Agenda - 09-21-2004-10a - Laserfiche WebLink

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ORANGEGOUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: September 21, 2004 Action Agenda Item No. -~~'a_ SUBJECT: Parameters for Possible School Efficiency Study DEPARTMENT: Manager/Finance/Budget PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Report on School Efficiency Measures Rod Visser, ext 2300 4/26/04 Robert Segal CPA Letter Ken Chavious, ext 2453 Donna Dean, ext 2151 TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 968-4501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To receive a report from staff on efficiency measures implemented to date by the Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City school systems, and to discuss possible next steps related to school efficiency. BACKGROUND: In Fall 2003, during the discussions on the "Analysis of Potential Impacts Resulting from a Possible Merger of the Orange County Schools and the Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools", the Board of Commissioners expressed the desire to pursue three separate tiers of analysis and discussion prior to undertaking any further decisions related to possible school merger or funding equity. The first of these, school collaboration, has been the subject of an ongoing series of facilitated meetings since early 2004 involving leaders of the County and both school systems, The second initiative, an "educational excellence" assessment, is underway and is being conducted under a contract between the County and the University of North Carolina's School of Educatian. The third approach, an examination of possible measures that both school systems might pursue to increase operational efficiency, is the focus of discussion for this agenda item, The County Manager and School Superintendents met in August 2004 and concluded that the mast effective way to proceed with the efficiency initiative was to first outline for the Board of Commissioners measures already planned or implemented by both school districts and to outline other potential areas that could be examined within certain parameters expressed by the Board. Of particular note is the work done in recent years for the County and both school systems by the Robert Segal CPA firm. The Segal firm identified hundreds of thousands of dollars in both revenue enhancement and expenditure reduction for all three entities.