to initiate the master plan development involved a broad-based task force including representatives of business, the city, the port, parents, and both district and school staff. This task force, with the help of a consultant, prepared the request for proposals in order to select a firm to collect the master plan data. Once the master plan process began, the task force was recessed and not reconvened until after the detailed draft report was completed.

1. The district should create a standing facilities committee (as an outgrowth of the current task force) to assist with the implementation of the long range facilities plan, the development of priorities and provide recommendations for future facilities needs.

1. The Facilities Director should develop goals and objectives for a standing facilities committee. These goals and objectives should include:

2. The district should solicit staff and community members to serve.

3. Superintendent should appoint facilities committee members.

4. The Director of Facilities Planning should coordinate committee activities.

1. Business Services Organizational Chart

2. Interviews with the Director of Architectural Services and the Facilities Planning Director

3. Departmental Budgets

4. Principals Focus Group

1. The Facilities Planning Department is currently housed as a division within the Department of Architectural Services and is staffed by a director and an office assistant. This office has had the primary responsibility of developing the facilities master plan. This has left little time for other facilities planning functions that would usually consist of working with the school staffs so they can fully participate in and understand the master planning process and the development of educational specifications.

2. Other facilities planning functions are provided through the office of the Director of Architectural Services. This office provides design services for in-house construction and modernization, project management services and assistance to buildings and grounds.

3. The department has contracted services for facilities planning but has not fully explored the advantages and disadvantages of in-house construction managers vs. construction management or project management services.

1. The district should add a staff member in the facilities planning division with the responsibility of working with the school staffs on their part of the master plan and with the development of educational specifications.

2. The district should fully explore the advantages and disadvantages of construction management services as opposed to all projects being managed through district project managers.

1. The Director of Facilities Planning should develop a job description for a planning staff position.

2. The Director of Architectural Services should conduct a review of construction management services.

3. The results of the review should be submitted to the Assistant Superintendent and the board.

1. Interviews with

2. Review of Facilities Status Report dated November 24, 1998

3. Review of OPSC Web site.

4. Review of Draft Long-Range Facilities Master Plan.

5. Review of Department list of Summer 2000 Modernization Projects revised 11/5/99.

6. Measure "C" Project Status Report as of 6/30/99.

1. A consolidated Annual Capital Planning Budget was not located.

2. The Measure "C" Advisory Committee comprised of citizens and district employees, advises on and approves all Measure "C" projects. This committee does not produce a formal budget for Measure "C" projects and thus appears to be no document that prioritizes sites and projects by relative need including the identification of project costs.

3. The department of Architectural Services, which is responsible for the five-year deferred maintenance plan, could not produce a current copy of the plan. A plan for the five years between 1993-94 and 1997-98 was produced.

4. Projects for SB-50 funds or Modernization Projects are largely determined by eligibility requirements with sites qualifying under the old Lease Purchase Program being addressed first. There appears to be no document that prioritizes sites and projects by relative need including the identification of project costs.

5. A draft long-range facilities master plan has been developed and is going through the approval process. This plan does not deal with specific projects or relative needs in the areas of modernization and deferred maintenance.

1. Develop a comprehensive planning process for deferred maintenance, Measure "C," and modernization projects.

2. Prepare an annual consolidated capital budget that identifies all funding or projected funding and approved projects.

1. The board should develop policy for prioritizing deferred maintenance and modernization needs on a districtwide basis

2. Director of Architecture should develop a planning process for identifying and prioritizing deferred maintenance and modernization needs on a districtwide basis.

3. Director of Architecture, in conjunction with Director of Business Services, should identify all possible funding sources and match projects with available funds.

4. Director of Architecture should prepare a capital budget on an annual basis and submit to the board for approval.

1. Facilities Policies

2. Interviews with Facilities Personnel

3. Long Range Facilities Master Plan — Final Draft

1. The district has adopted policies regarding the acquisition of real property. The acquisition of property is to be based upon criteria as described in California Administrative Code Section 2001. This criteria requires that the district consider accessibility, environment, ethnic composition of the area, size, form and orientation, topography and soil, and cost in the determination of property acquisition.

2. The only policy regarding the disposal of real property deals with the procedures for notification of parents and communities when the district is considering the closing of a facility.

3. There is no policy for the disposal of unused or unneeded properties. There is, however, in draft stage, an asset management plan that deals with the utilization of surplus properties.

1. The district should develop a policy regarding the disposal of real property. This policy could be based on the information included in the draft ass7T management plan.

1. The facilities director should develop a draft policy and submit to the Assistant Superintendent.

2. The Assistant Superintendent should submit the proposed policy to the board for adoption.

1. Interview with Director of Architectural Services

2. Review of Draft Master Plan

1. There appeared to be no awareness of any non-conforming facilities at the Oakland Unified School District.

2. There are numerous non-conforming facilities at the OUSD

1. Identify non-conforming facilities and obtain appropriate waivers from the state for continued use.

2. Attempt to obtain replacement facilities for non-conforming facilities

1. Director of Architectural Services should prepare a list of non-conforming facilities.

2. Director of Architectural Services should seek and obtain waivers from the State Allocation Board for continued use of these facilities.

3. Director of Architectural Services should work with OPSC to obtain funds and/or relocatables to replace its non-conforming facilities.

1. Interview with the Director of Architectural Services

2. District Policies and Procedures

3. District Standard RFQ for Architectural Services

1. Through the use of a standard RFQ process the district has established and utilizes a selection process for architectural and engineering services. The process involves the following steps:

2. The process for selection of architects is not spelled out in district policy or procedure, so the steps in selection and the make-up of the selection committee are not insured.

1. While the process utilized meets the intent of the standard, it is not in district procedure, so there is no insurance that it will be followed or that the selection committee will be broad-based. The district should prepare an architect selection procedure.

1. The Director of Architectural Services should prepare an architectural selection procedure that specifies the steps to be taken and the make up of the selection committee.

1. Discussion with Associate Superintendent for Business Services

2. Correspondence between Consultants (Kelling, Northcross & Nobriga) and Controller

3. Discussion with Assistant Vice President, Kelling, Northcross & Nobriga.

1. The district has hired a financial consultant to annually assess their local bonding capacity.

2. A review of the consultant’s work demonstrates a knowledgeable and complete assessment is taking place.

3. The district’s bonding capacity for fiscal year 1999/00 is $464,335,311.

1. The district should continue using a financial consultant to annually assess their local bonding capacity.

1. Interview with Associate Superintendent for Business Services

2. Correspondence between Consultants (Kelling, Northcross & Nobriga) and Controller

3. Discussion with Assistant Vice President, Kelling, Northcross & Nobriga.

1. The district does not have in place any policies/guidelines establishing self-imposed debt capacity limitations.

2. As of 6/30/99, the district had an outstanding principal of $44,800,000 in certificates of participation that are being repaid from the general fund. Of this amount, $1,995,999 was to be repaid in September 1999.

1. The district should develop policies/guidelines establishing self-imposed debt capacity limitations.

1. The district should establish procedures to determine the impact of current debt service on the general fund.

2. The district should establish policies to govern the issuance of future debt that limit the exposure of the general fund.

1. Interview with Associate Superintendent for Business Services

2. Correspondence between Consultants (Kelling, Northcross & Nobriga) and Controller

3. Discussion with Assistant Vice President, Kelling, Northcross & Nobriga.

1. The district has hired a financial consultant to annually determine the assessed valuation of taxable property within the Oakland Unified School District.

2. A review of the consultant’s work demonstrates a knowledgeable and complete monitoring of assessed valuation is taking place.

3. The assessed valuation increased 6.17% in 1999/00 bringing the total assessed valuation to $18,573,412,431.

1. The district should continue to annually determine the assessed valuation of taxable property within its boundaries.

1. Discussion with Associate Superintendent for Business Services

2. Correspondence between Consultants (Kelling, Northcross & Nobriga) and Controller

3. Discussion with Consultants (Kelling, Northcross & Nobriga)

1. The district has hired a financial consultant to monitor its legal bonding limits. The district’s total allowable debt limit is calculated as 2.5% of the districts total assessed valuation or $464,335,311 for 1999/00.

2. Measure C is a local general obligation bond approved by voters to provide the district $170 million over a 20 year period to address facility repair and improvement. Bonds valued at approximately $56 million have been sold with an additional $20 million to be sold in February.

3. The district is limited in the sale of additional Measure C Bonds by a promise to voters that taxes would not be increased higher than the current $26 per $100,000 of assessed value. Therefore there are no immediate plans for bond sales but an estimated $113,000,000 may be sold at a future date as part of the funding package for new construction projects.

1. The district should continue using a financial consultant to monitor its legal bonding limits.

1. Discussion with Facilities Manager

2. Review of Documents

1. The district is currently collecting fees through the county at $1.93 per square foot on residential development projects and $.31 per square foot on commercial development projects.

2. The amount the district is currently collecting is the maximum amount established by the State.

3. The district collected $1,214,133 in developer fees in 1998-99 and $968,294 in 1997-98.

4. The district earned $95,032 in interest income on developer fee revenues in 1998-99 and $107,431 in 1997-98.

1. The district should continue collecting developer fees at the state maximum.

1. Discussion with Facilities Manager

2. Discussion with Associate Superintendent for Business Services

3. Review of Facilities Status Report dated November 24, 1998.

4. Review of Draft Long Range Facilities Master Plan

5. Review of sale of site budget reports

1. The district has, as a part of the master plan development process, contracted for an asset management plan which consists of the following:

2. The district has no asset management plan that provides summary information regarding all district facilities.

1. While the asset management plan included in the draft long range facilities plan provides a reasonable start from a districtwide summary perspective, the district should enhance the process by developing an asset management plan that will provide an outline for all facilities.

1. The Director of Architectural Services should expand the contract for development of the asset management plan to include a summary of all facilities. The information to be reported could include:

1. Projects involving the joint-use of facilities by more than one governmental agency were funded by the state through the Lease Purchase Program.

2. The district did apply not for Joint Use Projects under the Lease Purchase Program

3. Funding for Joint Use Projects is not provided for by SB-50 or any other state program at this time.

4. The district has pursued joint-use funding directly with the City of Oakland. The City’s Disaster Response Plan called for the use of district gymnasiums and cafeterias as mass care facilities in event of disaster. In 1997 the district received $1.3 million for site improvement projects.

1. The district should continue to monitor for state funding programs for joint-use projects.

2. The district should increase efforts to locate joint-use projects directly with local and federal agencies.

1. Government Liaison/Project Manager should increase efforts to establish relationships with local and federal agencies.

1. Interviews with

2. Review of Facilities Status Report dated November 24, 1998

3. Review of budget documentation for deferred maintenance fund including Form J-205 and unaudited actual report for 1997/98 and 1998/99.

1. The district has a special revenue fund reserved for deferred maintenance revenues and expenditures.

2. To meet the match requirement, funds are transferred to this fund from the Measure "C" local bond fund. All Measure "C" projects are generated from the Deferred Maintenance List.

3. The district’s department of Architectural Services, which is responsible for the five-year deferred maintenance plan, could not produce a current copy of the plan. A plan for the five years between 1993-94 and 1997-98 was produced.

4. While all expenditures in the deferred maintenance fund appear to be for maintenance purposes, having a copy of the Five Year Deferred Maintenance Plan would have facilitated verification.

1. Determine the status of the current Five Year Deferred Maintenance Plan and update accordingly.

2. Use the Deferred Maintenance Plan as a basis for allocating deferred maintenance projects.

1. The Director of Architecture, with appropriate input from site-based employees, should develop a current Five Year Deferred Maintenance Plan and obtain board approval for this plan. The plan should be updated as necessary to reflect current priorities and cost estimates.

2. The Director of Architecture should insure that deferred maintenance funds are spent according to this plan through the review of periodic project reports and fund summaries.

1. Interviews with

2. Review of Report of the Executive Officer "Deferred Maintenance Funding" dated March 24, 1999.

1. The district was awarded $1,462,876 for deferred maintenance in 1999/2000. Due to financial constraints at the state level, districts were funded at 86.5% of the full formula level.

2. One of the criteria for qualifying for critical hardship funding is that the qualifying project must require more than twice the level of a district’s full funding amount. As such, large districts generally are not able to obtain funding from this program. For OUSD a project would need to cost more than $3,000,000 to qualify.

3. The Oakland Unified School District has not applied for funding under this provision.

1. Interviews with

2. Review of Facilities Status Report dated November 24, 1998

3. Review of OPSC Web-site.

4. Review of Draft Long-Range Facilities Master Plan.

5. Review of January 1990 audit report by California Office of the Auditor.

6. Review of Department list of Summer 2000 Modernization Projects revised 11/5/99.

1. The district is greatly improving its process for applying for state matching funds.

2. A report by the California Office of the Auditor General in January 1990 states that the Oakland Unified School District had not taken advantage of all available sources of funds for improving school facilities. An analysis of the funding history shows that the district applied for new construction funds for only three sites between 1981-1991 Two of the requests for funding were rescinded and one was unfunded. The data also shows that the district did not apply for any funding under the modernization program during this period.

3. Between 1992 — 1998 the district applied to the state Lease Purchase Program for $168,005,558 for modernization projects and $7,217,627 for new construction. Oakland has received a total of $79,976,513 in state funds for modernization projects. The new construction projects were unfunded. This compares favorably with Santa Ana and San Francisco unified school districts, which have similar demographics including student enrollment, average class size, pupil-teacher ratio and average daily attendance.

4. The OPSC web-site indicates that between 2/23/99 and 4/14/99 the district applied for $21,965,355 in normal grants and $2,682,313 in excessive hardship grants from the new SB-50 School Facility Program. No applications have been recorded for new construction.

5. The district Summer 2000 Modernization list indicates that they will be receiving over $30 million from the state for modernization projects. Taken together with the projects listed on the OPSC web-site, this means that the district has applied for or has been awarded over $54 million from the SB-50 School Facility Program.

6. The district’s new proposed master facilities plan includes a preliminary assessment of eligibility under the SB-50 program. Under the modernization eligibility, the plan lists 62 sites as known eligibility and 28 sites as unknown. The estimated eligibility for modernization funds for the known sites is $78,362,052. The estimated eligibility for new construction is $58,510,475.

7. SB-50 provides $2.1 billion for modernization projects and $2.8 billion for new construction statewide. These funds are being made available in two phases. In November 1998, $1.3 billion was made available for modernization, and $1.3 billion for new construction. In July 2000, an additional $800 million will be made available for modernization and an additional $1.5 billion for new construction. An additional $500 million is set aside for hardship uses when districts are unable to meet matching requirements.

8. All of the first round modernization funds have been allocated and there is a waiting list of $300 million for second round funds. Money is still available from the first round of funding for new construction projects.

9. The State Allocation Board appears to have a very supportive application process. Total eligible funds will be awarded if the approved projects exceed 60% of the eligibility amounts, with excess funds being retained by districts. Total eligible funds are made available at the start of the project and the districts are able to retain interest income. Substantial progress must be verified 18 months after apportionment. Substantial progress can be claimed if 75% of site development work is completed for new construction, or 90% of building construction activities are under contract, or 50% of construction is complete. There is no time period for project completion.

10. As was witnessed on site visits and documented by the Facilities Site Assessment or the "Get On The Bus Tour", the district has numerous deficiencies in the current condition of its facilities. The state has a generous program to provide funds to districts to resolve these deficiencies. The state program allows the district to get funded at the full eligible amount for a site if approved projects are at least 60% of the total eligibility and to then retain excess funds. In addition, the district can retain interest earned on unspent funds.

1. The district should improve its participation in the School Facilities Program. While the district is participating in this program, there should be a more focused effort on getting projects through the system before funds run out. It may already be too late to obtain funding for projects from July 2000 modernization funds. However, it is not too late to receive funds for new construction. Additionally the district should prepare and process modernization requests in expectation of additional funding in the future.

2. The Board Facilities Committee should be responsible for monitoring the funding process to assure maximum participation.

1. Under the supervision of the Director of Architectural Services, Government Liaison/Project Manager should assess eligibility for all sites.

2. Government Liaison/Project Manager should submit eligibility applications for all appropriate sites.

3. Government Liaison/Project Manager should inform the Board Facilities Committee of the status of eligibility applications.

4. Government Liaison/Project Manager should identify needed projects for each eligible site.

5. Government Liaison/Project Manager should assure that plans and specifications are completed for all projects.

6. Government Liaison/Project Manager should submit funding applications for all eligible sites.

7. Government Liaison/Project Manager should inform the Board Facilities Committee of the status of funding applications.

1. Interviews with

2. Review of Facilities Status Report dated November 24, 1998

3. Review of OPSC Web-site.

4. Review of Draft Long-Range Facilities Master Plan.

5. Review of January 1990 audit report by California Office of the Auditor.

1. The district is using School Facility Consultants to determine modernization eligibility.

2. To date the district has focused on sites originally determined eligible under the Lease Purchase Program guidelines and carried forward into the new SB-50 Facilities Program.

3. The URS Greiner Woodward Clyde Consultant Group prepared a Draft Long-Range Facilities Master Plan that shows the current 1998/99 modernization eligibility and potential funding amounts.

4. The OPSC web-site indicates that between 2/23/99 and 4/14/99 the district applied for modernization grants at 16 sites under the new SB-50 School Facility Program.

5. The district Summer 2000 Modernization list indicates that the district has applied for projects at 25 additional sites.

6. Before the State releases funds, the district must certify that its matching share (generally 20% of project costs) has either:

7. The Draft Long-Range Facilities Master Plan indicates that the district should have eligibility for modernization grants at 58 sites. Eligibility is listed as unknown at an addition 28 sites. At four sites the district is not eligible for any additional funding. The district needs to validate eligibility and submit applications to the state to receive funding.

8. The Draft Long-Range Facilities Master Plan indicates that the district indicates that the district is eligible for $178 million from the New Construction Program.

1. The district should increase efforts to participate in the State School Building Program.

1. The Director of Architectural Services should assign Government Liaison/Project Manager to liaison work on a full-time basis.

2. The Director of Architectural Services should regularly schedule meetings with department staff to the coordinate planning and application process.

3. The Director of Architectural Services should develop a plan to determine how local matching requirements will be met in order to access state funding.

4. The Government Liaison/Project Manager should submit modernization eligibility applications for all possible sites in preparation for the next round of funding after July 2000.

5. The board should be knowledgeable of state funding programs, eligibility requirements, and potential funding levels. The board should assure adequate efforts to apply for eligibility and funding.

1. Interview with Coordinator of Facilities Management

2. Observations at construction site

3. Review of sample Interim Housing Plan

1. Most interim housing plans are for construction projects which take place during summer vacation. Portables are provided to house the furnishings and equipment which must be moved out of the building during the construction.

2. The coordinator does the following;

1. Continue current interim housing plan procedures

1. Interviews with project managers

2. Review of project files

1. The district does not have standard report forms or a common software program for tracking projects. Individual project managers are responsible for developing their own tracking methods and spreadsheets.

2. Project managers meet once a week to discuss the status of their projects. Approximately once a month, stakeholders from other departments meet with the project managers to discuss the projects. The departments include;

3. The district’s accounting software, OBARS, is not a project management tool. While it provides the raw data that the project managers need to track costs and review budgets, the project managers must extract this data and put it in some useful management form.

4. The district does not produce standard reports showing the status of all its projects. The staff can compile this data but it must be done manually and there is no standard format for monthly status reports.

1. The Department of Architectural Services should implement a standard project tracking system.

1. The Director of Architectural Services should develop standard procedures for tracking projects. The procedures should identify the critical elements which need to be tracked for all stake holders, e.g. project managers, board members, school staff.

2. The Director should purchase an off-the-shelf project management software program and provide training in the use of the software for all project managers.

3. Weekly meeting with the project managers and monthly meetings with other departments should be continued.

1. Interviews with project managers

2. Review of project budgets

1. In the first round of modernization projects, a given percentage of the project budget was allocated to furniture and equipment (approximately 2.5%). This allocation was required by the state. Decisions on how to spend these funds were made by the curriculum advisor and the site administrator.

2. In the current round of modernization projects, the state does not require a given allocation for furniture and equipment. Consequently, the project manager and the site administrator determine the amount based on the nature of the project and the needs of the site.

1. Continue current practice of including furniture and equipment items within the scope of modernization projects.

1. Interview with the temporary Director of Architectural Services

2. Interview with a project manager

1. The district’s architect submits the plans and specifications to the Division of State Architect (DSA). DSA reviews the documents for compliance with applicable codes and regulations. The architect makes any required changes and then DSA approves the drawings.

2. Plans and specifications are submitted to the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC). OPSC checks the drawings to make sure they match the intent of the original application for state funds. The bid is compared to the grant budget to determine if the district will have to add money of its own. OPSC submits the plans to the State Allocation Board who releases the money.

3. Once DSA and OPSC have approved the plans, the district awards the bid to the lowest, responsible bidder.

1. Maintain existing procedures.

1. Interview with staff

2. Review of the draft master plan

3. School site visits

1. Not all the district’s relocatables meet statutory requirements, and the district does not have an inventory of which relocatables do and don’t meet requirements.

2. The master plan will identify all portables which do not meet statutory requirements. A schedule for correcting non-conforming relocatables will be contained in the master plan.

1. The district must make a commitment to meeting the master plan schedule for eliminating non-conforming relocatables.

1. Upon completion of the Facilities Master Plan, the Director of Architectural Services shall assign a Project Manager the responsibility of overseeing the elimination of all non-conforming relocatables.

2. The Project Manager shall review the schedule for replacing and/or repairing all non-conforming relocatables. The schedule should be based on a priority system which ranks the needs.

3. The Project Manager and the Director shall identify funding sources for the needed work.

4. The Project Manager and the Director shall present the schedule and the funding sources in a "Relocatable Plan" to the Facilities Committee for review and comment.

5. The Director shall present the "Relocatable Plan" to the board for review and approval.

6. The Director shall report to the Facilities Committee and the board on the status of the "Relocatables Plan" implementation on a regular basis.

1. Interviews with Architectural Services Project Managers

2. Interview with the Facility Planner

3. Interview with the acting Director of Architectural Services

4. Review of draft Master Plan

5. Review of Facilities Status Report

1. Years of neglect have left many of the district’s facilities in generally poor condition.

2. The district has undertaken numerous improvement and modernization projects which are being funded by Measure C bond monies, state modernization funds, and state deferred maintenance funds.

3. The lack of coordination in the numerous modernization projects have caused some problems for the district. Limitations on how some state monies could be spent left some projects with unfinished work. Alarm systems have been disabled and not reconnected in some facilities. The Building and Grounds Department’s work load has increased as a result of poor project planning.

4. The district is in the process of developing a Facilities Master Plan. The district has contracted with a consultant and the plan is now in draft form.

5. The most recent update of the deferred maintenance plan produced by the district was dated November 24, 1998. This update was contained in the "Facilities Status Report" and identified projects in progress or scheduled for 1999. The district has been awarded deferred maintenance monies for 1999-2000, but it is not clear that they have a plan for these monies.

1. The district should ensure that all facility improvement efforts, projects contained in the Facility Master Plan and the Five-year Deferred Maintenance Plan, and general maintenance work, are coordinated and support each other.

1. The Director of Architectural Services and the Director of Building and Grounds should review the draft Facilities Master Plan and the five-year Deferred Maintenance Plan to ensure they are supportive documents. All modernization projects, deferred maintenance projects, and all other projects should be identified, prioritized and coordinated.

2. The Director of Architectural Services and the Director of Buildings and Grounds, with the appropriate staff from their departments, should meet monthly to coordinate all facility improvement and maintenance projects.

1. Interviews with

2. Review of Facilities Status Report dated November 24, 1998

3. Review of budget documentation for deferred maintenance fund including Form J-205 and unaudited actual report for 1997/98 and 1998/99.

1. The district transfers the maximum amount the district would be eligible for in matching funds from the state.

2. To meet the match requirement, funds are transferred to the deferred maintenance fund from the Measure "C" local bond fund. All Measure "C" projects were generated from the Deferred Maintenance List.

1. The district should continue to transfer the maximum amount possible to match the State Deferred Maintenance Apportionment.

1. Interview with acting Director of Architectural Services

2. Interview with Director of Buildings and Grounds

3. Interview with project manager

4. Review of Facilities Status Report, dated November 24, 1998

5. Review of Five-year deferred maintenance plan dated 1992.

1. The department of Architectural Services, which is responsible for the five-year deferred maintenance plan, could not produce a current copy of the plan. A plan for the five years between 1993-94 and 1997-98 was produced.

2. At one time, the state required districts to produce an actual five-year plan in order to receive deferred maintenance funding. Currently, the state only requires the districts to state that such a plan exists.

3. OUSD has been awarded deferred maintenance funding for 1999-00.

1. Develop and maintain a Five-year deferred maintenance plan.

1. The Director of Architectural Services and the Director of Buildings and Grounds shall meet and identify the status of current deferred maintenance planning.

2. The Directors shall be jointly responsible for producing a current report which shall take into account the current state funding.

3. The Directors shall decide which staff person(s) shall be responsible for annually updating the report.

4. The Directors shall annually present the updated report to the Facilities Committee for review and approval.

1. Interview with a project manager

2. Interview with the OPSC liaison.

1. Architectural Services has created a .5 FTE position to be the department’s liaison with OPSC. This position is filled by one of the project managers. Likewise, OPSC has a project manager assigned to each district.

2. The department has also retained a private consultant to assess the district’s eligibility for state funding.

3. SB 50 is the legislation for the current round of modernization projects. The eligibility rules for this program are still being written. This process is overseen by the State Allocation Implementation Committee which has held hearings to receive input from all stake holders. The department’s OPSC liaison has taken an active role in giving input to the committee.

4. Each round of the modernization projects has had different funding eligibility requirements. The district has been able to optimize funding for individual projects by assessing which funding requirements are best for which project. In at least one case, the district was able to obtain more state funds under the 50/50 match than the 80/20 match program because of the liaison’s understanding of the regulations.

1. Maintain the current OPSC liaison position.

1. Interview with acting Director of Architectural Services

2. Interviews with Project Managers

1. The Division of State Architect (DSA) essentially acts as a code enforcement agency for school districts which are exempt from local code enforcement agencies. School districts submit plans and specifications to the DSA for review and approval. The DSA reviews all projects which utilize state funds.

2. The project managers are knowledgeable of DSA’s procedures.

1. None

1. Interview with acting Director of Architectural Services

2. Interviews with Project Managers

3. Review of district records

4. Interviews with construction site building users (principals)

1. The district is experiencing problems with their construction projects. These include poor coordination in scope of projects, poor quality of construction, slow payment to contractors, and poor performance by inspectors.

2. These problems can be attributed to the following factors;

1. Reorganize all facility functions under an Assistant Superintendent of Facilities.

2. Intensify efforts to recruit and hire a Director of Architectural Services.

3. Institute standardized project management procedures.

1. The board shall create a new division which would include all facility functions. This would include architectural services, buildings and grounds, and custodial services. The division could also include food services, environmental health, safety and loss, transportation, and purchasing.

2. The board shall hire an Assistant Superintendent to be responsible for the new division who has specific experience in managing the areas included in the division.

3. The Director of Human Resources shall change the position requirements for the Director of Architectural Services. Eliminate the requirement of owning an architectural firm. Engage a private recruitment service.

4. The new Assistant Superintendent shall establish procedures that ensure all leaders of facility management functions are working together and coordinating their efforts.

5. The new Director of Architectural Services shall establish monthly reporting requirements for the project managers of construction projects. The reports should show an overview of the department’s activities, such as the level of change order activity. The Director should use these reports to measure the effectiveness of the department and manage the activities of the staff.

1. Interviews with Project Managers

2. Interview with Associate Superintendent for Business Services

3. Review of documents

1. Project managers encourage contractors to complete the work included in a change order prior to the change order being approved by the board.

2. Board policy requires the board to approve all change orders regardless of the amount.

3. Procedures for presenting change orders to the board change frequently. Recently, a procedure was enacted that limited the approval process to one change order per project per board meeting.

4. It typically takes three months, at a minimum, to receive board approval of a change order.

5. Most construction occurs in the summer. The board does not meet in the summer.

1. Streamline the change order review and approval process.

1. The board shall establish policy requiring board approval of change orders in excess of $25,000, and Director approval of change orders in excess of 15,000.

2. The board office shall simplify procedures for submitting change orders to the board for approval. The goal should be to have the board review all change orders received by staff up to one week before the board meeting date.

3. The board shall establish procedure for obtaining board approval of change orders during the summer months when the board is not scheduled to meet.

1. Interview with project managers for Architectural Services

2. Review of project files

1. The project managers in Architectural Services maintain the project records and drawings. These files contain typical project documents such as;

2. The filing system is structured into four major categories, billing/contract, general, design, and construction. Each major category is divided into minor categories. All project managers do not necessarily file the same documents in the same minor categories. Each project manager files according to his/her own interpretation of the categories since no standardization has been imposed.

3. Documents in the files are loose instead of being filed chronologically and bound with a two-pronged fastener.

4. The project managers maintain a record set of the specifications and plans, and an as-built set of the specifications and plans. These documents are not filed in a systematic way. Copies of the as-built drawings have not been transferred to Buildings and Grounds because they do not have sufficient space to store them.

1. Organize and standardize the way project documents, plans and specifications are filed and stored.

1. The Director of Architectural Services shall appoint one of the project managers to be responsible for standardizing and organizing all files and document storage. The project manager shall also work with Buildings and Grounds to develop a plans storage system.

1. Interview with the acting Director of Architectural Services

2. Interview with project manager

3. Review of district records

1. Every project that requires the approval of the Division of State Architect (DSA) is required to have an Inspector of Record (IOR).

2. Currently, the state recognizes three levels of inspectors. Each level is certified for a different construction type.

3. OUSD has the project architect review and approve the inspector qualifications, and then submit the appropriate paperwork to the Division of State Architect for approval. These forms include;

4. DSA also has field engineers which meet with the IORs at different intervals.

1. None

1. Interview with acting Director of Architectural Services

2. Interviews with Project Managers

3. Interview with Director of Purchasing

4. Board policy

5. Purchasing Policies and Procedures and Affirmative Action

6. Purchasing Procedures

1. Board policy 10,031, "Purchasing Policy" states the basic tenets of the district’s policy on purchasing contracts. These tenets establish the principals of a formal bidding process, which is competitive, public and in the best interests of the district.

2. Administrative Bulletin 10030 establishes the purchasing policies and procedures for the district.

3. Administrative Bulletin 10030 establishes the operating procedures for the purchasing function and that these procedures will be in compliance with Public Contract Code 20111. The procedures include letting for bid any contracts for work in excess of $15,000 and any contracts for materials and supplies in excess of $21,000. Purchases between $2,500 and $8,000 may be by written telephone quotation. Purchases of more than $8,000 but less than $15,000 for work or $21,000 for supplies or materials shall be by written quotation with a minimum of three quotations.

4. Architectural Services is responsible for the bidding process on all construction projects. The process typically includes the following steps;

1. None

1. Interviews with Project Managers

2. Interview with Director of Purchasing

3. Interview with Associate Superintendent for Business Services

1. Administrative Bulletin 10030 establishes the procedures for price quotes/proposals. Purchases of less than $2,500 may be made without a telephone quote or a written quote. Purchases between $2,500 and $8,000 may be by written telephone quotation. Purchases of more than $8,000 but less than $15,000 for work, or $21,000 for supplies or materials, shall be by written quotation with a minimum of three quotations.

2. Administrative Bulletin 10030 also states that the Purchasing Department is responsible for securing quotations and bids.

3. Project Managers in the Architectural Services department often secure their own quotes based on a requisition order issued by the department’s bookkeeper. Once the work is complete, the requisition order will be submitted to the Purchasing Department with an invoice for payment. The Purchasing Department will issue a purchase order, after the fact, and pay the invoice.

4. The procedure used by the project managers to purchase services and materials, circumvents the policy requiring the Purchasing Department to issue a purchase order for all purchases. Project managers circumvent purchasing policy, and it is tolerated by the administration, because it expedites the process which can be slow when conducted according to policy.

5. The Purchasing Department states that the number of purchase orders it issues has increased greatly in the last 10 years, while the number of buyers has remained constant. The Purchasing Director contends this is the reason that the issuance of purchase orders may not be as quick as desired by the project managers.

1. Implement policies and procedures to bring the purchasing practices used by the project managers in line with board policy.

1. The Directors of Purchasing and Architectural Service should meet and discuss the existing purchasing procedures being used by the Architectural Services department.

2. The Directors should assess the magnitude of the problem and develop procedures to minimize risks and to bring the purchasing procedures in line with the intent of the board policy.

3. The Director of Purchasing should make recommendations for procedures and policy modifications to the Associate Superintendent for Business Services, who shall review the recommendations and submit them to the board for review and approval.

1. Review of OUSD Amended Conflict of Interest Code

2. Review of Conflict of Interest statements

1. The Amended Conflict of Interest Code adopted by the OUSD details the procedures and rules that govern OUSD employees.

2. The code requires the filing of the following types of potential conflicts of interest;

3. The code designates specific positions which must file statements for specific potential conflicts. Among those positions designated are all associate superintendents, the director of Purchasing and Supply, and the director of Buildings and Grounds. The Director of Architectural Services is not included.

1. Add the Director of Architectural Services to those designated by the Conflict of Interest code to be required to file a statement.

1. The board shall amend the Conflict of Interest code to include the Director of Architectural Services.

2. The Director of Architectural Services shall file the appropriate statement of conflict of interest.

1. Interview with the acting Director of Architectural Services

2. Interviews with the project managers

3. Site visits to construction sites.

1. The district does not have a standardized procedure for ensuring that biddable plans and specifications are developed for all construction projects. The project managers are individually responsible for reviewing the plans and specifications for their projects.

2. Many projects now in construction, or recently completed, were not reviewed by district personnel prior to issuance for bidding. The first round of modernization projects were prepared three to four years prior to their issue by private architects. Due to the timing for funding, the district did not have the ability to review these projects prior to bidding.

1. Develop standard review procedures for ensuring the biddability of all projects.

1. The Director of Architectural Services shall establish standard procedures for reviewing the biddability of all plans and specifications.

2. The review procedures shall include a review of plans and specifications prior to bidding by the appropriate project manager. The review should accomplish;

3. The Director shall review the biddability review documentation to ensure the review was completed and the necessary changes were completed by the architectural consultants.

1. Interview with acting Director of Architectural Services

2. Interview with Project Managers

3. Review of district documents

1. The general contractor for each project submits a schedule of values, which lists the quantity and value of work for each trade. This schedule is used to evaluate the value of work completed for each progress payment.

2. The inspector of record (IOR) reviews the requests for progress payments to ensure the work claimed is actually completed and they are accurate according to the schedule of values. The IOR is the "eyes and ears" for the district.

3. The request for progress payment is forwarded to the Architect who reviews for compliance with the contract documents and the schedule of values.

4. The Project Manager reviews the request for progress payment to ensure it is approved by the IOR and the architect. The Project Manager approves the request for payment.

5. A key reason for careful evaluation of progress payment requests is to ensure that the work has been properly completed prior to paying the contractor and losing the financial leverage to enforce the terms of the contract. Some school site staff and some maintenance staff reported that poor quality work was being accepted by the IOR’s and consequently the Architectural Services Department.

6. Project Managers cited examples of products that were viewed as "poor" due to their poor performance. However, the poor performance was, in part, due to the improper maintenance of the product. One example was a new rubber flooring which appeared dull when cleaned using traditional methods. The appropriate methods for maintaining the flooring, which were new to staff, were not being used. Another example was paint applied to radiators which off gassed and caused air quality problems. Architectural Services maintains that the paint was not properly cured by the Maintenance Department.

7. Site visits to schools in construction confirmed that some poor construction was taking place, largely due to poor performance by the contractor. In some cases, the work was rejected and in some cases it was not. The outcome was largely due to the diligence of the IOR, the Site Administrator, the Architect, the Project Manager and the Maintenance Staff. Given this many participants in the evaluation of the quality of the construction, effective communication is key to a successful project. The current climate encourages an attitude of pointing the finger of blame at the other person, rather than encouraging cooperation.

1. The district should maintain the existing system for approving requests for progress payments but improve the communication and cooperation between the Architectural Services Department, the Buildings and Grounds Department, and the Custodial Services section.

1. The Directors of Architectural Services and Building and Grounds and the Coordinator of Custodial Services should meet and develop a strategy to improve communication and cooperation between the three departments. At a minimum, staff from all three departments should participate in review meetings of all construction projects.

2. Appropriate staff from each department should be assigned the responsibility of establishing standards for materials and products to be incorporated into new or remodeled facilities that reflect the best practices for the maintenance and operation of the physical plants.

3. The Facilities Committee should monitor the occurrence of poor construction being accepted by the district. The committee should evaluate each occurrence and determine the cause of the problem and develop policies to avoid future such occurrences.

1. Review of board policy

2. Interview with Director of Purchasing

3. Interview with acting Director of Architectural Services

1. Board policy states that the district shall award construction contracts to the "lowest responsible bidder". The term "responsible" is used to determine if the contractor, bidding on contracts in excess of $100,000, is using the required number of minority-owned contractors, sub-contractors, and suppliers.

2. Administrative Bulletin 11050 details the steps to appeal the bid award in the event there are lower bidders than the apparent lowest responsible bidder. The steps include:

3. Prior to a hearing for the protest, the district’s legal department will review the protest and respond to the protestor. The hearing is then held at a meeting of the board’s Facility Committee.

4. Architectural Services has received several (3-4) protest letters but only one appeal has been carried all the way through to the board. The appeal was decided in favor of the district.

1. Maintain the current contract award/appeals process.

1. Interview with Director of Programs for Exceptional Children

2. Interviews with special education teaching staff

3. Interviews with building principals

4. Interview with district legal staff regarding ADA issues

5. Inspection of district sites and facilities

1. The OUSD complies with the facility requirements (i.e., that facilities be provided for special education students) relative to the provision of special education facilities.

2. The district provides space for special day class and Resource Specialist Program education activities for exceptional children at each site. No specific standards were available regarding these education programs.

3. A recent class action lawsuit regarding districtwide ADA access compliance resulted in a consent decree requiring the district to hire a consultant to 1) study districtwide access issues and to 2) conduct a basic survey of the district’s administrative and instructional facilities to determine compliance with ADA. The consultant’s draft report and executive summary were not available for review. Although students with access concerns are not necessarily special education students (i.e., students with learning disabilities), there is an overlap between those two populations.

4. The consultant is developing a transition plan to address access for each school site. These plans are due to be submitted in December 1999.

5. The district plans to incorporate the ADA transition plans into the master plan. ADA upgrades that are needed are to be prioritized.

6. A listing of the district’s special education facilities exists in hard copy only. There are plans for the development of a customized, computerized list of special education facilities that will be folded into the new master plan for district level oversight.

1. The Director of Architectural Services should assure that the ADA transition plans are incorporated into the district’s long-range facilities master plan and are implemented.

2. The Director of Architectural Services should assure that the customized, computerized list of special education facilities is developed and incorporated into the district’s facilities master plan.

1. Assign the responsibility for oversight regarding the inclusion of ADA transition plans in the district’s facilities master plan to the newly defined Capital Projects position in Architectural Services.

2. The Facilities Manager should assure that a customized listing of special education facilities is developed as an identifiable component within the district’s computerized master list of facilities.

3. The same individual should provide oversight regarding district compliance with facilities-related mandates (e.g., Section 504, ADA, special education).

1. Interview with Director of Programs for Exceptional Children.

2. Interviews with special education teaching staff.

3. Interviews with building principals.

4. Interview with district legal staff regarding ADA issues.

5. Inspection of district sites and facilities.

1. Class Size Reduction (CSR) and modernization have affected the balance between the assignment of Special Education classes to portable and building locations. Currently there are more special education classes housed in portables, resulting in a disproportionate representation of special education students located in facilities separated from the main school building(s).

2. It was noted at the sites visited that the special education classes were more frequently located in smaller spaces, internal rooms, or rooms lacking windows and/or a door to a hallway or outside. The district appears to have a pattern of assigning Special Education classes to the leftover, least desirable and programmatically inappropriate learning and teaching environments.

3. Every Site Administrator/Principal and every building level Special Education Program Director was to have been interviewed by an outside consultant for the master plan regarding the equity and appropriateness of special education facilities. Approximately half of the interviews were conducted, and the district has asked that the remaining be done.

1. The district should develop a plan that ensures equity between facilities for special education students and students in other education programs.

1. The outside consultant to the master plan should complete the interviews with the Site Administrators/Principals and all building level special education program Directors regarding the equity and appropriateness of special education facilities.

2. Analyze the assessment of special education facilities conducted as part of the master planning process in terms of the program information gathered from the above mentioned interviews.

3. Establish priorities among the district’s special education facility needs.

4. Incorporate the prioritized special education facility needs into the district’s master plan where they will receive on-going oversight at the district level.

1. Interview with Director of Programs for Exceptional Children

2. Interviews with special education teaching staff.

3. Interviews with building principals.

4. Inspection of district sites and facilities.

1. In general, spaces allocated for special education were too small for the number of students and the associated programs, and appeared to be the leftovers. One storage room assigned to special education as class space had no ventilation, excessive clutter (as the room was still used to house several filing cabinets, served as the "office" for several teaching staff, and was used as storage for a variety of supplies) and a large window to an adjacent classroom that contributed to a high noise level in both directions. Two teachers who had been assigned to teach in what had been a storage room had recently walked out, refusing to return until the class was relocated.

2. Several special education spaces visited were noisy, poorly lit, and lacked ventilation.

3. Every Site Administrator/Principal and every building level special education program Director was to have been interviewed by an outside consultant for the master plan regarding the adequacy of special education facilities. Approximately half of the interviews were conducted, and the district has asked that the remaining be completed.

1. The district should develop a plan that ensures adequacy of special education facilities for the facilitation and support of high quality programs.

1. The outside consultant to the master plan should complete the interviews with the site administrators/principals and all building level special education program directors regarding the adequacy of special education facilities.

2. The Director of Architectural Services, with the advice of the Director of Programs for Exceptional Children, should establish a committee to analyze the assessment of special education facilities conducted for the master plan. The committee’s analysis should determine the assessment outcomes in terms of adequacy to support the programs identified in the above-mentioned interviews.

3. The Director of Architectural Services should assure that the factors regarding adequacy be incorporated with the equity and appropriateness issues identified in 6.2, and that special education facility priorities be established.

4. The Director of Architectural Services should assure that the special education facility priorities be included in the district’s master plan where it will receive on-going oversight at the district level.

1. Interview with Director, Business Services.

2. Interview with Government Liaison/Project Manager

3. Interview with Assistant Superintendent for School Operations..

4. Interview with Accounting Supervisor.

5. Interview with Education Program Consultant for Class Size Reduction-Operations, California State Department of Education.

6. Review of Applications for Class Size Reduction Program for 1997-98 and 1998-99.

1. The Class Size Reduction Program is operated by the California State Department of Education and awards funds to districts based on the number of classes averaging less than 20.44 students and the numbers of students enrolled. There is also a federal aspect to the program that must be applied for separately, but still through the State Department of Education.

2. The district filed applications for the state Class Size Reduction Program for the 1997-98, 1998-99, and 1999-2000 school years. As of this writing the State Department of Education has received a FAXed copy of their 1999-2000 application and is awaiting receipt of the required original hard copy version.

3. The Assistant Superintendent for School Operations, working with a consultant, manages the program for the district.

1. The district should assure that there is an adequate process in place to notify the Assistant Superintendent for School Operations of the annual application process and the deadlines for submission.

1. Interview with Assistant Superintendent for School Operations.

2. Interview with Facilities Manager.

3. Inspection of district sites and facilities.

4. Review of district documents regarding CSR certification.

1. The district has provided facilities for the additional classes created as a result of implementing CSR. However, this has been accomplished:

2. The district has fully implemented CSR for grades K-3. They are currently in their fourth year.

3. The district is in its first year of CSR implementation for grade 9. All ninth grades have been moved into the high schools.

4. Portables, stages, music rooms, lunchrooms and other areas have been used to implement CSR.

1. The Director of Architectural Services should assure that the adequacy of CSR classrooms is assessed.

1. FCMAT Standard 7.2 should be clearly defined, in particular the term "adequate."

2. A consultant should be engaged to assess the CSR facilities districtwide.

3. The consultant should prepare a report summarizing the extent to which the CSR facilities meet Standard 7.2.

1. Interview with Assistant Superintendent for School Operations.

2. Interview with Facilities Manager.

3. Inspection of district sites and facilities.

1. The majority of CSR classes are housed in teaching stations meeting the space requirement of 960 square feet.

2. Some CSR classes are not held in spaces meeting the 960 square feet requirement. This situation primarily occurs in older facilities where load bearing walls prevent reconfiguration of existing space.

1. Bring all CSR teaching stations into compliance with the CDE suggested space requirement of 960 square feet.

1. The Director of Architectural Services should assure that a plan for permanent facilities to house CSR programs is written into the new Master Plan.

2. The Director of Architectural Services should assure that the importance of permanent CSR facilities meeting CDE space requirements is clearly communicated to the board prior to their vote on approval.

1. Interview with Assistant Superintendent of School Operations.

2. Interview with Facilities Manager.

3. Review of draft Master Plan.

1. A plan for providing permanent facilities for CSR programs is planned for inclusion in the new Master Plan. At the time of the interviews, the text was being revised.

2. The Facilities Manager is planning to take either a policy or goal statement regarding the provision of permanent CSR facilities to the board for their approval. The statement will address square feet, class size, multi-track usage, etc.

1. Include a plan for permanent CSR facilities in the district’s Master Plan.

1. The Director of Architectural Services should assure that a plan for permanent CSR facilities is included in the Master Plan.

2. The Director of Architectural Services should assure that the board understands the importance of providing appropriate permanent facilities for all CSR programs districtwide.

1. Interview with Associate Superintendent for Business Services

2. Interview with Director of Building and Grounds

3. Interview with energy management contractor

4. Review of energy management documents

1. OUSD contracted with the Honeywell Corporation in 1994 to install computer controls for the district’s heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment in order to control the operation of this equipment and consequently produce energy savings. Other work accomplished under this contract included thermal storage units at two sites, boiler replacement at three sites, numerous lighting retrofits, and trash compactors at 45 sites. The district also contracted with Honeywell to provide various types of support service.

2. The district is realizing approximately $550,000 in savings annually from the Honeywell project.

3. The Honeywell contract was a performance-based contract where the savings to the district were to exceed the cost of the contract. A conflict over the method used to calculate the savings caused the district to cancel the contract.

4. OUSD has contracted with Independent Energy Consulting, Inc. (IEC) to provide energy management services in lieu of the Honeywell Corporation. These services include;

5. The contract with IEC is realizing approximately $120,000 in savings annually.

1. Maintain the existing energy management program and continue to take advantage of opportunities to save on energy costs.

1. Interview with energy management consultant, Independent Energy Consulting, Inc. (IEC)

2. Review of energy management documents

1. OUSD has contracted with IEC to perform an analysis of all utility (gas, water and electricity) bills. This review resulted in a savings of $30,000 due to billing error discovered by the review.

2. IEC has reviewed the district’s contract for natural gas and identified $30,000 in additional costs. The consultant has contacted the natural gas supplier and is waiting for a reply.

3. IEC is performing a water use audit of the district for the purposes of negotiating a discount rate with East Bay MUD.

4. IEC has issued an RFP for the purchase of electricity under AB 1890, which deregulates energy suppliers.

1. Maintain the existing monitoring procedures.

1. Interview with acting Director of Architectural Services

2. Interview with project manager

1. OUSD has no written policy that requires energy conservation recommendations to be included in all modernization and construction projects.

2. All new construction must comply with the state’s Title 24 energy regulations. OUSD completes the required calculations and submits these with the plans to the Department of the State Architect (DSA). DSA reviews the calculations and ensures compliance with Title 24.

3. The first round of modernization projects did not typically involve changes to the building envelopes and consequently offered few opportunities for energy conservation measures. Some projects included boiler replacements and the new boilers were high efficiency models.

4. Some energy conservation measures are problematic for the district. Unfortunately, the high efficiency boilers required more maintenance than the Buildings and Grounds department could afford to provide. Architectural Services has reverted back to specifying less efficient, lower maintenance boilers. Architectural Services does not specify dual paned window units because these are more expensive to replace. Currently, Buildings and Grounds replaces broken windows with acrylic panes.

1. Implement a policy which requires energy conservation measures to be included in all applicable construction projects.

1. The Director of Architectural Services will prepare a policy statement that requires an energy efficiency review of all construction projects.

2. The Director of Architectural Services and the Director of Buildings and Grounds, will be responsible for developing guidelines for the energy efficiency review. The guidelines will include a cost benefit analysis of all measures.

1. Interview with Director of Buildings and Grounds

2. Interview with Coordinator of Buildings and Grounds

3. Interviews with Buildings and Grounds foremen

4. Review of Employee Training History

1. Buildings and Grounds does not have a complete inventory of all its supplies, materials, tools, and equipment. The department is in the process of identifying equipment which it maintains in order to develop a maintenance plan.

2. It is the responsibility of the Purchasing Department to tag and identify all fixed assets. In the past, Purchasing has conducted an annual inventory but this is not done now.

3. Training is offered by the union, the district’s Human Resources Department, and manufacturers. All staff receive safety training.

4. The director has just started keeping a record of staff training. The following training statistics were recorded for calendar year 1999.

5. The trades persons are supplied with sufficient tools and materials to complete their work. A couple instances were cited of shop tools which need to be updated but these were the exception.

1. Develop a comprehensive training program for all Buildings and Grounds staff.

2. Develop a system of inventorying all Buildings and Grounds tools, equipment, materials, and supplies.

1. The Director of Buildings and Grounds, in conjunctions with the district’s Human Resources staff shall develop a comprehensive training program for the department’s staff. Each staff member shall receive at least eight hours of professional development training per year, in addition to mandated safety training. The program should include the following training areas at a minimum;

2. The Director of Buildings and Grounds shall prepare a schedule of training and a budget to support the schedule. The director shall present the schedule and budget to the board for review and approval.

3. The board shall review and approve the comprehensive training program and approve the budget necessary for its implementation.

4. Building on the existing system of inventorying equipment, the Director of Buildings and Grounds, in conjunction with the Coordinator, shall expand this system to include all materials, supplies and tools.

5. The Coordinator shall be responsible for having an annual inventory conducted.

6. The Director and the Coordinator shall prepare an annual inventory report to the board. The report shall explain any discrepancies in inventory which exceed 2% of the inventory value. The report shall also detail procedures to be implemented to eliminate all discrepancies in the inventory.

1. Review of Board Policy

2. Review of Administrative Bulletins

3. Review of Bargaining Group Agreement

4. Review of Job Descriptions

5. Review of Evaluation Forms

6. Interviews with

1. The agreement between the Oakland Unified School District and AFSCME District Council 57 provides a framework for evaluating probationary and permanent custodial employees.

2. Administrative Bulletin 11020, dated May, 1978, defines responsibilities for evaluating all levels of custodial employees.

3. Field Supervisors are charged with evaluating probationary custodians for the Office of Classified Personnel following the second and fifth months of employment, but there is no adequate tracking program to assure that these evaluations take place.

4. There are no departmental policies and procedures governing the evaluation of custodial staff.

5. The Bargaining Group Agreement requires that all promotions be based on seniority only.

1. Develop written policies and procedures for evaluating custodial staff.

2. Review the role of employee evaluations in the administrative process including promotions and disciplinary actions.

3. Provide training in supervision and employee evaluation to all supervisory personnel.

1. The District Superintendent should form an on-going Custodial Advisory Committee (CAC) comprised of building principals, field supervisors, head custodians and the union representative to provide advice on matters related to the provision of custodial services. The Custodial Advisory Committee should make recommendations on an effective evaluation system that is based on first- hand knowledge of the work being performed. This group should also review the discipline process and the role that employee performance evaluations play in that and other administrative processes.

2. The Associate Superintendent for Business Services should negotiate with AFSCME to change promotion criteria to include elements other than seniority. New criteria will have to be crafted so as to greatly diminish any chance of favoritism. School principals should have input into the process. A first step away from the current seniority-based system would be to include attendance as a factor in the process. The would assist the district in addressing the substantial problem with attendance.

3. Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services should develop appropriate work standards, criteria, process and forms for evaluating staff. Criteria should include tasks required to support district priorities such as graffiti abatement, cleanliness standards and improved attendance of custodians.

4. Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services should review items developed in number two above with Custodial Advisory Committee and Associate Superintendent for Business Services.

5. Administrative Supervisor Custodial Services should review Administrative Bulletin 11020 to assure that evaluation procedures are consistent with revised evaluation system and update accordingly.

6. Administrative Supervisor Custodial Services should put finalized policies, procedures and forms into a Custodial Policies and Procedures Handbook. Distribute policy and procedure manuals to all sites. All employees should be informed that current policies, procedures and forms that do not appear in the policy and procedures manual are invalid and should be discarded.

7. Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services should assure that all supervisory personnel have the appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities to evaluate employees. In service training should be provided to all supervisory employees. Special counseling should be available as needed.

8. Administrative Supervisor Custodial Services should provide appropriate oversight and review to assure that evaluations are conducted as scheduled in a fair and equitable manner.

1. Interview with the Director of Buildings and Grounds

2. Interview with the Coordinator of Building and Grounds

3. Interviews with Building and Grounds foremen.

4. Review of Administration Bulletin 8010: Personnel Procedures

1. Evaluations of Buildings and Grounds staff are conducted annually in compliance with board policy.

2. It is in doubt as to whether Foremen are regularly evaluated as there was some confusion among them as to who evaluates them and when they were evaluated.

3. Job evaluation forms which were specific for the Buildings and Grounds staff have not been utilized.

1. Develop a evaluation system that is specific to the trades and professions within the Buildings and Grounds department.

1. The Director of Buildings and Grounds, in conjunction with the Coordinator and the Foremen, shall develop evaluation forms that are appropriate for the trades and professions within the Buildings and Grounds department. The evaluation forms should, at a minimum, include the following elements;

2. The Director shall prepare an evaluation schedule which shall be substantial compliance with the schedule established by the Human Resources Division, "Implementation of Evaluation Calendar."

3. The Director shall ensure that all supervisory personnel receive training in the proper methods of personnel evaluation.

4. The Director shall put finalized policies, procedures and forms into a Maintenance Policies and Procedures Handbook. All employees should be informed that current policies, procedures and forms that do not appear in the policy and procedures manual are invalid and should be discarded.

1. Review of Board Policy

2. Review of Administrative Bulletins

3. Review of Bargaining Group Agreement

4. Review of Job Descriptions

5. Review of Work Schedules

6. Interviews with

1. Administrative Bulletin 11020, dated May 1978, describes the duties of Director of Building Operations, Building Operations Supervisors, Supervising Custodians and Custodian Service Employees. This administrative bulletin has not been updated to reflect current job titles and duties.

2. Job descriptions are outdated and, in some cases, have not been revised for over 30 years.

3. The duties as described in the administrative bulletin and in the job descriptions are not consistently followed in practice.

4. Work schedules (or "Runs") listing the activities of individual custodians are not kept current.

5. The Director of Buildings and Grounds has identified some needed changes in job descriptions and daily practices that have not been favorably received by the union for the trades workers. Examples include the creation of a "generalist" mechanic and the implementation of time clocks.

1. Delineate major areas of responsibilities and specific jobs to be performed by all maintenance and custodial staff.

2. Update Administrative Bulletin 11020 and all maintenance and custodial job descriptions.

1. The Custodial Advisory Committee (see 8.6.a for the recommendation creating this committee) should review Custodial Services’ proposed "Scope of Work" document and provide advice on specific jobs to be performed by custodial staff and the method for establishing appropriate performance standards (level of cleanliness and amount of time required to perform tasks) for each task. The supervisory roles of head custodians, field supervisors and site administrators should be reviewed and clearly identified.

2. Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services should develop policies and procedures (including performance standards) governing the assignment of custodial responsibilities and specific jobs to be performed.

3. The Director of Buildings and Grounds, in conjunction with the Coordinator and the forepersons, shall review the roles of all staff in the trades and administrative support sections of the department. The review shall ensure that all duties are clearly identified and appropriately assigned.

4. The Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services and the Director of Buildings and Grounds, with the support of the board, shall open discussions with their respective unions to implement changes in the job descriptions and work habits that will increase the efficiency of the department.

5. Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services, the Director of Buildings and Grounds, and the appropriate supervisors, in conjunction with Human Resources staff, should rewrite individual job descriptions to reflect current job requirements and the evaluation processes established under standard 8.6.

6. Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services should update Administrative Bulletin 11020 to include revised duties of custodial personnel and proper job titles.

7. Head Custodians should update the Official Work Schedules (or "Runs") for the head custodian and other custodians located at the site at least annually. The Work Schedule should be reviewed and signed by the field supervisor, site administrator and head custodian.

1. Site observations

2. Review of budget records

3. Interviews with

1. Many site custodial personnel and site administrators indicated difficulties with supplies and equipment. Difficulties included inadequate and outdated equipment, lack of approved supplies for specific tasks, and general under funding.

2. Campus cleanliness was inconsistent across the district.

3. There are no custodial staffing standards for the Oakland Unified School District. On average one custodian is responsible for maintaining 21,232 sq. feet of space. Excluding Alternative Schools, which includes Child Development Centers, the average is 19,764 sq. feet per custodian. Individual assignments vary from 6,119 sq. feet to 33,221 sq. feet per custodian.

4. Student discipline and neighborhood use or abuse of school property during off hours has an impact on custodial work load.

5. The district does not have a formal, standardized training program for its custodial employees. There is inadequate record keeping of attendance at training programs and thus no adequate method of assuring that employees take requisite training. The responsibility for providing training is split between Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees bargaining unit.

1. Develop custodial staffing standards and staff schools accordingly.

2. Assure that all sites have appropriate supplies and equipment.

3. Assign the training function to Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services. Provide a full program of in-service training for all custodial site personnel which includes the proper use of cleaning supplies and equipment.

1. In conjunction with the Custodial Advisory Committee, Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services, should develop staffing standards for the Oakland Unified School District. MGT normally recommends that academic space be staffed at 1.0 FTE per 19,000 sq. feet with an additional .5, .75 and 1.0 FTE custodian at the elementary, middle, and high school levels respectively for non-cleaning duties. However, given the substantial effect of neighborhood and student discipline influences on custodial workload, it is recommended that these elements be incorporated into the staffing formula.

2. Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services, should develop a supply and equipment list for each site or category of site. The list should specify the appropriate cleaning product for specific tasks such as cleaning graffiti from walls.

3. Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services, should maintain a list of equipment at each site and take inventories on an annual basis. When head custodians are re-assigned, inventories should be taken by the exiting and entering head custodian.

4. Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services, in conjunction with the Custodial Advisory Committee, should decide upon the priorities for the types of training needed. Typically a comprehensive program includes training in the following areas: orientation, self-management, time management, custodial standards, custodial inspections, security and safety management, cleaning techniques, cleaning chemicals, pest control, asbestos management, energy conservation, human relations — internal and external, and preventive maintenance.

5. Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services, should establish appropriate training classes on a rotating basis so that cleaning schedules are not disrupted.

6. Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services should keep adequate records to insure that training is received by all requisite custodians.

7. Administrative Supervisor, Custodial Services, should evaluate the proper use of supplies and equipment on a regular basis. This evaluation should be part of the process established in standard 8.6 above.

1. Interview with the Director of Buildings and Grounds

2. Interview with the Coordinator of Buildings and Grounds

3. Interviews with Buildings and Grounds forepersons

4. Review of preventive maintenance schedules

1. Prior to the summer of 1999, the Buildings and Grounds department had three preventive maintenance teams. These teams would spend up to two weeks at a school site performing preventive and routine maintenance tasks. These teams were broken up and reassigned to respond to the work orders generated by the "Get on the Bus Tour".

2. The department does have lists of preventive maintenance tasks for the following areas;

3. These lists do not constitute a comprehensive preventive maintenance plan that includes all building systems and a schedule of tasks. A comprehensive plan would include the tasks to be completed, the responsible staff person, and the schedule for completion. The plan should also include procedures for tracking repairs to specific pieces of equipment.

1. Develop a comprehensive preventive maintenance plan.

1. The Director of Buildings and Grounds shall reform the multi-trade preventive maintenance teams and develop a school visitation schedule for each team. The schedule should be based on a two to four day visit at each school, so that each school is visited every 30 to 45 days.

2. The Director of Buildings and Grounds, in conjunction with the coordinator and the forepersons, shall develop a comprehensive preventive maintenance plan. The comprehensive plan should include the tasks to be completed, the responsible staff position, and the schedule for completion. The plan should also include procedures for tracking repairs to specific pieces of equipment.

3. The preventive maintenance teams shall be responsible for completing routine maintenance tasks as well as preventive maintenance tasks. The foreman of the team will contact each school approximately three weeks prior to the scheduled visit to plan the tasks to be performed and order the necessary materials.

4. The preventive maintenance team will also be responsible for identifying and tagging all equipment, which requires maintenance, and completing an equipment repair history.

5. The Coordinator shall be responsible for verifying that the preventive maintenance teams perform all tasks in the plan according to the schedule.

1. Review of Board Policy

2. Review of Job Descriptions

3. Review of Work Schedules

4. Interviews with

1. There is no board policy that directly addresses the care and supervision of buildings.

2. While building condition varied greatly throughout the district, in general, conditions remain sub standard. Some schools have an inadequate number of toilets.

3. Site-based responsibility for coordination with Buildings and Grounds is not clearly identified. Maintenance problems would remain unreported because it was assumed that someone had reported the problem. In other cases, appropriate site based personnel were not aware that a problem had been solved.

4. Policies and procedures for the Buildings and Grounds Department are not in writing and not consistently implemented.

5. Neighborhood influences and student attitudes have a substantial effect on the conditions of the buildings.

6. OUSD general fund expenditures for maintenance amount to approximately $1.37 per square foot of facilities. The American School and University conducts an annual survey of maintenance expenditures and found that the median amount for the region including California, Arizona, Hawaii, and Nevada for 1998-99 was $1.94 per square foot.

1. Develop written policies and procedures governing the repair and supervision of buildings.

2. Encourage the involvement of pupils, teachers, administrators and neighborhood residents along with custodians in operating an efficient maintenance program.

1. The Facility Committee will develop board level written policy on building repair and supervision. Include the cooperation of pupils, teachers, administrators and neighborhood residents as an essential element of an effective program.

2. The Facility Committee should develop guidelines for appropriate levels of expenditures. These guidelines should be developed by determining the level of required maintenance and the associated costs. For example, if the Committee determines that the painting of schools should be on a seven year cycle, the budget should reflect cost of achieving this level of effort.

3. The Director of Buildings and Grounds will develop department level written policies and procedures for evaluating and maintaining buildings on a regular basis.

4. Each school should identify one staff person to coordinate all work order requests with Buildings and Grounds. This person should receive training in the new computerized work order system.

5. The Director of Buildings and Grounds shall be responsible for informing all school site based personnel of Board and department policies and procedures. The Director shall also be responsible for implementing those policies and procedures.

1. Interview with the Director of Buildings and Grounds

2. Interview with the Coordinator of Buildings and Grounds

3. Interviews with Buildings and Grounds Forepersons

1. The Department of Buildings and Grounds has begun the process of implementing a planned maintenance program. Staff members are identifying equipment which has to be maintained.

1. Continue implementing a planned maintenance program.

1. The Buildings and Grounds staff shall continue identifying and tagging all pieces of equipment which require maintenance. The identification should include the type of equipment, age, and repair history.

2. This data shall be included into a data base that also includes the projected life expectancy of the equipment, and the replacement cost.

3. The Director of Buildings and Grounds shall prepare an annual report which projects needed equipment repairs and replacements for ten years. The report shall identify projected costs and necessary budget resources.

1. Interview with Facilities Manager.

2. Review of the Oakland Unified School District Long-Range Facilities Master Plan, Appendix L: Recommendations of the Landscape Task Force.

1. The Landscape Task Force has developed recommendations entitled the Beautiful Schools In Oakland Program. The Task Force recommends both minimum standards for all OUSD facilities as well as additional landscaping, if space allows.

Six model projects and beautiful schools programs are described. These include school gardens, tree planting, ornamental landscaping, a landscape design program, an art/mural/painting program and a "Grow Our Own" student summer internship/apprentice program with a career focus. Guidelines, a review process, recommendation of a Landscape Advisory Committee and associated program and project forms are included. The Task Force also recommended that the district hire a full-time Landscaping/School Garden Program Coordinator to provide program oversight and support and to seek funding sources.

2. The Landscape Task Force recommendations await board adoption.

1. The OUSD board should adopt the landscape recommendations developed by the Landscape Task Force.

1. The Facilities Manager should present the Landscape Task Force recommendations to the board for review, discussion and a vote.

1. Interview with the Director of Technology Services.

2. Review of the OUSD Strategic Plan for Technology in Oakland Schools: 1999-2004. (Draft, September 22, 1999)

1. The draft Strategic Plan for Technology has clear objectives and goals.

2. The plan includes objectives and goals for both the administrative and instructional technology systems.

3. The funding plan is being revised and is not yet available. The most recent funding plan was associated with the 1995 Technology Plan.

4. In 1995, the district experienced a shortfall of approximately $186 per student, per year, to fund both instructional and administrative technology on an on-going basis. "This included new equipment, replacement equipment over five years, professional development, and technical support." These deficits still have not been funded by budgets.

1. Fund the Strategic Plan for Technology in Oakland Schools consistent with district priorities.

1. The Director of Technology Services and Assistant Superintendent for Planning, Research, Evaluation and Policy Development should develop a funding plan for the new technology plan that reflects the district’s priorities.

2. The board shall review and approve the funding plan.

1. Inspection of school lunch areas, cafeterias and multipurpose rooms.

2. Interviews with site administrators.

1. Based on the inspection of several sites’ lunch areas and cafeterias it was found that, in general, the OUSD is in compliance with the Education Code requiring a "warm, healthful place" for children to eat lunches brought from home.

2. One school did not provide an area designated as a lunch area or cafeteria.

3. All eating areas meet the standard for being warm and healthful, however, most are in need of painting and/or repairs.
 
 

1. Provide dedicated lunch areas or cafeterias at each school site.

2. Paint and repair lunch areas and cafeterias, as needed.

1. The Director of Architectural Services should assure that a space is identified at each school that can be a dedicated eating area for students who bring their lunches. Class size reduction efforts may have taken some dedicated lunch areas for classrooms. Future efforts to move students into permanent classroom spaces should, in those instances, return lunchrooms to their intended use.

2. Identify and prioritize maintenance needs for the district’s lunch areas and incorporate into the Master Plan.

1. Inspection of bathroom facilities on school sites

2. Interviews with building principals

1. Inspection of bathroom facilities at several school sites and interviews with the building principals indicated that the district is, in general, in compliance with the Education Code cited above.

2. The inspection of bathroom facilities at some schools, however, found that they were not adequately maintained and, in the case of one locker room, there had been no maintenance in several years. In that situation, no amount of regular cleaning could make the shower/dressing/toilet areas clean. There were holes in the plaster walls and cement floors, insulation hanging from overhead pipes, hammered and rusted lockers throughout and no hot water. At another site, the plumbing was leaking and the smell of urine was overwhelming.

1. Bring all bathrooms into compliance with the code.

1. The Facilities Manager should assure that the conditions of bathroom facilities throughout the district are assessed.

2. The Director of Custodial Services and Director of Buildings and Grounds should assure that maintenance and custodial needs regarding bathrooms are identified districtwide.

3. The maintenance and custodial needs should be prioritized and maintenance and custodial programs should be developed to systematically address all needs.

1. Document defining Village Centers and their programs

2. Documents announcing programs and schedules of the following programs: "America Reads", 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Community Homework Centers

3. Interview with Village Center Coordinator

4. Responses to specific questions communicated by Facilities Manager via telephone by her assistant

1. Four categories of extended day programs are currently provided by the OUSD. These include: Village Centers located at two middle schools and co-located at a middle school and elementary school; "America Reads" programs located at 10 elementary schools; 13 schools organized into four clusters as 21st Century Community Learning Centers; and Community Homework Centers located in seven middle schools. The Village Center Coordinator, who works in Student Services, provides oversight for the extended day programs.

1. Continue to provide facilities in support of extended day programs at over 30 school sites throughout the district.

1. Review of the OUSD Long-Range Facilities Master Plan — Final Draft, Volume 1.

2. Interview with Facilities Manager.

1. The district does not have a written plan that ensures the equality and equity of its facilities throughout the district.

2. The new Master Plan includes the recommendation (Section 9, p. 9-3, item C-4) to establish a prioritized approach to the modernization of school sites that is based on each site’s relative need.

1. The district should develop a plan to ensure the equality and equity of facilities districtwide.

1. The Director of Architectural Services should assure that a districtwide assessment of modernization needs be conducted and a prioritized list of modernization needs be developed and incorporated in the Master Plan.

2. The board should approve this prioritized list of modernization needs.

3. The board should fully fund the approved list of modernization needs.

4. A board policy should be written that requires the equality and equity of facilities throughout the school district.

5. The Facilities Subcommittee of the board should provide ongoing oversight of the implementation of the prioritized modernization projects and monitor progress.

6. The full board should review the progress of the plan on an annual basis.

1. Inspection of district sites and facilities

2. Interviews with building principals

3. Interviews with building custodians

4. Review of a March 1999 listing of Measure "C" projects, both closed and in progress

5. Review of "Get On the Bus" findings

6. Review of the HVAC and electrical system assessments conducted in conjunction with the development of the new Master Plan

7. Article in October 25, 1999, edition of The Aegis (Oakland High School newspaper) entitled Two teachers vent frustrations, walk out: Another teacher hospitalized from the lack of fresh air

8. Report of Executive Officer, State Allocation Board Meeting, "Deferred Maintenance Funding", 3/24/99 (sent in communication to District Superintendent)

1. Most schools experience significant heating and ventilation problems which were the subjects of repeated complaints. In one school, space heaters had been issued for each of the portable classrooms, but were inadequate to the task. The temperatures registered in one principal’s office were regularly in excess of 90 degrees. The principal related having had to break the office window in order for the situation to receive priority as a work order, and to have the window repaired to open halfway. One middle school’s roof-mounted ventilation unit was found to have been recycling its own exhaust throughout the school.

2. A review of Measure "C" projects (March 1999 listing), either in progress or completed, revealed only six in the category "mechanical."

3. There were several comments from the "Get On the Bus" tour regarding heating and ventilation. Comments included that there were "some portable air quality issues", that there was "no heat in a main building" at one elementary school, and that there was a "lack of ventilation" in a classroom. Space heaters and fans were noted, and are an indication of heating and ventilation problems.

4. It was communicated verbally by the Facilities Manager and in a written news advisory to the media that a districtwide assessment of facilities had been conducted for the Master Plan, although a written summary of the district’s HVAC systems was not available.

5. Based on current state funding of $1.4 million for deferred maintenance projects (see item 8, Sources and Documentation), it is assumed that the district has a current deferred maintenance plan, however, a written copy could not be produced. It is assumed that the current plan includes HVAC maintenance projects.

1. Define the term "adequate" in Standard 9.7 and then bring heating and ventilation systems throughout the district into compliance with that standard.

1. The Facilities Manager should assure that a summary of the assessments of HVAC systems throughout the district be prepared. If the assessment has not been completed, the Facilities Manager should assure that the assessment of HVAC systems throughout the district is completed and then summarized.

2. Using the districtwide assessment of HVAC systems, the Director of Buildings and Grounds should identify and prioritize HVAC maintenance and replacement needs.

3. The Director of Buildings and Grounds should establish a maintenance and replacement program that systematically corrects HVAC problems districtwide.

4. The Director of Buildings and Grounds should seek full funding for all maintenance and replacements scheduled in each fiscal year.

1. Inspection of school sites and facilities

2. Interviews with building principals

3. Review of a March 1999 listing of Measure "C" projects, both closed and in progress

4. Review of "Get on the Bus" tour findings

5. Report of Executive Officer, State Allocation Board Meeting, "Deferred Maintenance Funding", 3/24/99 (sent with communication to District Superintendent)

1. In general, the OUSD schools appear to have adequate lighting and electrical service.

2. Principals and staff generally indicated that the current lighting and electrical service meet their current instructional and technology needs. However, as technology is upgraded and expanded, the current electrical service in most buildings will be inadequate.

3. The new Long-Range Facilities Master Plan encompasses the need for future systems upgrades to "an adequate standard." (Section 6, Part C)

4. There was only one comment about lighting and electrical systems specifically in regard to instructional programs that came out of the "Get On the Bus" tour. The comment was that the "electrical outlets [were] overloaded in [one] room."

5. It was communicated verbally by the Facilities Manager and in a written news advisory that a districtwide assessment of facilities had been conducted for the Master Plan, although a written summary of the district’s assessment of the lighting and electrical systems was not available.

6. Based on current state funding of $1.4 million for deferred maintenance projects (see item 5, Sources and Documentation), it is assumed that the district has a current deferred maintenance plan, however, a written copy could not be produced. It is also assumed that this plan includes lighting and electrical projects.

1. Define the term "adequate" in Standard 9.8 and then bring lighting and electrical systems throughout the district into compliance with that standard.

1. The Facilities Manager should assure that summaries of the districtwide assessments of lighting and electrical service are prepared. If the assessment has not been completed, the Facilities Manager should assure that the lighting and electrical assessments are completed and then summarized.

2. Using the districtwide assessment of lighting and electrical service, the Director of Buildings and Grounds should identify and prioritize lighting and electrical service needs.

3. The Director of Buildings and Grounds should establish a maintenance and replacement program that systematically corrects lighting and electrical service problems districtwide.

4. The Director of Architectural Services should assure that the Strategic Plan for Technology in Oakland Schools: 1999-2004 and associated electrical infrastructure needs are included in all modernization and new building projects.

1. Interview with Government Liaison/Project Manager in the Division of Facilities Planning and Management.

2. Interviews with building principals.

3. Interviews with building teaching staff.

4. Visits during school hours to district sites and facilities.

1. The building principals and teaching staff generally reported classrooms as free of noise and other barriers to instruction.

2. It is the district’s practice to schedule modernization projects during times when school is not in session.

1. Continue to eliminate, to the extent possible, all barriers to learning that would be created by excessive noise and activity due to facility modernization projects.

1. Interviews with building principals

2. Interviews with building teaching staff

3. Interview with Director of Programs for Exceptional Children

4. Interview with Director of Technology Services

5. Visits to district sites and facilities during school hours

6. Summary of teachers’ and board members’ comments, FCMAT Press Conference, December 7, 1999

1. The HVAC problems that exist in most schools have a significant negative impact on the quality of the teaching and learning environments throughout the district.

2. The lack of funding for the 1995 Technology Plan has delayed the acquisition and implementation of technology planned for the classrooms.

3. In many cases, spaces allocated to special education students are not conducive to high quality teaching or learning.

4. Educational specifications for the district’s elementary schools were completed in 1999. In 2000, a broad-based committee consisting of district and community representatives, including students, will begin developing middle school specifications. High school specifications will be developed last (no date has been determined).

5. The practice of multiple classes using single open spaces in some locations is not conducive to "high quality teaching and learning."

1. Address HVAC problems as recommended for FCMAT Standard 9.7.

2. Address special education facilities inequities as recommended for FCMAT Standards 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3.

3. Address educational technology issues as recommended for FCMAT Standard 9.2.

4. Link current best practices for teaching and learning to design plans for facility improvements and new construction.

1. Director of Architectural Services and the Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction should establish an advisory committee for the purpose of developing guidelines for the translation of current best practices for quality teaching and learning into school facilities standards.

2. The committee should make recommendations regarding guidelines for the design of teaching stations by grade level, subject area, or other appropriate categories.

3. The committee’s recommendations should be approved by the board.

4. The implementation of approved recommendations should be assured by the Director of Architectural Services.

1. Interview with Director of Public Information

2. Public Information Office news releases

3. Copies of Friday-E-Mail, a weekly internal district communication

1. District meetings were held at 16 school sites from March 1 through April 19, 1999, where community members could offer input on what the "school facilities require to provide a suitable teaching environment for our kids."

2. On September 13, 1999, an overview of the Draft Facilities Master Plan was presented to the Oakland Public Schools Facilities Committee and Board of Education for public comment.

1. The final Master Plan should reflect reasonable community expectations for school facilities.

1. The Facilities Manager should assess the extent to which the final plan does reflect the standards and expectations expressed by the community during the public input process.

2. The Facilities Manager should recommend revisions to the Master Plan based on the assessment, as indicated.

1. OUSD Administrative Bulletin 11010, May 1978, Revised 2/1/99, Use of Facilities Under the Civic Center Act.

2. Draft version of the OUSD Civic Center Permit Policies and Procedures manual, February 1, 1999.

3. Draft of document entitled Agreement for Joint Use of Facilities between the OUSD and the City of Oakland.

4. Interviews with the Facilities Manager, the Civic Center Coordinator, building principals and the Village Center Coordinator.

1. The Agreement for Joint Use of Facilities constitutes the district’s plan for promoting the use of the school district’s facilities by members of the community. This is a formal agreement signed by a representative from the OUSD and the City of Oakland and establishes policies, procedures and guidelines for the use of each party’s facilities by the other party. Designated representatives from OUSD and the City of Oakland oversee the agreement.

2. The district’s Civic Center program is well utilized by the community. During the summer of 1998, approximately 88 community groups and organizations used the OUSD facilities for well over 100 events. The following are representative of those groups using school district facilities: religious organizations; Oakland Parks and Recreation; a mentor teacher program; PTAs; child care centers; high school football teams; neighborhood crime prevention councils; and the Project Yes East Bay Conservation Corps.

3. All policies, procedures and forms are in draft form. Within the last year the Civic Center Program retained the services of an outside consultant. As a result, forms and documents have been revised, but remain in draft form and are not in use.

4. The draft versions of all policies, procedures and forms are clear, concise and comprehensive.

5. All policies, procedures and forms were drafted in English only.

6. All processes related to the request and issuance of facility use permits are conducted manually.

7. All billing for facility use is conducted manually. Charges or fees are indicated on the permit. There is no follow-up system for unpaid balances.

8. The one-page Civic Center application is submitted to the site at which space is requested, rather than to the Civic Center Office. This procedure, implemented approximately two years ago, serves to increase program accessibility for community members throughout the school district.

9. The district runs a Village Center program that is administered by the Student Services Department. School facilities provide safe places during non-school hours where community members of all ages can gather for positive activities and interaction. Most facilities are used between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

1. Implement use of new and revised policies, procedures and forms regarding the Civic Center program.

2. Civic Center program policies, procedures and the application, equipment and service request forms should be available in languages other than English.

3. Automate Civic Center processes including application for facility use, issuance of permits and billing.

1. The Facilities Manager should complete the draft versions of all Civic Center policies, procedures and forms. The Facilities Manager should assure that these documents are submitted to the appropriate individuals and/or departments for review, recommendations and approval. Print and distribute forms to school sites for implementation. Provide written instructions to school site staff, if needed.

2. The Facilities Director should establish a biannual schedule for review of Civic Center policies, procedures and forms, including fees and charges. Identify individual responsible for initiation and oversight of this review.

3. The Facilities Director should assure that all Civic Center policies, procedures and forms translated into languages other than English in accordance with established district policies regarding multi-lingual communication.

4. The Facilities Manager should assure that software is purchased or developed to meet Civic Center administrative needs (e.g., applications, issuance of permits, assignment of custodial staff, reservation of equipment, etc.). The software should also automate billing and be linked to a monthly spreadsheet report for follow-up and record keeping.

1. OUSD Civic Center Permit Policies and Procedures manual

2. OUSD Board Policy Chapter 11, Section 11,010

3. OUSD Administrative Bulletin 11010 (Revised 9/14/88) and (DRAFT Revision 2/1/99)

4. Interviews with the Facilities Manager and the Civic Center Coordinator

1. The OUSD has implemented the requirements of Education Code 38130.

2. Administrative Bulletin 11010 establishes the groups that qualify to use school facilities, the priority among those groups for use when there are conflicting requests, the groups that qualify for free use and under what conditions, and what constitutes a commercial user. Commercial or fair rental rates are charged in the case of commercial users, with a schedule of charges available in the Office of Operations and Records, Civic Center Services, and on a sheet entitled "Payment for Rentals of School Facilities" that is provided with a three-page document outlining the application and approval procedure for the use of district facilities.

3. Neither the "direct costs" nor the "fair market" rental rates have been reviewed and revised in the recent past.

4. All policies, procedures and forms are in a revised, draft form.

1. Review and revise, if needed, the "direct costs" and "fair market" rental rates.

2. Publish all policies, procedures and forms in final, approved form.

1. The Facilities Manager should assure that a survey is conducted of similar facilities available for rent in the Oakland area in order to establish current "fair market" rental rates. Research the current "direct costs" to the district that are associated with the use of facilities. If deemed appropriate, revise, approve and publish updated charges.

2. The Facilities Manager should assure that the draft versions of all Civic Center policies, procedures and forms are completed. Submit these to the appropriate individuals and/or departments for review, recommendations and approval. Print and distribute forms to school sites for implementation. Provide written instructions to school site staff, if needed. Provide written instructions in multiple languages.

3. The Facilities Manager should establish a biannual schedule for review of Civic Center policies, procedures and forms, including fees and charges. Identify individual responsible for initiation and oversight of this review.

1. Interview with the Facilities Manager.

2. Interview with the Civic Center Coordinator.

3. Interview with Accounting Supervisor.

1. Funds are received by the Civic Center Office and forwarded to the Accounting Office on a periodic basis. The Accounting Office is responsible for depositing the money and recording it in the proper account. The Accounting Office is not responsible for invoicing or insuring receipt of funds owed to the district.

2. The requested budget summary report of revenues and expenditures was unavailable through the Civic Center Coordinator or Facilities Manager. While the Accounting Supervisor stated that this information is available on line, the Civic Center Coordinator or Facilities Manager did not seem to be aware of how to use the system.

3. It appears that the Civic Center billing system is inadequate and lacks follow-up.

4. There appears to be no procedure for either writing off or sending unpaid bills to a collection agency.

5. There is no reimbursement to schools or to Custodial Services for supply and salary expense related to Civic Center Operations.

1. Improve the record keeping and reporting for Civic Center Funds.

2. Improve the billing system and follow-up for monies owed to the district by Civic Center users.

1. Civic Center Coordinator in conjunction with the Facilities Manager should develop an automated billing system for Civic Center users. At a minimum, the system should include amount owed, date of use, date due and date paid. While this could easily be done on a spreadsheet program, an inexpensive accounting system could be purchased, if so desired.

2. Civic Center Coordinator should prepare periodic reports on outstanding receivables and submit through channels to the Director, Business Services.

3. Policies and procedures for forwarding unpaid bills to a collection agency should be developed.

4. Director, Business Services, should insure that monies collected for supplies and custodial salaries are reimbursed to appropriate account codes.

1. Interview with Director of Public Information

2. News releases to the media

3. Copies of weekly internal district newsletter, Friday-E-Mail

4. Interview with Facilities Manager

1. The Facilities Master Plan is partially published on the school district’s web-site.

2. School board meetings frequently address facility issues and are televised on cable Channel 13.

3. The Facilities Department assembles packets of information regarding facilities and provides them to the Department of Public Information and Publications for dissemination to the press.

4. The Public Information Office is currently involved in preparing and distributing releases to the press and items for the weekly district newsletter regarding the bond they plan to have voted on next spring. Friends of Oakland Schools assists in these efforts.

5. The district is establishing a web-site on each school aimed at the bond issue. The sites will contain pictures and information regarding modernization and construction needs and associated costs. They plan to have the sites up by late December 1999.

6. The district holds Town Hall Meetings at which facilities issues, including discussions of their condition, are discussed.

1. Continue to use multiple means of informing the community regarding the condition of the school facilities.

1. Interview with Director of Public Information

2. News releases to the media

3. Copies of weekly internal district newsletter, Friday-E-Mail

1. The district’s web-site will contain information focused on individual schools’ repair and modernization needs. Availability is planned for late December 1999.

2. A news conference was held during the first week of school (fall 1999) to update the community on completed and on-going facility repairs throughout the district as a result of the "Get On the Bus" program.

3. The Director of Public Information has a section in the Friday-E-Mail entitled "News to Share." It is the Director’s expectation that the building principals will pass along information of interest to parents, including facilities-related news.

1. Continue in their efforts to inform the public regarding facility improvements.

2. Follow through on establishing the school web-sites and their maintenance.

3. Evaluate whether the information provided to Principals for dissemination to parents and others is being done.

1. The Director of Public Information should be responsible for following up on the web-sites to assure they are up and accessible.

2. The Director of Public Information should provide up-dated information regarding school facilities to the sites’ web master.

3. The Director of Public Information should survey building principals regarding their means of information dissemination to parents.

4. The Director of Public Information should request copies and publication schedules of all newsletters sent from principals and PTO’s to parents.

1. Interview with Facilities Manager

2. Interview with Director of Public Information

3. Interviews with building principals

4. Copies of weekly district internal newsletter, Friday-E-Mail

5. Interview with Administrative Supervisor for Custodial Services

6. Interview with Director of Buildings and Grounds

1. The Facilities Department provides information regarding facility plans to the Public Information Department for dissemination to the district staff and others.

2. The Public Information Department publishes the Friday-E-Mail, a weekly newsletter that is distributed to district employees and, as available, includes information regarding facilities and facility plans for the district.

3. The district’s custodial department has no established standards, or criteria, for cleanliness.

4. The district’s maintenance department standards for responding to work orders are a) emergencies are addressed within 24 hours and b) all other work orders are completed within 30 working days.

1. Establish standards for the custodial department regarding facility cleanliness.

2. Establish maintenance response times providing standards for completing work in less than 30 working days.

1. The Administrative Supervisor for Custodial Services should develop appropriate cleanliness standards for district facilities.

2. The Administrative Supervisor for Custodial Services should include finalized standards in a Custodial Policies and Practices Handbook and distribute it to all sites.

3. The Director of Buildings and Grounds should develop appropriate response times based on a hierarchy of urgency for the completion of the various categories of maintenance work orders.

4. The Director of Buildings and Grounds should include the finalized response schedule in a handbook for maintenance staff and distribute it, as appropriate.

1. Interview with Director of Public Information and Publications

2. Review of Department of Public Information and Publications news releases

3. Review of copies of weekly internal district newsletter, Friday-E-Mail

1. FCMAT sponsored a "Get On the Bus" project, inviting community members to ride a bus from school to school, tour the sites and take notes on facilities and grounds problems. The participants’ written comments were provided to the district. Based on those notes, repairs were made and clean-up work done. At the completion of repairs and clean-up, cameras were distributed to each school by the Department of Public Information and Publications to visually record the repairs and improved cleanliness.

2. For a number of years the district has held Town Hall Meetings regarding facilities issues including modernization, new construction and repairs. Public meetings are videotaped and re-televised on cable Channel 13.

3. The district also conducts public call-in shows.

4. The district has a Measure C Committee comprised of community members. The committee is advisory to the board regarding the appropriate use of Measure C funds.

1. The district should continue to sponsor programs that provide various means of participation to members throughout the community.

2. Each school should have a site-based facility committee for the purpose of providing school-specific information and requests regarding facilities.

1. Each facility committee should be a sub-committee of the School Site Council. Establishment of this committee should be assured by the principal or site manager.

2. The facility committees should have a designated contact person in the Architectural Services Department with whom the building principals would communicate on behalf of the committee.