District spends $30,000 on efficiency study District spends $30,000 on efficiency study (October 29, 2004)

Mountain View-Whisman hopes to find ways to save money

By Julie O'Shea

The cash-strapped Mountain View-Whisman School District will spend $29,500 on an organizational and efficiency study in an effort to find ways to save money.

The study, to be conducted by the Sacramento-based School Services of California, will examine how the school district conducts its business, from staffing choices to department procedures and processes. The study, which will compare Mountain View-Whisman with other school districts of similar size, is expected to take about a month.

This move comes as the district is struggling to hold on to its $1.6-million parcel tax funds, which are in jeopardy because of a lawsuit. Officials have said the only way they will be able to balance next year's budget is if they close a campus. The news has some parents raising their eyebrows.

"I have mixed feelings about this," said Carol Nunnally, a Bubb Elementary parent. "I do think we need to be looking at ways we can cut our payroll and administration budget. I'm just a little surprised we would need a $30,000 consulting firm to figure it out."

Nevertheless, an efficiency study is something district leaders have wanted to do since the Mountain View and Whisman districts merged in 2001, but there had never been enough money to do so, said board President Rose Filicetti. But when Superintendent Jim Negri resigned in August, the board suddenly found itself with some extra cash and voted last week to move forward with the study.

"It's one-time money. It's not something we can do every year," Filicetti said.

Funding for the study will come from money the district is saving with the elimination of the associate superintendent position, previously held by Eleanor Yick, who is now superintendent.

"One of the criticisms we've received over the years is that our district is overstaffed, and this will be a way to prove or disprove that," Filicetti said.

The company conducting the study will interview staffers at the district office and also speak with employees at various school sites, Yick said. It will also address the overstaffing issue. For example, Yick added, the survey might analyze whether it is efficient to have, for example, a director of payroll and personnel. In other school districts, payroll and personnel services are overseen by the business department.

"Is that the best way to do business?" Yick asked. The superintendent added that there is no specific amount of money the district is hoping to save from this study in the long run, and there are no current plans to lay off anyone.

Yick said she expects to see a tentative report by mid-January. A final version will likely go to the board in February.

In addition to paying the consultants $29,500 for doing the study, Mountain View-Whisman has also agreed to pick up the company's expenses while it conducts the study. The district's contract with the consulting firm will expire Dec. 31.

E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com

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