Audit suggests school district reorganize Audit suggests school district reorganize (June 17, 2005)

By Kathy Schrenk

The Mountain View-Whisman School District would do well to make some changes in the administrative office, especially when it comes to technology, according to a study commissioned by the district.

The "organizational and efficiency study" compared Mountain View-Whisman to eight districts similar in size and demographic makeup. The district has about 27 full-time employees -- about eight more than the average of the comparison group, according to the study.

Not surprisingly, the study has made for some nervous staffers around the district office, school board president Ellen Wheeler said. However, the district doesn't plan on laying off anyone, according to Superintendent Eleanor Yick.

"This is a good road map for the new superintendent," Yick said. "It's not my expectation that people will lose their jobs because of this." Most of the changes in the district office will involve shuffling employees and reclassifying jobs, Yick said.

The school board is currently interviewing candidates to replace Yick, who is wrapping up a 10-month contract as interim chief. Ultimately, it's up to the new superintendent to implement the survey's recommendations, Wheeler said.

One of the top recommendations is to "consolidate/eliminate several clerical positions" and focus more on technical positions. The report found that the district's use of technology was its weakest point. "The current state of its network infrastructure, servers, troubleshooting capabilities, training, and the overall level of resources devoted to meet its technology goals falls well short of desired standards," the report read.

It recommends a thorough assessment of all the district's schools and departments, including the main office, to see what the district needs technology-wise.

The audit had been on the district's to-do list for about three years, but the money wasn't there, Yick said. This spring, the district paid California School Services $30,000 for the study.

The study compared Mountain View-Whisman to six districts in other parts of the state, along with two local districts -- San Bruno Park in San Mateo County and neighboring Sunnyvale.

E-mail Kathy Schrenk at kschrenk@mv-voice.com

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