Mastering the Master Plan

Opponents of Measure E, the parcel tax, have referred to the new Master Plan as a part of their arguments against the parcel tax, as though the Master Plan contains something unusual or framed the discussion in such a way that readers not following along closely would infer that the the Master Plan is a litany of new spending that AUSD will go buck wild with dollars that come in if Measure E is to pass.

Of course, this argument relies on the fact that few people will have read the Master Plan.

So, here is my attempt to summarize the elements of the Master Plan.   I think folks will find it interesting given how others have tried frame what the Master Plan is attempting and who it is trying to serve and exclude.

The first element in the Master Plan is to:

Redesign Central Office for efficiency and quality service; invest cost savings in learning; and decentralize many central functions with funding and accountability to school sites.

The two goals as part of this element are to:

1. Continue to decentralize and redirect 5-10% more of the total district budget to school sites along with greater flexibility and accountability for achieving results.
2. Redesign the central office to reflect 21st century management practices, tools and work processes.

I know there were some comments a while back critiquing the 21st century terminology, but I just wanted to point out that the “21st century education” that was criticized by the authors of the linked articles were criticizing a specific program and not the idea of working towards the 21st century in general.

The first goal is fairly straightforward, already running fairly lean, AUSD has committed to identifying 5-10% of spending at the district level to spread it back toward the school sites, which is something everyone should be able to get behind.  Of course that means that the school sites will be responsible for some tasks that the central office would normally take care of, but it’s important that AUSD employees understand that there needs to be more flexibility with work roles given the uncertainty around funding.

The second goal is a little more complex, AUSD goes on to describe that the “21st century management practices, tools and work processes” include:

1. using Edjoin to accept and review job applications on-line thus eliminating paper processes
2. tracking work orders on-line and having staff in the field use hand held devices to close out orders once completed thus eliminating holding or losing paper copies that would have to be collected and entered into the computer by hand at a later time
3. using Subfinder for all substitute employees including paras, clerical and custodians which would result in the elimination of unsupported personal data bases; and
4. using APTA financial system to generate sign-in and sign-out sheets staff attendance

Essentially, the district is proposing using existing technology to streamline processes and eliminate paper waste.   While it may seem like a small thing, I imagine that paper alone is a huge cost for the school district.

All in all, this is a positive first step for the AUSD and shows that the district is willing to reexamine all areas and try to find ways to find efficiencies and savings.   It’s these sorts of initiatives that get glossed over by opponents and leave the general public wondering why it appears that all the cuts are at the school site level.

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