revised financial recovery plan chester-upland … recovery... · • october 2015 revised amended...

REVISED FINANCIAL RECOVERY PLAN

CHESTER-UPLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT

DELAWARE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Gregory E. Thornton, Ed.D., Receiver

With the assistance of:

Chester-Upland School District Administration

Chester-Upland School District Elected Board of Directors

Pennsylvania Department of Education

JLP & Associates LLC

PFM Group Consulting LLC

December 2019

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY…………………….……………………………………………………………4

INTRODUCTION……………………………….…………………………………………………………7

LEADERSHIP…………………………………….………………………………………………………...9

SCHOOL DISTRICT STATISTICS……………………………………………………………………….15

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION……………………….……………………………………….......22

SPECIAL EDUCATION…………………………………….…………………………………………….47

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE (ACCESS) REIMBURSEMENT.……………………………………………...55

REVENUE………………………………………………...…………………………………………….....57

FEDERAL PROGRAMS……………………………………………………………………………...…...63

HUMAN RESOURCES………………………………………………………………………….………...72

WORKFORCE………………………………………………………………………………….…………76

FOOD SERVICE……………………………………………………………………………….…………77

TRANSPORTATION.………………………………………………………………………….………….82

FACILITIES.………………………………………………………………….…………………………....86

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY/CHILD ACCOUNTING..………………………………………….91

SCHOOL CLIMATE/SECURITY.……………………………………………………………………..…98

BUDGETING AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT…………………………………………………..102

CONCLUSIONS…………………………………………………………………………………………113

EXHIBITS…………..……………………………………………………………………………………115

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EXHIBITS BY SECTION

Curriculum and Instruction

• Exhibit 1 - Use of CSI grant funds

• Exhibit 2 - Chester High School CSI School Improvement Plan

• Exhibit 3 - STEM Academy at Showalter CSI School Improvement Plan

• Exhibit 4 - Toby Farms CSI School Improvement Plan

• Exhibit 5 - Chester-Upland School District 2019 PSSA results for English Language Arts, Math, and Science

• Exhibit 6 - Chester-Upland School District 2019 PVAAS Keystone results for Algebra, Biology, and Literature

• Exhibit 7 - Chester High School 2019 PVAAS Keystone results for Algebra, Biology, and Literature

• Exhibit 8 - Main Street School 2019 PVAAS PSSA results for English Language Arts, Math, and Science

• Exhibit 9 - Chester-Upland School of Arts 2019 PVAAS PSSA results for English Language Arts, Math, and Science

• Exhibit 10 - Stetser School 2019 PVAAS PSSA results for English Language Arts, Math, and Science

• Exhibit 11 - STEM at Showalter 2019 PVAAS PSSA results for English language Arts, Math, and Science

• Exhibit 12 - Toby Farms 2019 PVAAS PSSA results for English Language Arts, Math, and Science

Special Education

• Exhibit 13 – PBIS/SAP Programs

• Exhibit 14 – Implement the Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS)

Revenue

• Exhibit 15 – Delaware County KOZ – City of Chester Federal Programs

• Exhibit 16 – Current grants received by the School District

• Exhibit 17 – Grant Communication Flowchart

• Exhibit 18 – Grant Standard Procedures Budgeting and Financial Management

• Exhibit 19 – 2021 Bonds NPV Savings

• Exhibit 20 – Financial Impact of Initiatives

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The following issues are discussed further throughout the 2019 Plan:

• The results of prior initiatives;

• Recommendations for continued, revised, or new initiatives;

• The baseline budget for school years 2019-2020 through 2023-2024;

• Opportunities for revenue enhancements or cost containments;

• The revised budget for school years 2019-2020 through 2023-2024, after

consideration of initiatives, revenue enhancements, and cost containments;

• Impact of the 2015 Settlement Agreement and related challenges;

• Impact of the end of the 2015 Settlement Agreement in 2025;

• Potential outsourcing of several functional areas;

• Potential outsourced management and operational services;

• Consideration of facilities needs and options; and

• Consideration of bond refinancing.

Even if the revised Financial Recovery Plan (the 2019 Plan) is implemented flawlessly,

the School District still faces significant challenges that will be very difficult to achieve

and sustain. As a result, the District is faced with substantial challenges to achieve

annual surpluses and must aggressively seek to assess and resolve these challenges

as soon as practicable. Also, the District must prioritize certain initiatives in the 2019

Plan in order to achieve and sustain financial viability both during the five-year forecast

period and thereafter. More specifically, the School District needs a complete and

objective assessment of:

• Enrollment management practices to eliminate enrollment declines in the District

schools;

• Management and efficiency of special education programs and expenditures;

• Financial impact of outsourcing certain functions such as Human Resources,

Federal Programs, Information Technology, and Custodial and Maintenance;

• Potential elimination of financial risk in the food services function;

• Addition of certain key personnel to facilitate supplemental revenues through

partnership programs;

• A prioritized capital expenditures and facilities improvement program;

• Refinancing alternatives;

• Potential outsourced management services model for the District schools;

• Potential outsourced management and complete operations model for the District

schools; and

• Related impact on the District’s facilities and ability to service its bond debt

obligations.

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In June 2019, the Honorable Judge Barry C. Dozer ordered the Chester-Upland School

District Receiver (on behalf of the Chester-Upland School District), with the support of

the Pennsylvania Department of Education, to submit to the Court a revised 2019 Plan.

The purpose of the 2019 Plan is to assess the current and forecast financial condition of

the School District, identify challenges to achieve and sustain financial viability, and to

provide tangible and measurable initiatives needed achieve and sustain financial

viability.

JLP & Associates LLC was retained by the Chester-Upland School District Receivership

to facilitate the 2019 Plan in collaboration with the Chester-Upland School District

Administration, the Chester-Upland School District Elected Board of Directors, and the

Pennsylvania Department of Education. At the request of the Pennsylvania Department

of Education, PFM Group Consulting LLC also has provided input on the 2019 Plan.

The School District has been in financial distress for many years. The District also suffers from high turnover at all levels of the organization. This high turnover presents both continuity challenges and much difficulty in preparing and executing any financial recovery plan. The Receiver, Human Resources Director, and IT/Child Accounting Director have resigned in the past six months alone. In addition, budget cuts within the administrative staff reportedly have left the departments strained and unable to work efficiently and effectively to maximize revenues and minimize expenses for the District. The District’s leadership cite a lack of available financial and human resources to be able to address many of the District’s needs.

The School District’s baseline five-year forecasts suggest annual deficits every year for school years 2019-2020 through 2023-2024, before consideration of certain initiatives substantial uncertainties as presented in this Plan:

2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24

Revenues $134,858,000 $135,029,000 $135,410,000 $135,798,000 $136,177,000

Expenditures $135,211,000 $137,469,000 $141,011,000 $144,297,000 $148,525,000

Annual Deficit ($353,000) ($2,440,000) ($5,601,000) ($8,499,000) ($12,348,000)

Effective implementation of certain initiatives discussed in this Plan will provide the opportunity for the elimination of annual deficits, subject to substantial uncertainties as presented in this Plan:

2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24

Baseline Annual Deficit ($353,000) ($2,440,000) ($5,601,000) ($8,499,000) ($12,348,000)

Net Initiatives (1,447,000) 2,514,000 4,875,000 3,696,000 4,654,000

Annual Surplus/(Deficit) ($1,800,000) $75,000 ($725,000) ($4,806,000) ($7,693,000)

Annual Targeted Surplus* $1,350,000 $1,354,000 $1,358,000 $1,362,000

Additional Contributions Needed

$1,276,000 $2,080,000 $6,164,000 $9,055,000

*Before consideration of facilities costs and sunset of the 2015 Settlement Agreement.

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The annual additional contributions needed are the cornerstone of the Recovery Plan. The additional contributions need to be assessed, targeted, and achieved in the focus areas of:

1. Further revenue enhancements; 2. Further expense reductions; 3. Additional contributions from Federal/state/local sources; 4. Supplemental cost containment from outsourcing functional areas; and 5. Potential cost savings from outsourced management or operation of schools.

As of the date of this Plan, the 2018-2019 financial statement audit has not been completed and it is expected that there will be audit adjustments to the internally prepared financial statements. Accordingly, for purposes of this Plan, the projected baseline budget for FY2020-2021 through FY2023-2024 was developed based on the revised FY2019-2020 budget. Moreover, consideration must be given to update this 2019 Plan concerning the baseline budgets and forecasts once the actual 2019 financial results are available. One of the most significant financial uncertainty in the forecasts relates to the 2015 Settlement Agreement with Chester Charter Community School, Widener Partnership Charter School, and Chester Charter School for the Arts, especially in 2025 when the 10-year Settlement Agreement ends, and perhaps sooner. The School District does not have the financial resources to remain solvent if the Settlement Agreement does not remain in place for the remainder of the 10-year term. In addition, the District has not determined how it will be able to accommodate the current approximate $10M+ per year in charter school payment savings that flow from the Settlement Agreement after the 10-year term. Moreover, the District also has not determined how it will be able to accommodate the approximate $30M in facilities improvements that the Elected School Board is seeking.

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INTRODUCTION

The Chester-Upland School District has been in financial recovery status since 2012

and has been controlled by various Receivers and supported by Chief Recovery

Officers. The Elected School Board has been responsible for assessing real estate

taxes only. In the past seven years, the School District has had four Receivers and

three Chief Recovery Officers. Also, since 2012, there have been four Recovery Plans:

• November 2012 Recovery Plan;

• April 2015 Amended Recovery Plan;

• August 2015 Amended Recovery Plan; and

• October 2015 Revised Amended Recovery Plan, and subsequent progress

updates.

In addition to the multiple changes in Receivers/CROs over the years, the School

District has experienced significant turnover in and a lack of accountability of its

executive leadership, principals, teachers, and students. Moreover, budgetary

constraints and reductions in human capital have made it very difficult for those

remaining to efficiently and effectively perform in their functional areas, let alone

implement a recovery plan. The morale of the workforce is highly strained.

Based on the foregoing, the School District has failed to maximize potential benefits

from the initial November 2012 Recovery Plan, the April 2015 Amended Recovery Plan,

the August 2015 Amended Recovery Plan, the October 2015 Revised Amended

Financial Recovery Plan, or any subsequent revisions. Each of the prior plans had

some elements of success. However, the lack of continuity in Receivers, CROs, and

school district administrators has made it difficult to implement the plans fully.

In June 2019, the Honorable Judge Barry C. Dozer ordered the Chester-Upland School

District Receiver (on behalf of the Chester-Upland School District), with the support of

the Pennsylvania Department of Education, to submit to the Court a revised Financial

Recovery Plan (the 2019 Plan). The purpose of the 2019 Plan is to assess the current

and forecast financial condition of the School District, identify challenges to achieve and

sustain financial viability, and to provide tangible and measurable initiatives needed

achieve and sustain financial viability.

The 2019 Plan attempts to stabilize the School District and implement much needed

policies and procedures so that all departments can work together in a more efficient

manner that promotes the financial turnaround of the School District.

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The following issues are discussed further throughout the 2019 Plan:

• The results of prior initiatives;

• Recommendations for continued, revised, or new initiatives;

• Recommendations for departmental staffing;

• The baseline budget for school years 2019-2020 through 2023-2024;

• Opportunities for revenue enhancements or cost containments;

• The revised budget for school years 2019-2020 through 2023-2024, after

consideration of initiatives, revenue enhancements, and cost containments;

• Impact of the 2015 Settlement Agreement and related challenges;

• Impact of the end of the 2015 Settlement Agreement in 2025;

• Potential outsourcing of several functional areas;

• Potential outsourced management and operational services;

• Consideration of facilities options; and

• Consideration of bond refinancing;

Even if the revised Financial Recovery Plan (the 2019 Plan) is implemented flawlessly,

the School District still faces significant challenges that will be very difficult to achieve

and sustain. As a result, the District is faced with substantial challenges to achieve

annual surpluses and must aggressively seek to assess and resolve these challenges

as soon as practicable. Also, the District must prioritize certain initiatives in the 2019

Plan in order to achieve and sustain financial viability both during the five-year forecast

period and thereafter. More specifically, the School District needs a complete and

objective assessment of:

• Enrollment management practices to eliminate enrollment declines in the District

schools;

• Management and efficiency of special education programs and expenditures;

• Financial impact of outsourcing certain functions such as Human Resources,

Federal Programs, Information Technology, and Custodial and Maintenance;

• Potential elimination of financial risk in the food services function;

• Addition of certain key personnel to facilitate supplemental revenues through

partnership programs;

• A prioritized capital expenditures and facilities improvement program;

• Refinancing alternatives;

• Potential outsourced management services model for the District schools;

• Potential outsourced management and complete operations model for the District

schools; and

• Related impact on the District’s facilities and ability to service its bond debt

obligations.

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LEADERSHIP

The following individuals/groups primarily are responsible for the current leadership at

the Chester-Upland School District:

• Receiver

• Elected School Board of Directors

• Superintendent

• Chief Recovery Officer A description of the responsibilities of each individual/group follows. Receiver (Pennsylvania Statutes Title 24 P.S. Education § 6-671-A. Appointment of a Receiver) When a Receiver is appointed under section 671-A, the Receiver shall assume all powers and duties of the Chief Recovery Officer and the Board of School Directors, including all powers and duties of the Board of School Directors stated in the financial recovery plan. However, the Receiver shall not have the power to levy and raise taxes. Such power shall remain solely with the Board of School Directors, provided that the Board of School Directors shall levy and raise taxes if directed to do so by the Receiver. The Chief Recovery Officer appointed for the financial recovery school district shall remain in place as an advisor to the Receiver. The Receiver shall:

• Implement the financial recovery plan;

• Submit quarterly reports to the secretary, Superintendent and Board of School Directors of the School District concerning the progress of the School District under the financial recovery plan;

• Direct employees and appointed officials of the School District to take actions that, in the judgment of the Receiver, are necessary to implement the financial recovery plan and to refrain from taking actions that, in the judgment of the Receiver, would impede the implementation of the plan;

• Direct the Board of School Directors to levy and raise taxes;

• Modify the financial recovery plan as necessary to restore the School District to financial stability by submitting a petition to the Court of Common Pleas;

• Employ financial or legal experts the Receiver deems necessary to implement or modify the financial recovery plan; and

• Attend regular and executive sessions of the Board of School Directors of the School District.

Receiverships granted under section 671-A expire three years after the initial appointment of the Receiver, unless one or more extensions are granted for additional three-year terms. An extension will not be granted if the Court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the request for extension is arbitrary, capricious or wholly

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irrelevant to restoring the School District to financial stability. After the Receivership expires, section 675-A provides that:

(1) The Board of School Directors shall resume full control over School District management. (2) The Chief Recovery Officer and the Department shall oversee the Board of School Directors for five years to ensure financial stability is maintained.

Elected Board of School Directors The authority to establish, equip, furnish, operate and maintain the public schools of Chester-Upland School District is vested in the Board of School Directors, which is a body corporate and is constituted and governed by Title 24 of the Pennsylvania Statutes, the Public School Code of 1949 as amended, Article III of the Pennsylvania Constitution and applicable federal and state laws and regulations. The Board of School Directors shall:

• Establish such schools as are required for the education of every student residing in Chester-Upland School District between the ages of six (6) and twenty-one (21) years who may attend school;

• Equip, furnish, operate, and maintain the schools;

• Adopt and enforce rules and regulations for the management of school affairs and the conduct and deportment of employees and students;

• Levy and collect taxes as may be necessary, in addition to the annual state appropriation, for the exercise of aforesaid powers;

• Act as the general agent of the residents of the school district in matters of public education;

• Establish educational goals and academic standards for district schools and govern an educational program designed to meet those goals and standards and to support student achievement; and

• Be responsible for establishing, maintaining and evaluating the educational programs in district schools, and for enforcing mandatory laws and regulations.

It should be noted that since 2012, all of the foregoing powers have been removed from the Elected Board of School Directors, with the exception of the power to levy and collect taxes. Superintendent (Pennsylvania Statutes Title 24 P.S. Education § 10-1081. Duties of Superintendents) The duties of District Superintendent shall be to:

• Visit personally as often as practicable the several schools under his supervision;

• Note the courses and methods of instruction and branches taught;

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• Give such directions in the art and methods of teaching in each school as he deems expedient and necessary; and

• Report to the Board of School Directors any insufficiency found, so that each school shall be equal to the grade for which it was established and that there may be, as far as practicable, uniformity in the courses of study in the schools of the several grades, and such other duties as may be required by the board of school directors.

The District Superintendent shall have a seat on the Board of School Directors of the District, and the right to speak on all matters before the Board, but not to vote.

Chief Recovery Officer

The Chief Recovery Officer serves at the pleasure of the Secretary of Education. The duties of the Chief Recovery Officer are to:

• Develop, implement and administer a financial recovery plan with the assistance of the Department of Education;

• Coordinate the Department's provision of technical assistance to the financial recovery school district;

• Maintain oversight of the financial recovery school district during the transition period; and

• Attend regular and executive sessions of the board of school directors. When a Receiver is appointed to oversee the management of the financial recovery school district, as is the case with the Chester-Upland School District, the Chief Recovery Officer shall serve as an advisor to the Receiver. However, since the resignation of the Receiver effective November 18, 2019, the Court has appointed the current Chief Recovery Officer, Dr. Gregory Thornton, to serve as Interim Receiver through March 31, 2020. Observations and Recommendations The current leadership structure does not allow for the School District’s leaders to operate in an efficient and effective manner. The current organizational chart for the leadership of the School District is as follows:

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The current organizational structure has eight departments reporting directly to the Superintendent and five departments reporting to the Chief Operating Officer. This structure is inefficient and does not allow enough bandwidth for the Superintendent to perform his duties. In addition, the Chief Operating Officer does not have the bandwidth to take on additional departments. As a result, prior Receivers often have had to provide an extra set of hands to help manage a broad range of crises that arise. This often results in delays in and lack of adequate focus on implementing recovery plan initiatives. Initiatives

LS01: Hire Chief of Staff and Reorganize Central Office Structure

Outcome: Provide management support to the Superintendent

It is recommended that the School District hire a Chief of Staff to relieve the Superintendent of the day-to-day management of several departments that report directly to the Superintendent, and to allow the Receiver to focus on the implementation of the Recovery Plan. The Chief of Staff would be responsible for Facilities, Human Resources, Federal Programs, Career Tech, and Information Technology. Based on the foregoing, the suggested revised organizational chart for the leadership of the School District is as follows:

Receiver

Elected School Board

Superintendent

FacilitiesHR &

RegistrationFederal

ProgramsCareer Tech

Information Technology

Chief Operating Officer

Business Office

Food Service

Transportation

Child Accounting

Security

Curriculum and Instructions

Special Education

Chief Recovery Officer

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With the foregoing structure in place, the Receiver can focus principally on the financial recovery plan and related strategies. More specifically, the Receiver should:

• Oversee and support the implementation of the 2019 Plan by the School District;

• Focus primarily on the revenue enhancement and cost containment strategies for the School District; and

• Provide quarterly updates to the Court and PDE regarding progress of the financial turnaround and implementation of the 2019 Plan.

Receiver


Superintendent

Chief of Staff

Facilities

HR & Registration

Federal Programs

Career Tech

Information Technology

Chief Operating

Officer

Business Office

Food Service

Transportation

Child Accounting

Security

Curriculum and

Instructions

Special Education

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KEY TASKS / DELIVERABLES /ACTION STEPS (i.e., “What we want to accomplish”)

Start Date End Date Responsible

Party

Advertise and interview candidates for Chief of Staff position

January 2020

June 2020

Human Resources,

Superintendent Hire Chief of Staff July

2020

Human Resources,

Superintendent

Financial Impact:

$252,000 annual salary and benefits beginning in school year 2020-2021

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SCHOOL DISTRICT STATISTICS

The School District has an approved budget of $135M for the 2019-2020 school year. It

operates six schools, enrolls nearly 3,000 students, and employs approximately 200

teachers. One hundred percent of the students are eligible for free lunch. The student

population is comprised of the following:

*Source: Mass Insight May 2019 School District of Chester-Upland District Diagnostic

Academic Performance

Mass Insight provided the following analysis in their May 2019 Diagnostic report on the

School District:

In the last four years, Chester-Upland’s PSSA ELA pass rates have increased each

year with the biggest increase by almost five percentage points in 2017-2018, while

state results have remained nearly flat (within about one percentage point of 60

percent).

89%

7% 4%

Race & Ethnicity*

African American

Hispanic

Other

78%

22%

Special Education*

General Education

Special Education

4%

96%

English Language

Learners*

ELL Non-ELL

16.1% 17.5% 20.3%25.0%

60.0% 60.4% 61.2% 61.4%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

PSSA ELAGrades 3-8

Chester Upland State

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For the last four years, Chester-Upland’s, PSSA Math pass rates have fluctuated with a dip in 2017-2018 by two percentage points. State pass rates have remained constant at about 42 percent for the last three years.

Across the three K-5 schools in Chester-Upland, PSSA ELA pass rates vary. In the last four years, PSSA ELA pass rates across all K-5 schools have increased somewhat, and some schools have larger gains.

8.1%11.1% 11.1% 9.1%

39.6% 42.4% 42.6% 42.0%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

PSSA MathGrades 3-8


9.5% 15.6% 15.5% 15.8%18.3% 22.2% 23.8% 18.9%

35.6% 23.5% 40.5% 38.2%

60.8% 60.4% 61.7% 60.9%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

PSSA ELA

Grades K-5

CUSA Main Street Stetser State

6.3%11.3% 8.2%

4.0%8.4%

13.8%9.6%

1.9%

25.8% 28.1% 29.6%24.5%

45.2% 48.4% 48.3% 47.6%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

PSSA Math

Grades K-5

CUSA Main Street Stetser State

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Across the three K-5 schools in Chester-Upland, PSSA Math pass rates vary. In the last four years, PSSA math pass rates across all K-5 schools have decreased, and some schools have larger dips.

Across the two middle schools in Chester-Upland, PSSA ELA pass rates vary. In the last four years, both middle schools passing rates have overall increased.

Across the two middle schools in Chester-Upland, PSSA Math pass rates vary. In the last four years, Toby Farms’ passing rates has declined overall while STEM at Showalter’s passing rates have increased by 8.6 percentage points (with a large dip in 2017-2018).

11.9% 12.3% 11.1% 13.2%21.4%

31.2% 31.0%38.7%

59.1% 60.5% 60.7% 62.0%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

PSSA ELA

Grades 6-8

Toby Farms STEM State

3.7% 3.9% 1.6% 2.3%4.3%9.7%

17.5%12.9%

34.2% 36.4% 36.9% 36.5%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

PSSA Math

Grades 6-8

Toby Farms STEM State

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For the last four years, Chester-Upland’s Keystone Algebra pass rates have fluctuated with an overall increase of about six percentage points from 2014-2015. The state’s passing rate has declined by almost eight percentage points.

For the last four years, Chester-Upland’s Keystone Literature pass rates have fluctuated with an overall increase of over six percentage points. The state’s passing rate has decreased by almost eight percentage points.

5.1%12.6%

7.0% 11.4%

72.8% 68.2% 65.6% 65.2%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

Keystone Algebra

Grade 11


5.1%12.6%

7.0% 11.4%

72.8% 68.2% 65.6% 65.2%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

Keystone Literature

Grade 11


11.5% 15.9% 12.0% 10.8%16.9%

39.8%

16.9%

42.4%

64.5%76.8% 72.7% 72.7%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

Keystone Literature

Grades 9-12

Chester HS STEM State

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Chester-Upland’s two high schools vary in performance on the Keystone Literature assessment. STEM at Showalter’s passing rate has fluctuated in the last four years, with an overall significant increase of 25.5 percentage points by 2017-2018, while Chester HS has fluctuated, but remained overall at an average of 11 percent.

Chester-Upland’s two high schools vary in performance on the Keystone Algebra assessment. STEM at Showalter’s passing rate has fluctuated in the last four years, with an overall significant increase of 13.7 percentage points by 2017-2018, while Chester HS has fluctuated, but overall remained at an average of three percent. Enrollment

SS01: Improve student retention and increase student enrollment across all schools and grade levels

In 2013, the School District initiated a campaign to increase student enrollment. The “Boots on the Ground” initiative was a community door knocking campaign that was designed to educate residents of Chester City about the benefits of choosing the Chester-Upland School District instead of local charter schools for the education of their children. The campaign was considered successful and resulted in an increase in student enrollment of over 400 students from the 2013-2014 to the 2016-2017 school year. Unfortunately, the enrollment dropped significantly in the two school years after 2016-2017. The Administration cites its deteriorating facilities and charter school competition as contributing factors to its continuing decline in enrollment.

Grade 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20*

Pre-K 99 99 98 100 102 96 120 120

K 166 152 225 196 177 159 158 148

1 162 156 194 211 182 179 169 159

2 168 130 201 193 200 157 171 163

3 194 158 185 192 178 165 145 179

3.9% 6.5% 4.0% 2.8%6.3%18.6%

10.0%20.0%

72.8% 68.2% 65.6% 65.2%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

Keystone Algebra

Grades 9-12


20

4 205 160 177 177 186 162 170 132

5 165 170 181 196 186 165 133 163

6 173 154 189 181 180 186 151 140

7 266 170 178 180 202 190 168 148

8 232 239 190 191 196 206 181 169

9 503 532 488 415 419 438 420 391

10 315 355 444 413 424 347 369 346

11 257 275 344 387 390 354 305 293

12 241 235 249 301 379 343 282 239

Total 3,146 2,985 3,343 3,333 3,401 3,147 2,942 2,790

Change (161) 358 (10) 68 (254) (205) (152)

% Change (5.1%) 12.0% (0.3%) 2.0% (7.5%) (6.5%) (5.2%) Source: October 1 Enrollment by LEA and School https://www.education.pa.gov/DataAndReporting/Enrollment/Pages/PublicSchEnrReports.aspx *2019-20 Provided by School District

The School District’s goal is to increase enrollment to 3,200 by 2024 and believes that this is achievable with continued and focused recruitment efforts and that it has the capacity to do so without hiring additional staff.

2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24

Students 2,790 2,900 3,000 3,100 3,200

# Increase +110 +100 +100 +100

% Increase 3.9% 3.4% 3.3% 3.2%

The School District anticipates the increase in students to come from the surrounding charter schools. The expected financial impact of the additional students would result in a decrease in payments to the charter schools. The process of recruitment and retention is ongoing and needs to be implemented year-round. In addition, the efforts must continue even after the initial goals are met. The School District needs to implement the following actions to stabilize and increase student enrollment:


Start Date End Date Responsible Party

Analyze enrollment and retention results and evaluate recruiting efforts

Every October

Every June

Director of Child Accounting,

Superintendent

Recruit parent volunteers to reach out to prospective families, churches, schools, neighborhoods, and online

Year-round Superintendent

Implement strategies to re-recruit current families back for another year.

Year-round Superintendent

https://www.education.pa.gov/DataAndReporting/Enrollment/Pages/PublicSchEnrReports.aspx

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Implement word of mouth marketing campaign. Year-round Superintendent

Financial Impact: $7.1M for the period 2020-2021 through 2023-2024

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CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION

Introduction

There have been several changes in the educational leadership of the Chester-Upland School District since the completion of the 2015 Recovery Plan. Superintendent Gregory Shannon, who began his tenure in 2013, resigned in early January 2017. In June 2017, the District hired Dr. Juan Baughn as Superintendent. Dr. Baughn has extensive leadership experience and previously served the Chester-Upland School District in a number of different capacities. Under the leadership of Dr. Baughn and his team, the District has reoriented itself around a commitment to educating the whole child by emphasizing academics, athletics, activities, and the arts, also referred to as the Quad A’s, as a means to ensuring that children in the Chester-Upland School District receive a rich, robust, well-rounded educational experience. Societal factors that cause childhood trauma greatly impact students’ ability to thrive and successfully attain the skills necessary to perform at high levels in each of the Quad A components. Consequently, the Superintendent and his leadership team has committed to addressing the social emotional needs of children through the implementation of trauma informed instruction. Beginning in 2018, teachers and staff began to receive on-going training on trauma informed instruction and social emotional learning. It is the District’s stance that all children can learn and thrive in environments where they feel safe, have access to quality teaching, and possess the emotional and social skills necessary to fully participate in school. Over the past four years, the District successfully conducted literacy and math curriculum reviews and studies which resulted in the adoption of new programs for students in grades kindergarten through eighth grades and consistent incremental growth and demonstrated by PVAAS data. The District also overhauled its intervention programs in literacy and math and upgraded its Career & Technical Education and Credit Recovery programs for high school students. The District upgraded its technological infrastructure to a modern standard in 2018. As noted in the previous Recovery Plan, the District’s technological infrastructure was aging and woefully outdated in 2015. In contrast, computers, tablets, and smart boards are now available in every classroom to support teaching and learning outcomes. As a result, students use digital intervention programs that include adaptive programs that facilitate individualized instructional support while simultaneously generating immediate student performance feedback and data reports. Teachers, parents, and students are empowered to use student performance data to further enhance and improve learning.

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Strategic Priorities and Initiatives The 2015 Plan discussed “Four Building Blocks” for delivering effective instruction and accelerating student achievement. These building blocks provided the basis for defining the strategic priorities and milestones included in the 2015 Plan. As discussed, certain of these building blocks will remain in this 2019 Plan, while others have been revised. The following outlines the strategic priorities and initiatives of the School District:

• Building Block #1: Teaching and Learning 1.1 Student performance outcomes 1.2 Standards-aligned instructional system

• Building Block #2: Investing in People 2.1 Effective, collaborative, and accountable teachers and staff 2.2 Capable, collaborative, and accountable leadership at all levels

• Building Block #3: Ensuring a Rich, Robust, Educational Experience 3.1 The Quad A’s

3.2 Collect, analyze, and disseminate assessment data efficiently and effectively for use by LEA leaders and instructional teams 3.3 Implementation of Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) Initiatives

• Building Block #4: Mass Insight Roadmap Building Block #1: Teaching and Learning

To demonstrate success, the District shall achieve improved student performance across all grades based on the PSSA and Keystone exams, closing the achievement gap of historically under performing groups. More specifically, the District’s goal shall be measured by its ability to achieve the annual Percent Proficient or Advanced assessment goals stated in the Future Ready PA Index for English Language Arts/Literature (ELA), Mathematics/Algebra, and Science/Biology for each school, as follows:

Strategic Priority 1.1: Student Performance Outcomes Goal: Set clear measurable achievement targets at all levels (district, school, teams, and individual) to ensure that the District meets/exceed federal, state, and local accountability expectations. Responsible Party: Superintendent

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Annual Percentage Targets: English Language Arts/Literature

School

2017 Baseline

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

2023

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Goal

CUSA 0.186 0.234 0.282 0.330 0.378 0.426 0.474 0.522 0.570 0.618 0.666 0.714 0.762 0.811

Main St 0.242 0.285 0.329 0.373 0.417 0.460 0.504 0.548 0.592 0.635 0.679 0.723 0.767 0.811

Stetser 0.322 0.359 0.397 0.434 0.472 0.510 0.547 0.585 0.622 0.660 0.698 0.735 0.773 0.811

Toby 0.151 0.201 0.252 0.303 0.354 0.404 0.455 0.506 0.557 0.607 0.658 0.709 0.760 0.811

STEM 0.288 0.328 0.368 0.408 0.448 0.489 0.529 0.569 0.609 0.650 0.690 0.730 0.770 0.811

CHS 0.134 0.186 0.238 0.290 0.342 0.394 0.446 0.498 0.550 0.602 0.654 0.706 0.758 0.811

Annual Percentage Targets: Mathematics/Algebra

School

2017 Baseline

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

2023

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Goal

CUSA 0.112 0.158 0.205 0.251 0.298 0.345 0.391 0.438 0.484 0.531 0.578 0.624 0.671 0.718

Main St 0.143 0.187 0.231 0.275 0.319 0.364 0.408 0.452 0.496 0.541 0.585 0.629 0.673 0.718

Stetser 0.270 0.304 0.338 0.373 0.407 0.442 0.476 0.511 0.545 0.580 0.614 0.649 0.683 0.718

Toby 0.053 0.104 0.155 0.206 0.257 0.308 0.359 0.411 0.462 0.513 0.564 0.615 0.666 0.718

STEM 0.138 0.182 0.227 0.271 0.316 0.361 0.405 0.450 0.494 0.539 0.584 0.628 0.673 0.718

CHS 0.066 0.116 0.166 0.216 0.266 0.316 0.366 0.417 0.467 0.517 0.567 0.617 0.667 0.718

Annual Percentage Targets: Science/Biology

School

2017 Baseline

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

2023

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Goal

CUSA 0.330 0.368 0.406 0.445 0.483 0.522 0.560 0.599 0.637 0.676 0.714 0.753 0.791 0.830

Main St 0.345 0.382 0.419 0.456 0.494 0.531 0.568 0.606 0.643 0.680 0.718 0.755 0.792 0.830

Stetser 0.523 0.546 0.570 0.593 0.617 0.641 0.664 0.688 0.711 0.735 0.759 0.782 0.806 0.830

Toby 0.094 0.150 0.207 0.263 0.320 0.377 0.433 0.490 0.546 0.603 0.660 0.716 0.773 0.830

STEM 0.138 0.191 0.244 0.297 0.350 0.404 0.457 0.510 0.563 0.617 0.670 0.723 0.776 0.830

CHS 0.039 0.099 0.160 0.221 0.282 0.343 0.404 0.464 0.525 0.586 0.647 0.708 0.769 0.830

The School District’s plan to ensure accountability and to monitor student achievement for the foregoing goals is as follows: KEY TASKS / DELIVERABLES /ACTION STEPS (i.e., “What we want to accomplish”)


Conduct a comprehensive analysis of school-level student achievement based on data from multiple sources (including formative assessments) and issue a formal Report of Findings-School-level.

May/June End of Oct. Each Principal

Conduct a comprehensive analysis of cross-school, district-wide student achievement based on data from multiple sources (including formative assessments) and issue a formal Report of Findings-District.

Every August End of Oct. Assistant Superintendent,

C&I

Facilitate in-depth discussion of Reports of Finding from school-level and District analyses of student achievement data, with direct participation of district and school level leaders.

Early Fall each SY

End of Oct. Assistant Superintendent,

C&I

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Reach consensus on annual school-level and district- wide student achievement targets, collaboratively with district and school leaders.

Early Fall each SY

End of Oct. Superintendent

Share and discuss school-level and district-wide Reports of Findings and annual improvement targets with all staff.

Early Fall each SY

End of Oct. Each Principal

Conduct mid-year review of progress towards meeting school-level annual student achievement targets, based on available data (e.g., formative assessments, Classroom Diagnostic Test results, leadership and teacher observations/perceptions).

Every December

Mid-January of SY

Each Principal

Conduct mid-year review of progress towards meeting cross-schools and district-wide annual student achievement targets, based on available data (e.g., formative assessments, Classroom Diagnostic Test results, leadership and teach observations/perceptions).

Every December

Mid-January of SY

Assistant Superintendent,

C&I

The School District will continue to monitor the annual changes in the percentage of students scoring Proficient/Advanced on the Math and Reading PSSA and Keystone exams. Additionally, the District shall continue to measure growth in students’ academic performance towards proficiency in the progress made by students in the bottom two quartiles as expressed in the annual PVAAS report.

This strategic priority demands that all students are held to the same high standards, and programs and instructional strategies are implemented that ensure all students meet these high standards. A standards-aligned instructional system ensures that curriculum, assessment, and teaching are directly aligned with state standards. It places standards at the center of curriculum planning and student learning. Selected highlights of some of the areas of focus include the following:

• English/language arts (ELA) and mathematics curricula aligned to Pennsylvania Core Standards.

• All teachers are required to use PDE’s SAS portal as a resource to assist with instructional planning and alignment to Pennsylvania’s State Standards, Assessment Anchors and Eligible Content.

Strategic Priority 1.2: Standards-Aligned Instructional System Goal: Ensure that all components of a standards-aligned

instructional system are fully developed, are consistent with the State-wide frameworks, are accessible to all students, and are consistently implemented, monitored and supported, especially at the classroom level.

Responsible Party: Assistant Superintendent

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• The District conducted a two-year math curriculum review and selection process that included input from all stakeholders: teachers, students, parents, and community. A new math program was adopted July 2019.

• The District conducted a one-year literacy curriculum review and selection process. A new reading program was adopted July 2017. Student standardized test performance has significantly improved in grades kindergarten through sixth grade. During the 2017-2018 school year, all 4th and 5th grade students in the District’s elementary schools met or exceeded PVAAS growth targets.

• Teachers annually participate in district-wide professional development during the month of August and throughout the school year.

• The District has committed fully to providing students with meaningful College & Career experiences aligned to PA State Standards. Beginning in the summer of 2017, the District expanded its partnerships with area colleges to ensure students were provided with dual enrollment opportunities. This past summer, students participated in Dual Enrollment courses at Cheyney University and Delaware County Community College.

• Research-based interventions and assessments are provided for all students who score below grade level.

• The District has made significant investments in improving its Early Childhood Education program (pre-K through grade two). Students in grades pre-K through grade two receive targeted instruction using research-based assessments and literacy prevention and intervention programs. The District’s Pre-K Counts grant program was recently renewed and expanded from five classrooms serving 100 students to six classrooms serving 120 students.

• The District will continue to strategically allocate human and material resources to ensure the majority of all available supports are functioning in schools directly. Beginning during the 2016-2017 school year, Instructional Teacher Leaders have worked in schools 4.5 days per week. They use .5 day of the school week for planning and meetings. They write and refine curricula during the summer, and on a more limited basis during the school year to limit their time away from providing direct teacher support.

• Moving forward, Instructional Teacher Leaders will spend the majority of their time directly assisting teachers, participating in professional development, and conducting analysis of student performance data. Historically, Instructional Teachers Leaders have served in several capacities that limited their ability to work exclusively on teacher coaching and support, professional development, curriculum writing, and data analysis.

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• High School teachers are compensated to assist with curriculum writing and development throughout the school year.

While the District has demonstrated significant progress in key academic areas since the last Amended Recovery Plan submission in April 2015, much remains to be done to ensure that all components of the standards-aligned instructional system – standards, assessment, curriculum, instruction, instructional materials, and intervention – function optimally for all students. The remaining work is described in the milestones below.


Start Date

End Date

Responsible Party

Reaffirm/reach consensus on the common instructional practices to be implemented in every classroom at the elementary, intermediate, and high school levels.

June 2019 Sept. 2019 Assistant Superintendent, C&I

Provide data/evidence that each high school has scheduled courses to provide targeted interventions for students who performed below proficiency on the Algebra 1, Literature, and Biology Keystone Exams. (Repeat annually).

June 2019

Aug 2019

Assistant Superintendent, C&I

Provide data/evidence that each high school has scheduled courses to provide targeted interventions for students who did not meet grade-level performance expectation. (Repeats annually).

June 2019

Aug 2019


Complete biannually teacher, principal, and staff feedback survey regarding efficiency and effectiveness of instructional supports and services; and share key findings and continuous improvement priorities.

Every Dec. Every May Assistant Superintendent, C&I

Upgrade and implement an assessment system to provide timely and authentic feedback to educators and students regarding student growth, instructional practices, and interventions.

Fall 2019 January 2020 Director of Technology, Accountability, and

Assessment

Strengthen implementation of MTSS (or Response to Intervention (RTI) and Positive Behavior Intervention & Support (PBIS) to accelerate academic and behavioral development for each student. Increase the quality and frequency of professional development for Special Education and ELL-endorsed teachers.

Fall 2019 (repeats annually)

June 2020 (repeats annually)

Director, Special Education & Pupil Services

Curriculum review process. November (repeats annually)

May (repeats annually)


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Monitor the Career Readiness benchmarks and increase the percentage of students in a reporting cohort who demonstrate meaningful engagement in career exploration and preparation and implementation of individualized career plans through separate, specific measures based on grade level benchmarks aligned to the CEW standards.

Fall 2019 (repeats annually)

June 2020 (repeats annually)


Note: Milestones may be modified based on evidence, contingencies, and lessons learned throughout the SY.

Building Block #2: Investing in People

Effective professional practice is a precursor to higher levels of student learning and achievement. If we want to accelerate outcomes for students, we must first invest in raising the quality and efficacy of teaching practices, leadership practices, and organizational practices. To do so requires ongoing investment in practice-driven, results-focused, continuous professional learning for teachers, leaders, and staff, because how well students perform is predicated on the knowledge and skills of the practitioner.

The District’s alignment with this approach is evident in its commitment to full implementation of the Pennsylvania Educator Effectiveness system, which makes an explicit linkage between teacher/staff professional practices and accountability for student achievement. The District will ensure that all teachers and staff members are trained in the use of the system, including how to use the tools and processes associated with the evaluation, access to early-interventions and practical assistance when needed, and ongoing differentiated professional development. Our aim is to engage every teacher and staff in a perpetual process of improving individual and team professional practices, regardless of each practitioner’s current level of professional mastery. Over time, our aspiration is to have an effective teacher in every class, every day. Historically, the District has sought to raise the level of accountability and expectations throughout the school system. It is necessary to implement an objective and professional approach to evaluating teacher performance, aligned to the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Educator Effectiveness model (as mandated by Act 82). It is

Strategic Priority 2.1: Effective, collaborative, and accountable teachers and staff Goal: Develop and sustain a practice-driven continuous professional

learning system focused on continuous growth of teachers and staff, so that they can accelerate learning for all students.


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equally crucial to build and sustain a network of continuous professional learning options to support every teacher’s long-term aspiration of becoming “a teacher who can teach any student.” Recent efforts to improve educator effectiveness include the following:

• All teachers of mathematics in grades K-12 will continue to receive differentiated professional development from internal and external content experts. Teachers in grades Kindergarten through Twelfth grade received math coaching and professional development throughout the 2018-2019 school year.

• The District monitored student and school performance using essential key academic performance indicators during the 2018-2019 school year. Principals consistently received written feedback regarding student performance and fidelity of program implementation in their schools from the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction.

• Principals received feedback on their informal observation comments as they related to teacher and student performance correlations from the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction.

• Teachers annually participate in district-wide professional development during the month of August and throughout the school year. Teachers completed professional development evaluations at the end of every session.

• All principals, working in collaboration with the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction, developed Act 48 aligned professional development plans and sessions during the 2018-2019 school year. Topics included, but were not limited to:

o Text-Dependent Analysis o Implementation of the curriculum maps and pacing guides o Reading and Math Interventions o Small group instruction o Technology o Conferencing with students and assessing independent reading level o Next Generation Science Standards and PA Common Core Science

Standards (NGSS) o Math instruction o Instructional and academic data o Classroom diagnostic tools administration and interpretation of data

The driving cost of professional development is personnel time, specifically under the constraints of the collective bargaining agreement. The District continues to address these needs through the scheduling of professional development utilizing the additional days built into the CUSD calendar, through weekly professional development and

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through collaborative planning periods made possible by our cadre of collegial training partners funded through the Ready to Learn grant. The use of these grant dollars defrays the additional cost the District would otherwise incur. Adequate time for professional growth and development will be built into the school calendar. Teachers, per Domain IV of the Educator Effectiveness Act, are also encouraged to seek out professional development opportunities that meet their individual needs. Looking ahead, the key elements of our goal towards effective, collaborative, and accountable teachers and staff include the following:

• Articulation of a professional learning Master Plan that is in line with the higher standards and expectations for student learning.

• Deeper implementation of the Pennsylvania Educator Effectiveness system.

• Better differentiation of professional development, perhaps in a manner akin to the “MTSS” structure for students.

• Innovative use of time and exploration of alternative delivery formats for continuous professional learning, so that practitioners have more opportunities to collaborate, learn in different ways and at different rates, and develop District-specific understanding of what works well for the Chester-Upland School District.

• Grooming a cadre of highly skilled, certified teacher-facilitators who will play a leadership role in the continuous learning of their colleagues, thereby providing the District a sustainable “deep bench” of internal expert-educators.

KEY TASKS / DELIVERABLES /ACTION STEPS

(i.e., “What we want to accomplish”)


Create a differentiated, Act 48 aligned professional development model that includes: face-to-face, blended, and self-guided professional development models.

Fall 2019 (update and repeat

annually)

Spring 2020 (updated and repeat

annually)


Rethink ways to increase district teacher professional learning community collaboration opportunities within and across all schools.

Fall 2019 Spring 2020 Assistant Superintendent, C&I

Implement teacher/staff surveys twice each school year to solicit their feedback and suggestions for improvement regarding their continuous professional

Dec. and April (repeat annually)

February and June (repeat annually)


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learning experiences. (Repeat annually) Implement student surveys twice each school year to solicit their feedback and suggestions for improvement regarding their classroom and school experiences. (Repeat annually)

Dec. and April (repeat annually)

February and June (repeat annually)


Compile and regularly disseminate longitudinal evidence/data of formal evaluations (including formal observations and rating) for non-tenure professional staff. (Repeat annually)

Feb. 2019 (repeat annually)

June 2020 (repeat annually)

Superintendent

Institute annual “Celebration of Excellence” award ceremonies to recognize teachers/staff who are demonstrating growth in their professional practices. (Repeat annually)

April (repeat annually) June (repeat annually) Superintendent

Implement and monitor an individualized Growth Target for every staff member, outlining a differentiated professional learning plan for every teacher/staff each school year. (Repeat annually)

Fall each SY June each SY Each Principal

Compile and regularly disseminate longitudinal evidence/data of the Teacher Effectiveness professional development and training during district- wide and school-based professional development sessions. (Repeat annually)

Quarterly (repeat annually)

Quarterly (repeat annually)


Note: Milestones may be modified based on evidence, contingencies, and lessons learned throughout the SY.

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As communities of effective practice (i.e., professional learning communities) become more prevalent in schools and school systems, the role of the positional leader (i.e., the principal or district-level administrator) becomes more facilitative and less directive. Increasingly, forward-thinking schools and districts are embracing distributed leadership, whereby teachers and other school staff play an active role in school decision-making, guiding the work of the professional learning community, coaching and mentoring their peers, and playing leadership roles in continuous improvement of instruction. Building highly functional instructional leadership does not happen by chance; it must be well designed and nurtured to ensure success. Making that happen at a higher and more potent level district-wide is the intent of this strategic priority. The District’s proposed leadership development areas of focus include:

• Exploring the use of a comprehensive progressive talent-development plan that ensures accountability for support staff, administrators, and non-teaching professional staff.

• Implementing a structure for professional accountability among leadership and support staff.

• Ongoing coaching and mentoring for all principals.

• Training and modeling of strategies for effective classroom walk-through, timely feedback to teachers, conducting formal teacher observations for evaluation purposes, and analyzing student data and professional practices.


Start Date

End Date

Responsible Party

Conduct an assessment of the staffing needs of each school (quantity and quality) and implement a human resources plan that identifies strategies for attracting, developing and retaining talented teachers, leaders and staff in line with each school’s needs.

Fall each SY

(repeat annually)

June each SY

(repeat annually)

Superintendent

Strategic Priority 2.2: Capable, collaborative, and accountable leadership at all levels Goal: Strengthen leadership at the school level and system-wide by sharpening skills for leading standards-based schools; providing timely feedback, support, and problem-solving; and accelerating leadership performance. Responsible Party: Superintendent

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Implement an internal Leadership Learning Network (including a pre-defined curriculum, coaching, peer support, individual and team learning, etc.) aimed at accelerating each principal’s growth vis-à-vis the PA Educator Effectiveness criteria.

Fall each SY

(repeat annually)

June each SY

(repeat annually)

Superintendent

Implement principal surveys twice each school year to solicit their feedback and suggestions for improvement regarding quality of district-level supports and services. (Repeat annually)

Dec. and April (repeat

annually)

February and June (repeat

annually)


Develop and sustain cadre of teacher-leaders to guide instructional planning, evidence-based professional collaboration (“PLC”), and cycles of inquiry at each school and across all schools.

Fall each SY

(repeat annually)

June each SY (repeat annually)


Compile annual evidence of effectiveness of implementation of a comprehensive progressive talent-development plan that ensures accountability for support staff, administrators, and non-teaching professional staff. (Repeat annually)

Spring of each SY (repeat

annually)

June 2020 Superintendent

Compile annual evidence of implementation of the Pennsylvania Education Evaluators Rating System (PEERS) to monitor and organize indicators aligned to employee ratings for professional staff. (Repeat annually)


annually)

June 2020 Superintendent

Compile annual evidence of monitoring and supporting instruction, based on data from informal instructional walkthroughs and meaningful feedback (aligned to the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teachers (FFT)). (Repeat annually).


annually)

June 2020 Assistant Superintendent, C&I

Building Block #3: Ensuring a Rich, Robust, Educational Experience

The goal of the Quad A’s is to improve student-teacher relationships and to ensure that 90 percent of all Chester-Upland students participate in at least one activity, art, or athletic group. This will be accomplished if the School District:

• Has a project manager in place with grant funding to operationalize the Quad A initiative and ensure sustainability;

Strategic Priority 3.1: The Quad A’s Goal: Further improve and expand the opportunities for student involvement in the areas of Academics, Activities, Arts, and Athletics as ways to positively impact the lives of individual students and promoting the feeling of C Pride across the Chester-Upland School District. Responsible Party: Superintendent

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• Develops partnerships to support the work;

• Defines, collects, and monitors data related to initiative performance and holds schools accountable;

• Develops a sustainable teacher supplement model and budget; and

• Engages a sustainable number of teachers in Quad A activities. In order to achieve the intended goal of the Quad A’s, the following initiatives must be implemented:


Start Date

End Date

Responsible Party

Develop job description for Quad A project manager

9/2/19 9/9/19 Superintendent

Hire Quad A project manager

9/9/19 10/15/19 Director of Human Resources,

Superintendent

Review all available activities, art programming, and athletic opportunities available to students

10/15/19 10/25/19 Quad A project manager

Conduct analysis of how many students are currently participating in activities, art programming, and athletic opportunities

Fall 2019: 10/15/19

Spring 2020: 1/3/20

Fall 2019: 12/6/19

Spring 2020: 3/9/20

Quad A project manager

Determine how many teachers received salary supplements for sponsoring activities in SY18-19 and the total cost of those supplements


Determine whether the salary supplement offered to CU teachers is competitive with other districts


Meet with teachers to determine what they would be interested in offering and what it would take to get them to participate


Establish a goal for activity offerings and a budget aligned to meet this goal


Host an activity fair for students and parents to learn about offerings in the district and sign up for SY20-21


Develop a three-year Quad A strategic plan (through SY21-22)


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Throughout the school year, Instructional Teacher Leaders facilitate professional development on how to analyze and use assessment data. Educators develop performance-based assessments with established scoring guides. Data from student's performance is collected by the Central Office staff for review, consistency, and analysis of learned skills. Instructional Teacher Leaders collect, score, and disaggregate Benchmark assessments. The District's staff has access to all schools' data. School leaders have access to every class and student's data. Each teacher has access to his/her class data. Assessments are used to guide and inform future planning and classroom instruction. Teachers facilitate a formative assessment process that includes error analysis of student work, use of constructive feedback, strategic lesson planning, and progress monitoring. More specifically:

• Assessment results are reported by PA assessment anchor or standards-aligned learning objective.

• Instructional practices are identified that are linked to student success in mastering specific PA assessment anchors, eligible content, or standards-‐aligned learning objectives.

• Specific PA assessment anchors, eligible content, or standards-aligned learning

objectives are identified for those students who did not demonstrate sufficient

mastery so that teachers can collaboratively create and/or identify instructional

strategies likely to increase mastery.

• Instructional practices are modified or adapted to increase student mastery.


Start Date

End Date

Responsible Party

Assist principals with crafting professional learning opportunities that increase the capacity of teachers to review and strategically use identified student performance data to improve teaching and learning.

August June Assistant Superintendent

Work collaboratively with schools to develop and implement formative assessment process and cycles.

August June Assistant Superintendent

Strategic Priority 3.2: Collect, analyze, and disseminate assessment data efficiently and effectively for use by LEA leaders and instructional teams. Goal: Educators to use data to identity strengths, challenges, and

adjustments to ensure consistent delivery of standards aligned curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices.


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Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a federal law that was signed into law on December 10, 2015. ESSA represents the most recent iteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) signed into law on April 11, 1965. Under the federal ESSA law, states are required to establish three categories of schools and support: comprehensive support and improvement, targeted support and improvement, additional targeted support and improvement. In its ESSA Plan, PDE has identified three categories of schools that are targeted to receive additional support: CSI-Comprehensive Support and Improvement, TSI-Targeted Support and Improvement, and A-TSI- Additional Targeted Support and Improvement. The Chester Upland School District has 5 out of 6 schools that have either a CSI designation or TSI designation. Additional supports and services for students and teachers are included within each school improvement plan. The additional support is funded with CSI grant funds awarded by PDE. Principals, CSI School-based teams, CSI Team Members contracted through IU13, and the Assistant Superintendent work collaboratively each month on implementation of the plan and progress monitoring. The aforementioned groups meet face-to-face bi-monthly and quarterly to review progress and reports. Principals also submit bi-weekly progress reports. In December 2018, Chester High School, STEM Academy at Showalter, and Toby

Farms Intermediate School were designated by PDE as CSI schools. This classification

is given to schools facing the most significant challenges in academic achievement,

student growth, and other areas. Additional funding and support are provided to CSI-

designated schools.

In November 2019, Chester Upland School of the Arts (CUSA) and Stetser School were identified as TSI, Targeted Support and Improvement, by PDE. When the District receives a regional information session meeting date from PDE, the Assistant Superintendent will attend the session to gain more information about the technical and communication supports that will be available to TSI schools.

Strategic Priority 3.3: Implementation of Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) Initiatives Goal: Improve academic achievement in the CSI-designated schools with the additional support of PDE. Responsible Party: Assistant Superintendent

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The following chart summarizes each school’s designation and status:

The School District appreciates the additional support provided by PDE as the school designations outlined above provides much needed additional financial and technical assistance for schools that have been historically low performing.

In order to exit CSI status, certain achievements must be met, which have been

incorporated into the following initiatives:

Designation Type School Status

CSI Comprehensive Support & Improvement

Toby Farms Principal and the school team are implementing the CSI School Improvement Plan by using additional funds from the CSI grant to broaden and improve the scope of support for students and teachers. Toby Farms School receives technical assistance from CSI team members who are assigned from IU13 and CUSD Curriculum & Instruction department.


STEM Principal and the school team are implementing the CSI School Improvement Plan by using additional funds from the CSI grant to broaden and improve the scope of support for students and teachers. Stem School receives technical assistance from CSI team members who are assigned from IU13 and CUSD Curriculum & Instruction department.


Chester High School

Principal and the school team are implementing the CSI School Improvement Plan by using additional funds from the CSI grant to broaden and improve the scope of support for students and teachers. Chester High School receives technical assistance from CSI team members who are assigned from IU13 and CUSD Curriculum & Instruction department.

TSI Targeted Support & Improvement

Stetser Dr. Baughn, Superintendent, received a notification letter from PDE on November 25, 2019 which indicated that Stetser School was designated for Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI).

TSI Targeted Support & Improvement

Chester Upland School of the

Arts

Dr. Baughn, Superintendent, received a notification letter from PDE on November 25, 2019 which indicated that Chester Upland School of the Arts was designated for Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI).

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Start Date

End Date Lead Person

Show continued progress on at least the academic achievement indicator and, in the case of high schools, the adjusted cohort graduation rate, such that the school contributes to the state’s progress toward both interim and long-term goals.

Dec. 2018 End of CSI status

Principals

Show continued progress on any school quality or student success indicator(s) for which the school was designated.


Principals

Exceed the identification standards for CSI that were applied the year of initial designation, as well as the standards from the most recent round of annual meaningful differentiation.


Principals

Participate in PDE-sponsored technical assistance activities throughout the duration of CSI status.


Principals

Comply with all PDE monitoring and evaluation requirements.

Dec. 2018

End of CSI status

Assistant Superintendent

Partner with other CSI schools for training/professional development for principals



The CSI designated schools received a grant in order to make appropriate, early-stage investments in improvement strategies and to have additional resources to support intensive efforts. For the 2019-2020 school year, the CSI designated schools have received the following:

School Grant Awarded

Chester High School $ 461,000

STEM at Showalter 178,000

Toby Farms 173,000

LEA Level Expenditures 46,000

Total $ 858,000

The attached Exhibit 1 provides further detail regarding how the funds will be used. In July 2019, each school submitted an updated improvement plan that detailed LEA and school activities that focus on sustainability and continued improvement, including a focus on phase-out of school improvement funds and phased withdrawal of intensive supports. CSI Schools must meet summative assessment and growth targets as established by PDE and outlined in their CSI School Improvement Plans. The updated

39

improvement plans are attached as Exhibit 2 (Chester High School), Exhibit 3 (STEM Academy at Showalter), and Exhibit 4 (Toby Farms). Currently, CSI Schools are receiving technical assistance from the CSI regional team assigned by Chester County Intermediate Unit. The Assistant Superintendent and the CSI regional team reviews school bi-weekly progress reports and meets monthly with Principals, school-based CSI team members, and the Assistant Superintendent to review progress and identify opportunities for support. All District CSI Schools and Curriculum & Instruction team members are enrolled and participate in year-long Data Wise training sponsored by PDE in partnership with Harvard University. Building Block #4: Mass Insight Roadmap Mass Insight and the School District have been collaborating throughout the year to identify potential strategic priorities for the District. Earlier in the year, Mass Insight visited three of the School District’s schools with the purpose of identifying the District’s strengths and opportunities for growth in order to increase student achievement. Based on these visits, the Mass Insight report identified the following Strengths, Challenges, and Opportunities in the District:

Domain: Vision, Strategy, and Culture

Strengths

• Most school and district staff expressed a commitment to doing what’s best for students.

• Stakeholders throughout the district are able to generate multiple positive ideas about the district’s future.

• GAP International is working with the district leadership team on shifting mindsets to Change the trajectory of district performance.

Challenges and Opportunities

• Although the superintendent has a vision and goals for improvement, the district has not adopted or communicated strategies for advancing or measuring progress toward the superintendent’s vision.

• There is not yet a clear and cohesive strategy for improving student outcomes with a limited number of priorities and metrics to track progress.

Domain: Organizational Clarity and Collaboration

Strengths

• Recent improvements in district provided administrative and instructional technology services demonstrate that improvement is possible and provide a model for additional progress.

• Several new central office directors are committed to district improvement and demonstrate a willingness to work hard to make things better.

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• Current development of more streamlined financial procedures should result in increased clarity, communication, and efficiencies for principals.


• Frequent changes of receivers, superintendents, chief recovery officers, and key district administrators have contributed to a lack of coherence at all levels of the organization.

• A lack of clear policies, systems, processes, and accountability for delivering core school and district functions negatively impacts district culture and efficacy.

• The superintendent has 13 direct reports, including all of the school principals, which is double the best practice number of 5-7.

• Although the district is the authorizer of in-district charter schools and 10-15 percent of students move annually between the charter and district schools, the district had not used its leverage as authorizer to address enrollment and transfer problems.

Domain: Focus on Instruction

Strengths

• Technology infrastructure is now available in every school giving students access to Chromebooks, computer labs, and interactive boards.

• As of the 2018-19 school year, the District has been using the PA Classroom Diagnostic Tools (CDTs).

• The district has adopted Journeys and Fundations curricula and materials for K-6 ELA and math for K12.

• ISTLs and HMH Math Solutions coaches provide support to teachers in grades K-12 for ELA and math.


• There is no time in the schedule for teachers to come together to analyze the assessment data and plan their instruction to meet the needs identified through the assessment data.

• The district will need to provide teachers and school leaders with the support they need to implement the new materials as well.

• ISTLs are the district’s major instructional improvement resource but there are no clear measures for assessing their efforts or impact.

• Low student attendance is a barrier to learning.

Domain: School Management

Strengths

• Principals reported that the Superintendent is accessible.

• Principals are evaluated based on the PA Educational Leadership Rubric annually.

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• GAP International has been facilitating meetings of the district leadership team and principals.


• High principal turnover in four of the district’s six schools-average tenure of less than two years—contributes to teacher turnover and lack of instructional focus.

• Implementation of instructional improvement initiatives suffers due because of lack of clarity regarding the respective responsibilities of school leaders and central office.

• There is a lack of structures and support time for school-level teacher instructional leadership.

• Although principals are regularly moved around, there are no performance measures for school leaders or the central office staff who are supposed to support them.

Domain: Finance

Strengths

• Over the past two years, the district was able to identify funds for major investments in classroom Promethean boards, classroom sets of Chromebooks, and elementary curricular and intervention materials.

• After several years of delayed payrolls and teachers leaving the district because of fear that they would not be paid, staff are now being paid on time.

• District has improved the accuracy of charter school reimbursement claims management saving substantial funds.


• School principals have limited knowledge of or control over the financial resources available to their schools.

• A recent judgment has created a new liability for the district.

• The instability of special education leadership and the inability to provide needed student services could put the district at financial risk.

Domain: Talent Management

Strengths

• The Office of Human Resources highlighted the importance of teacher attendance in a new quarterly newsletter to staff and recognition to staff with perfect attendance.

• Principals can hire from the district’s verified talent pool.

• While teacher retention is still a challenge, it has improved in the last three years.

• The district’s relatively young teaching force, if supported, could provide effective instruction for a long time.

• The district’s starting salaries are competitive with other districts.

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• The district does not have a strategy, measures of performance or clear accountability for recruiting, developing, and retaining staff.

• In some schools, teacher absences combined with a shortage of substitute teachers results in teachers regularly covering classes for others and missing their preparation periods.

Domain: Stakeholder engagement and communications

Strengths Stakeholders and families expressed interest in more frequent engagement and partnership with the district.

• A number of veteran staff have established relationships with multi-generational families and staff report this is a strength when present in schools.

• There is an attempt in some central office departments to survey and engage parents on effectiveness of programs (e.g., curriculum, school safety).


• A majority of stakeholders we spoke with and surveyed reported a lack of communication between district offices and schools and between schools is a substantial obstacle to district progress.

• Parents and students report having limited access to information on student academic progress. While E-school, the student information system, has a parent portal, it has not been rolled out yet.

• Teachers report having difficulty communicating with parents due to limited or incorrect contact information.

This feedback led to collaborative working sessions among Mass Insight, CSI team members, and CUSD senior leadership, including past Receiver Peter Barsz, Dr. Baughn, and Dr. Pearson. During these sessions, the team identified the top priorities and building blocks that needed to be addressed immediately and on the horizon. With the support of Mass Insight and CSI, the following four key priorities were identified. The School District has adopted these priorities as follows: Priorities 1: Quad A’s Key Performance Indicator: Number of Students engaged in an activity


Start Date

End Date

Responsible Party

Disseminate student interest survey Sept 2019 June 2020 Superintendent

Establish student activities committees in every school

Sept 2019 June 2020 Superintendent

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Update student activity schedule and offerings Sept 2019 June 2020 Superintendent

Develop student activity data tracking systems Sept 2019 June 2020 Superintendent

Priorities 2: Student Attendance Key Performance Indicator: Number of students missing X number of days, Student Attendance Data



Create working definition for Student Attendance Sept 2019 June 2020 Truancy Coordinator

District-Wide Incentives/Supports Sept 2019 June 2020 Truancy Coordinator

Daily Monitoring of Student Attendance Sept 2019 June 2020 Truancy Coordinator

Completion of Determination of Residency for student Facilities, Institutions and who has moved out of district

Sept 2019 June 2020

Truancy Coordinator

Student Attendance Improvement Conference (SAIC) Sept 2019 June 2020

Truancy Coordinator

Meet with community Sept 2019 June 2020

Truancy Coordinator

Completion of school based and community-based referrals

Sept 2019 June 2020

Truancy Coordinator

Legal Intervention (Last Resort) Sept 2019 June 2020

Truancy Coordinator

Priorities 3: Stabilize and strengthen principals and build strong leadership teams Key Performance Indicator: Key components from PA Principal Effectiveness Model (using evaluation tool), Principal Retention, Future Ready PA Index School Performance Models



Redesign monthly principal meeting to include additional training on each component of the National Institute of School Leaders (NISL)


Enroll CSI schools in Data Wise Training Sept 2019 June 2020 Assistant Superintendent

Develop school leadership meeting protocols Sept 2019 June 2020 Assistant Superintendent

Retrain all principals on PA Teacher and Principal Effectiveness Model

Sept 2019 June 2020 Assistant Superintendent

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Priorities 4: PBIS Key Performance Indicator: Suspension rate, Number of office referrals KEY TASKS / DELIVERABLES /ACTION STEPS (i.e., “What we want to accomplish”)

Start Date

End Date

Responsible Party

School teams and Central Office Leadership will attend training on PBIS via PBIS Grant

October June Supervisor for Pupil Services

All school teams will establish PBIS teams September September Supervisor for Pupil Services

PBIS data will be reviewed by school teams monthly October June Supervisor for Pupil Services

In-school and out of school suspension data will be reviewed monthly

October June Supervisor for Pupil Services

Collaborate with community partners to create expanded student incentive opportunities in and out of school

September June Supervisor for Pupil Services

Expand parent involvement in PBIS initiatives September June Supervisor for Pupil Services

Test Results During the 2016-2017 school year, the School District conducted K-6 literacy program review; adopted a new literacy program in June of 2017; and created updated curriculum guides with the assistance of the district’s Instructional Teacher Leaders and Reading Specialists who worked under the direction of Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Jala Olds-Pearson. The School District made the following changes to its reading program and interventions:

1. Implemented Journey’s Reading Program (grades K-6), September 2017.

2. Implemented Diebels Assessments, September 2017.

3. Developed Curriculum aligned to Journey’s Reading Program and PA Academic Standards (grades K-6), August 2017.

4. Implemented Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention (grades K-5), September 2017.

5. Implemented Fundations Reading Intervention (grades K-2; 3rd grade added in

Sept. 2019), September 2018. 6. Implemented digital math and literacy interventions using adaptive technology for

at least 30-45 minutes (grades K-12), September 2018.

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The foregoing changes were to better align the School District’s curriculum materials, lesson planning, and curriculum maps to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s academic standards. Following these changes, students in 4th and 5th grade met or exceeded PVAAS growth targets for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school year. In addition, students in 6th through 8th grade showed academic growth, although the results were not consistent among the schools. Chester High School and STEM Academy have both shown significant improvement in English Language Arts PVAAS growth. Algebra I and Biology continue to show insufficient student academic growth as captured in the PVAAS system. Attached as Exhibits are the following test results:

• Exhibit 5 - Chester-Upland School District 2019 PSSA results for English Language Arts, Math, and Science;

• Exhibit 6 - Chester-Upland School District 2019 PVAAS Keystone results for Algebra, Biology, and Literature;

• Exhibit 7 - Chester High School 2019 PVAAS Keystone results for Algebra, Biology, and Literature;

• Exhibit 8 - Main Street School 2019 PVAAS PSSA results for English Language Arts, Math, and Science;

• Exhibit 9 - Chester-Upland School of Arts 2019 PVAAS PSSA results for English Language Arts, Math, and Science;

• Exhibit 10 - Stetser School 2019 PVAAS PSSA results for English Language Arts, Math, and Science;

• Exhibit 11 - STEM at Showalter 2019 PVAAS PSSA results for English Language Arts, Math, and Science; and

• Exhibit 12 - Toby Farms 2019 PVAAS PSSA results for English Language Arts, Math, and Science.

Graduation Rates

CI01: Increase the high school graduation rate at Chester High School to meet the annual Future Ready PA Index graduation rate goals.

Chester-Upland’s graduation rate varies by school, students in STEM at Showalter graduate at higher rates compared to students in Chester HS. In the last four years, the gap between Chester HS and STEM at Showalter graduation rates was on average 40 percentage points. The statewide graduation rate has remained at an average of 85 percent during the last four years.

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The School District’s goal is to meet the Future Ready PA Index graduation rate goals by 2030 for each school as follows:

In order to reach the foregoing annual graduation rates, the School District will implement the following action steps:



Assess and update district’s student early warning

systems


Vertically align K-12 teaching and learning goals to PA

college and career readiness indicators


Increase implementation and data gathering of

effective trauma informed instruction and student

social emotional learning


Align all school initiatives and accountability measures

with student performance


Expand high school course offerings to include more

digital and blended learning opportunities for students


Broaden stakeholder communication and coordination

of services for high school students


49.5% 51.4%

40.7%47.6%

83.9% 84.7% 84.2%

93.8%85.5% 84.8% 86.1% 86.6%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

Graduation Rates


Annual Percentage Targets: Graduation Rates

School

2017 Baseline

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

2023

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Goal

STEM 84.7% 85.2% 85.8% 86.4% 87.0% 87.6% 88.2% 88.8% 89.4% 90.0% 90.6% 91.2% 91.8% 92.4%

CHS 51.4% 54.5% 57.7% 60.8% 64.0% 67.1% 70.3% 73.4% 76.6% 79.7% 82.9% 86.0% 89.2% 92.4%

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SPECIAL EDUCATION

During the 2018-2019 school year, the Special Education Department was presented with several challenges, including changes in staff and programs, a corrective action from PDE, and numerous vacancies in special education staffing. The Department has had two directors within the last six years. In February 2019, six weeks after the resignation of the Assistant Superintendent for Special Education/Pupil Services, a consultant to the Superintendent for Special Education was hired. The consultant has 40 years of experience in the field of education, numerous administrative certificates related to special education, is a retired School Psychologist, was a Hearing Officer for the State of Delaware, and had familiarity with the District. A Supervisor of Special Education for the High School is expected to start the second half of the 2019-2020 School year. The District hired a new Director of Special Education/Pupil Services who started in November 2019. He holds the following PA certifications: School Psychologist, Supervisor of Special Education, and Supervisor of Student Services. He has over 30 years of experience in special education within public school districts. Current Special Education Administrative Staffing:

• Director of Special Education/Pupil Services (in place)

• Supervisor of Special Education, Elementary (in place)

• Supervisor of Special Education, Secondary (expected to start during the 2019-20 school year)

• Supervisor of Pupil Services (in place) The positions carry the following responsibilities: Supervisors of Special Education, Elementary & Secondary

• Assist Building Principals in matters pertaining to special education and compliance issues.

• Supervise special education programs at the elementary & high school level.

• Monitor the registration process for special education students enrolling in the District.

• PASA testing coordinator.

• Co-Trainer for professional training for staff.

• Develop policies and procedures for special education at the elementary level.

• Prepare and review documents and attend due process hearings.

• Review documents for the AEDY program placement.

• Respond to Office of Dispute Resolution.

• Weekly meetings with Building Administrators at the secondary level.

• Coordinate the Early Intervention Program.

• Share in the duties for the Out-Of-District Coordinator.

• Supervise the Coordinator of door-to-door transportation.

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• Liaison between Delaware County Intermediate Unit and the District.

• PIMS reporting (Child Accounting for Special Education).

• Supervise ACCESS Coordinator.

• Write special education resolutions for Board approval.

• Participate in Teachers’ Improvement Plans.

• Monitor compliance complaints and paperwork.

• Ensure special education students are receiving FAPE.

• Monitor students transferring out of the district.

• Provide support to the autistic classes through PaTTAN and VB Map.

• Co-Trainer for staff development training.

• Weekly meetings with Building Administrators at the secondary level.

• Involved in the registration process for secondary in-coming students.

• Prepare for and attend due process hearings.

• Attend IEP meetings when needed.

• Coordinate the ESY program.

• Review special education vouchers for the Superintendent’s approval.

• Order supplies and monitor all special education inventories.

• Oversee ACCESS paperwork.

• Participate in Teachers’ Improvement Plans.

• Recruit contract staff for related services.

• Review settlement cases for payment.

• Collaborate with the Business Office to satisfy financial settlements from litigation and due process hearings.

Supervisor of Pupil Services

• Supervise related services staff: Nurses, Social Workers, Psychologists, Counselors, Behavior Analysists, Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists, & Physical Therapists.

• Coordinate gifted program.

• Serve as the District’s 504 Coordinator.

• Approve homebound placements.

• Coordinate BID transition meetings.

• Coordinate the Commonwealth’s 339 Plan with CTE.

• Implement the District’s PBIS/SAP Programs (See attached Exhibit 13).

• Communicate with contract vendors for related services.

• Serve as Assistant Director for the Boys Scouts’ Program.

• Coordinate the District’s dual enrollment with Delaware County Community College.

• Implement the Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) required by Every Child Shall Succeed Act and IDEA in the District (Exhibit 14).

During the 2018-2019 school year, the District was understaffed with special education teachers. However, the District filled these positions with qualified special education teachers prior to the start of the 2019-20 school year. In addition, the District has filled

49

the required number of Related Services professionals with contracted professional consultants. Based on the foregoing recent hires, the School District believes that the Special Education Department has a sufficient number of administrators and educators to manage the needs of the District’s special education students. Corrective Action Plan In January 2019, PDE placed the district in Corrective Action in the areas of Speech, Counseling, and Itinerant. Collaboratively, the staff pulled together and successfully met PDE’s demands, and the annual record review was pushed back six months. Corrective actions implemented by the District included:

• The completion for compensatory education in these areas is 85 percent.

• Students receiving compensatory education for itinerant service will receive iPads with instructional software.

• Counseling was available through the District this past summer from 8:30AM - 2PM, Monday through Thursday. To make up the compensatory hours required for counseling, this service has continued after school during the current school year.

• Speech is provided for one hour after Extended School Year (ESY) and is available from 8:30AM-2PM for those students who are not attending ESY.

• Three to five teachers were hired prior to the beginning of the school year to reconcile files for the November records review.

Behavioral Health In 2013, through a partnership with the Crozer–Keystone Health System and the Delaware County Office of Behavioral Health, the District opened an outpatient mental health clinic within the Chester-Upland School District. However, this program was terminated at the end of the 2017-2018 school year. Efforts to replace this group with another agency did not materialize. Nonetheless, the students continued to receive instruction and counseling in the emotionally disturbed classes. To offer more support to these students, two Board Certified Behavior Analysist (BCBA) were hired to implement and write behavior goals for the student IEPs and support the ES teachers. Throughout the 2018-2019 school year, a number of counseling/mental health agencies were contacted to offer counseling services to our students. It was our hope that we would have these services back in place during the school year. On May 23, 2019, Community Council began counseling students at Chester High School and Toby Farms. This school year 2019-2020 the district contracted with Community Council to provide counseling services to those students in Supplemental Learning classes with Emotional Support. The goal for this program was to have around one hundred-twenty students

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enrolled in this program. We are currently about half-way to capacity. This program will help to reduce the number of students going out of district. There will be a Behavior Health Worker in every class in addition to a social worker between two classes. The total number of staff from Community Council is about 15. The Community Council’s proposal was presented to the school board and approved for the 2019-20 school year. Compliance Issues Accomplished Up to five current special education teachers were identified as Student Support Teacher Leaders (SSTL). This extra duty was supported by the Ready to Learn Grant. Each SSTL supports and helps monitor a Secondary or Elementary school within CUSD. Duties include ensuring that teachers are developing appropriate IEPs that are completed within required timeframes. SSTLs review each IEP that is written prior to the meeting taking place. They often participate in IEP meetings when needed and assist with Manifestation meetings. SSTLs also contact parents if they are not responding to the case manager. They also monitor reevaluation due dates, to help keep the district in compliance. SSTLs support the work of the special education supervisors by keeping minor issues at bay which allows the Special Education Supervisors to stay focused on more major issues that need to be addressed. Checks and Balances of Special Education Spending Invoices from Vendors, Approved Private Placements (Out of District), Attorney fees, Independent Contracts and supplies are now reviewed by the Supervisors of Special Education and/or Pupil Services Coordinator, The Director of Special Education/Pupil Services, and the Superintendent before given to the Business Office for payment. This process has saved the district thousands of dollars when the aforementioned entities are asked to explain over charges and discrepancies. Focus for 2019-2020 and Future Years Out of District Coordinator – This position has been filled and as a result our out-of-district placements are now being adequately monitored. The individual in this position is charged with bring students whom we can program for back to the district, as well as monitor the quality of the programs, participate in the students’ IEP and address any compliance issues, in addition to many other duties. Teacher Evaluations - Principals need to follow up with their evaluations of their teachers and provide an improvement plan when necessary. School year 2019-2020, the district is expected to have better communication among the Superintendent, Director of Human Resources, Special Education Supervisors, Supervisor of Pupil Services and Principals in this process. The Supervisor of Pupil Services will provide support to the principals by providing input in the evaluation process of Pupil Services’ staff using P.D.E.’s official form.

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Training - More training will be conducted throughout the school year by DCIU and PATTAN for Special Education Staff and Principals on a regular basis beginning the first week of school on State and Federal and State Standards and Regulations pertaining to IDEA. Registration of Special Education Newly Enrolled - It is imperative that everyone including the principal’s representative, special education coordinator, and child accounting understand their role in registering Special Education Students. Flaws in this process have led to students not being enrolled on a timely basis and consequently the district is put in a precarious situation to be sued or accumulate expensive legal fees to provide compensatory education. Further, meetings will take place during the 2019-20 school year in planning for accurate and efficient ways to register students and get them into appropriate classroom settings. Curriculum for Special Education – Although our goal is to have students participate in the general education curriculum, the District continues to purchase curriculum for special education students that is research based and equips students to progress in academic skills. Collaboration with the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and the Special Education Administrators is key to providing better options for our students. Pupils Services Focus - Establish Student Support Teams - A Student Support Team should be in place on the first day of school. The team will consist of a counselor, nurse, regular education teacher, Instructional Support Team Leader (ISTL), psychologist, and administrator. Every school will have a designated day and time to meet. This team will discuss student referrals to test, collect, and process the evaluation. Attendance and minutes will be taken and given to the Principal and Supervisor of Pupil Services. Supervisor of Pupil Services will continue to connect with DCIU for PBIS and MTSS training. Establish Student Assistant Program (SAP) - A SAP team will be established in every school after staff is properly trained before the first of the year (2020). Functional Behavior Assessments Referrals (FBA) - Supervisor of Pupil Services will work with principals through their School Based Teams to decide when FBAs should be issued. A Board-Certified Behavior Analysist (BCBA) has developed this process to be in place since the beginning of school. Adjustments may be made throughout each school year to continue improving our procedures. Assessment of Special Education Expenditures Enrollment Process:

1. Special Education expenses includes a high level of litigation for students that fall through the cracks due to various reasons. Many are due to the tracking of students who enroll in the district who had been receiving special education

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services in their previous school and are not identified by the parent during enrollment.

2. Parents tend to enroll special education students by going to the school their child will be attending. While at the school, they are told they need to go to the Administration Center to enroll special education students. This often delays the enrollment process if parents do not have transportation or do not follow up on a second attempt to enroll their child in a timely manner.

3. When students are entered into the student data management system (e.g., eSchool Plus) it does not automatically inform the special education data management system (IEP Writer) that these new special education students have enrolled.

4. During the second half of each school year the district obtains a list from the DCIU of those students who are receiving Early Intervention (EI) services who have the opportunity to transition to school age Special Education Services at the start of the next school year. Due to various reasons regarding proof of residency, parent participation in the process, and completing reevaluations & IEPs for each of these students, some of the students are delayed in starting their special education services at the start of the school year.

5. At the end of each school year, charter schools start dropping off 8th grade student records that are transitioning into our 9th grade high school special education programs. Out of date evaluations and IEPs tend to make it very difficult for the district to maintain compliance with this mass entry of students.

Out of District Placements:

1. The district has a high level of out of district placements of students with intensive needs. Although the district desires to provide more services within our current school building, there would not be enough space to develop these programs within the facilities we currently occupy.

2. Transportation for out of district placements is costly for the districts especially when there are many schools across a broad geographic area.

Compliance Management:

1. The School District is using eSchool Plus for enrollment and other regular education data management functions. The Special Education Department is utilizing IEP Writer which is a separate data management system that does not automatically update or receive data changes across platforms. Having to manually transfer data from one system to another takes more time and increases the chances for errors.

2. The current IEP system does not automatically inform teachers and administration of all compliance dates that are coming due.

3. Mistakes are easily made when writing evaluation reports, IEP goals and other documents. The current IEP system does not provide automatic names and pronouns into documents that result in spending more time and having more mistakes within the reports. IEP Writer does not have a variety of statement

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banks that only require a touch of a button to input paragraphs of information, or automatically pull data into another report.

Recommendations:

1. Continue regular meetings with special education administrative staff to review

compliance issues prior to procedures becoming out of compliance. 2. Provide an RFP for Special Education data management that works with the

general education data management system in order to eliminate multiple manual entry items on our data base system. Programs considered should contain more automatic compliance requirements, ease of entry, efficient use of time in developing reports, live data presented to administration and staff as to how many days are left before documents are out of compliance.

3. Establish meetings with special education charter school parents prior to the start of their 9th grade school year at Chester High School.

4. Consider if the district has the capacity to influence who will be the MAWA (Preschool Special Education Provider) and determine which provider would be the best option for the school district. The district will persistently set up continued meetings with the MAWA providers and parents until all preschoolers are ready to receive services by the first day of school. This requires all reevaluations to be completed prior to the start of the school year. It does not include non-Early Intervention students who are entering kindergarten. Those students will be processed within the regular timelines of an initial school age referral per PA regulations.

All four of the recommendations above will financially impact our district by avoiding costly due process proceedings (attorney fees and compensatory education funds). Having procedures put in place to better monitor our data, reduce the workload, and remain in compliance will greatly reduce the time and money that due process procedures cost. Compliance with special education procedures will generate greater child count funds from the state. Compliance with Medical Access procedures will also generate more funds for the district.

SE01: District compliance with special education plans

This is a prior initiative from the 2015 plan that continues to be a priority initiative for the District.



Develop procedures to better monitor our data,

reduce the workload, and remain in compliance

Sept 2019 June 2020 Superintendent, Director of Special

Education/Pupil Services

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SE02: Implement all four recommendation as identified above



Identify stronger compliance procedures and cost

savings



Financial Impact Estimated savings $100,000 + by reducing the amount of settlement agreements

SE03 Implementation of monthly meetings to monitor compliance



Continue regular meetings with special education

administrative staff to review compliance issues prior

to procedures becoming out of compliance



Financial Impact Estimated cost savings $10,000 (Increased MA and IDEA funds)

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MEDICAL ASSISTANCE (ACCESS) REIMBURSEMENT

Overview:

MA01: The District shall make every effort to receive maximum ACCESS reimbursement

The district currently has a full-time staff member devoted to Medical Access Billing and Compliance. A Coordinator also was hired to support Medical Access and Pupil Services to assist in maintaining compliance of timelines and accuracy of documentation. The Coordinator will go into the schools to assist staff with maintaining compliance. The previous section to this Recovery Plan (Special Education) will also have a good impact on the Medical Assistance Reimbursements since out of compliance documents are not reimbursable by ACCESS. School-based ACCESS program components that drive reimbursement include:

Direct Service Claiming:

Interim FAI payments

Cost Settlement: Annual

Reconciliation of Direct

Service Claiming

Random Moment

Time Study

Quarterly Medicaid

Administrative Claiming

(MAC) MAC Checks

Total LEA

Reimbursement

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This initiative will be accomplished by implementing the following:



Analysis of reimbursement amounts as we implement procedures to ensure they are effective

January 2020

June 2020 MA Coordinator and MA staff

Monitor Medical Access Reimbursements to determine if revenue increases or decreases

January 2020


Determine if there is anything we can appropriately control to obtain greater reimbursements

January 2020


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REVENUE

Revenue Sources The School District is funded through a combination of local, state, and federal revenue sources. The amount of revenue from the various sources is determined by a combination of laws, regulations, and decisions by elected officials, including at the local level the school board and/or Receiver. Local taxes are derived largely from the real estate tax levy where assessed property values are taxed based on a set millage rate. State revenue is determined by specific laws governing various grant and subsidy programs and federal funds are allocated based on a combination of per student allocations and grant awards. The District is highly dependent on State funding to provide the majority of its revenue. Budgeted state funding for 2019-2020 constitutes approximately 76 percent of the total revenue for the District. Local tax revenue constitutes the second largest source of funding for the District, accounting for 20 percent of total budgeted revenue in 2019-2020. Local tax revenues are dominated by real estate taxes, with much smaller proportions coming from realty transfer taxes, utility taxes, and other miscellaneous sources. The remainder of the School District’s funding is received in the form of Federal funds, which represents approximately four percent of budgeted revenues. The following table provides a summary of the School District’s actual and budgeted revenues by source for 2017 through 2020:

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Revenue Source

2017-18 Actual

2018-19 Projected

2019-20 Budget

Local Revenues $25,671,000 $27,662,000 $25,963,000

Property Taxes 21,023,000 21,489,000 20,500,000

Delinquent Taxes 3,115,000 2,800,000 2,766,000

Real Estate Transfer Tax 483,000 2,348,000 602,000

All Other 1,050,000 1,025,000 1,095,000

State Revenues $97,418,000 $99,878,000 $104,277,000

Basic Education Funding 77,082,000 78,986,000 82,356,000

Special Education Funding 5,854,000 5,880,000 6,270,000

State Property Tax Reduction Allocation 2,753,000 2,753,000 2,753,000

State Share of Retirement Contributions 5,589,000 6,048,000 6,048,000

Transportation 2,251,000 2,087,000 2,220,000

State Share of Social Security 1,267,000 1,219,000 1,219,000

Ready to Learn Block Grant 1,421,000 1,421,000 1,421,000

All Other 1,201,000 1,484,000 1,990,000

Federal Revenues $5,568,000 $5,461,000 $4,618,000

Title I 4,320,000 2,765,000 2,903,000

Title II 509,000 700,000 236,000

Title IV 273,000 419,000 1,056,000

School Improvement Grant 0 1,076,000 0

ACCESS 458,000 470,000 400,000

All Other 8,000 31,000 23,000

Other Sources $5,000 $0 $0

Total Revenue $128,662,000 $133,001,000 $134,858,000

As of the date of this Plan, the 2018-2019 financial statement audit has not been completed and it is expected that there will be several audit adjustments to the internally prepared financial statements. Accordingly, the 2018-2019 projected revenues were not revised for purposes of this plan. Although most of the School District’s funding is dictated by laws and regulations determined by the General Assembly and the Department of Education, there are other areas in which the School District can and should take measures to increase the funding available to the School District, as discussed in the following sections.

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Keystone Opportunity Zones

RV01 Secure optimal revenue from the termination of KOZ parcels

Keystone Opportunity Zone parcels provide property tax relief for a period of time to business that operate on such parcels. The School District currently does not monitor the zone expirations for each parcel. It is recommended that the Business Office develop a plan to monitor the expiration of the zones and considering opposing applications for extensions of up to 10 years to ensure the proper assessment of the parcels and the collection of taxes. The attached Exhibit 15 lists all KOZ parcels in the City of Chester. All parcels’ KOZ status are set to expire December 31, 2020. The budget does not include any adjustment for additional tax revenues from KOZ expired zones due to the possibility of extensions and the current property tax reassessment project. The School District does have a dedicated person who is responsible for challenging the property assessments of these parcels.



Monitor the expiration of KOZ parcels in the City of Chester.

December 2020

June 2021

Business Office

Consider opposing applications for extension of KOZ status

December 2020

TBD Business Office

Contact Delaware County tax collector to ensure former KOZ parcels are properly assessed and tax is collected

January 2021

TBD Business Office

Continue to challenge assessments of KOZ parcels Ongoing Ongoing Business Office

Grant Opportunities [Note: The initiative for grant opportunities is included in the Federal Programs section of this plan. See FP07 for more information.] As discussed more fully in the Federal Programs section of this Plan, the School District believes that there are significant opportunities to increase federal, state, and local grant funding, given adequate resources. More specifically, the School District believes that it could obtain at a minimum $1.5M in additional grant funding per year if it had a more appropriate staffed development office, reporting to the proposed Chief of Staff. While the School District is confident it can achieve this goal, it is not able to provide a list of additional grants totaling $1.5M that it would target at this time due to lack of resources. The revised budget includes the estimated net additional funding anticipated by increasing resources in the Federal Programs department. In June 2019, the Philadelphia Union, in partnership with Chester-Upland School District, the City of Chester, Power Home Remodeling, and Adidas, announced the

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implementation of boys’ and girls’ soccer teams at Chester High School and Middle School to begin in the fall of 2019. The program is fully funded by Philadelphia Union, Union Foundation, and Power Home Remodeling, and will provide new practice fields and game fields, pro-level outfitting by Adidas, coaches, game operations and more to impact over 200 student athletes over the first three years. The projected baseline budget reflects a commitment of $500,000 annually for the first three years, then $150,000 per year thereafter. Expenses associated with this program also are included in the budget.

RV02 Delinquent tax collection

The School District retained a new tax collection service to enhance the collection of delinquent taxes. As a result, the School District expects increases in the amount of delinquent taxes collected, however, the amount of increased tax collections is not known at this time. Real Estate Taxes

RV03 Increase property tax millage rate to the maximum permitted by the Act 1 index

The Act 1 index is used to determine the maximum tax increases for each tax the school district levies (without PDE exception or voter approval). The adjusted index for Chester-Upland is 3.7 percent for 2019-2020 and 4.1 percent for 2020-2021. For the past two years, the actual tax increase approved by the School Board has been less than three percent. Moreover, the Elected School Board did not raise real estate taxes for FY2019-20, despite having had the ability to increase rates by up to 3.7 percent per the Act 1 index. The School District contends that a significant increase in property taxes on a primarily low-income population only will lead to an increase in delinquencies. Balancing the School District’s need for tax revenues with these realities, it is recommended that the Board approve increases in real estate taxes of 2.5 percent beginning in 2020-2021 and continue to look for opportunities to increase the tax rate beyond the budgeted 2.5 percent per year. An unknown factor in the budgeting process relates to the current property tax reassessment project. In March 2017, Delaware County was ordered by the Court to conduct a countywide property tax reassessment, effective for the 2021 tax year. Delaware County Council contracted with Tyler Technologies, Inc. in 2017 to provide real property appraisal services for the County’s 2020 general reassessment. Accordingly, beginning in 2021, the assessed property values could be higher or lower than currently assessed. The baseline budget has not been adjusted for the reassessment at this time since the financial impact has not been established.

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In the case decided December 27, 2018, In re: Consolidated Appeals for Chester-Upland School District, 2018 WL 6797482 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2018), the Commonwealth Court concluded that the revenue generated by a property owner from a billboard lease may be considered for tax assessment purposes. This ruling gives the School District the ability to increase property assessments on parcels containing billboards based on the revenue such billboards may generate. This should provide an increase in the property tax revenue to the School District. It is unknown how much additional revenues may be generated from the increased property taxes related to billboards. Accordingly, the baseline budget has not been adjusted to reflect any potential increases.



Increase real estate property tax rates by 2.5 percent, minimally, each year

2020 2024 Elected School Board

Continue to look for opportunities to increase the tax rate to the Act 1 index

Ongoing Ongoing Elected School Board

Monitor the outcome of the property tax reassessment program and adjust budget projections accordingly

2020 2021 Business Office

Monitor property assessments related to billboards January 2020

Ongoing Business Office

Financial Impact $5.5M for the period 2020-2021 through 2023-2024

RV04 Redistribution of charter school tuition reimbursement for Districts based on need

In the prior Plan, the District’s Receiver had proposed that the overall pot of the charter school tuition reimbursement subsidy (Act 88 funds), that Governor Wolf had proposed to reinstate, be redistributed to Districts based on need. This proposal specifically focused on districts that were declared fiscally distressed or with high percentages of charter school students, such as Chester Upland School District. The Receiver had proposed that Chester Upland receive 40 percent of their annual charter school tuition costs. The status of this initiative is not clear. Basic and Special Education Funding

RV05: Improved focus on child accounting activities

Outcome: Improved and timelier reconciliation of and billing for students as they move between District and charter schools

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While the School District does not control the amount of per pupil funding it receives from the Commonwealth for basic and special education, it does control the accounting and billing for the students in the District. Until recently, the Director of Child Accounting also was the Director of IT. These positions now have been a separated into two full-time positions. Accordingly, the Director of Child Accounting will focus on ensuring that the School District receives the appropriate amount of per pupil funding through more timely reconciliations with charter schools, better accounting for truancies, and better monitoring of changes in students’ residence. It is expected that the School District will capture additional revenues through more proactive and accurate child accounting. The financial impact is not known at this time and the budget does not account for any potential increases.



Ensure timely reconciliations with charter schools Every July

Every June Director of Child Accounting

Develop a plan to better account for truancies Every July Every June Director of Child Accounting

Work with the transportation department to develop a plan to better monitor changes in students’ residence

Every July Every June Director of Child Accounting,

Transportation Department

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FEDERAL PROGRAMS

The School District employs one Federal Programs Liaison to write federal grants and manage federal programs. Other responsibilities include writing and managing some state programs and other competitive grants. Current programs include:

• Title I, II, III, and IV;

• School Improvement Grants;

• School Intervention Grants;

• 21st Century Community Learning Centers;

• Ready to Learn Grant;

• Homeless Services;

• Homeschooled Compliance; and

• English as a Second Language/English Language Development Program. The attached Exhibit 16 shows the current grants received by the School District. Prior Initiatives A summary of the prior Federal Programs initiatives follows:

FP01: Monitor Transition from Free and Reduced to Direct Certification Calculations

This initiative has been completed. The School District transitioned fully from Free and Reduced Meals to Direct Certification Calculations which has eliminated the requirement to obtain paperwork from parents verifying income levels to qualify for Free and Reduced Meals. The result has been 100 percent funding of meals for all students.

FP02: Expand Program Evaluation Methods

This initiative was implemented for 21st Century Grants last year. The financial impact has yet to be determined but savings are anticipated. The School District has found that this initiative allows them to be more conscious with programming. In addition, it has had a positive impact on compliance. It is recommended that this initiative be continued with the goal of having this initiative apply to all grants within the next three years.



Evaluate each programs’ use of federal funding and improve compliance

School Year 2019-20

June 2023 Federal Programs Liaison, Assistant Superintendent C&I, Program Coordinator

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Compliance

FP03: Monitor the implementation of corrective action plans resulting from any external audit or program review.

Target Outcome: Avoid loss of funds that may result if audit findings recur.

The June 30, 2018 audited financial statements (issued June 12, 2019) included the Independent Auditors’ Report on Compliance for Each Major Federal Program and Report on Internal Control Over Compliance in Accordance with the Uniform Guidance. Material weaknesses relating to the audit of Title I Part A Cluster, Title II Improving Teacher Quality State Grants, and School Improvement Grants were reported. The School District’s reports related to these three grants were either filed late or not at all. The accuracy of the reports that were filed could not be determined as the supporting documentation or reconciliations for the amounts disclosed in the report were not complete. Note, this was a repeat finding from the previous audit. Another prior audit finding that repeated in the current audit related to the School District’s untimely filing of its data collection form to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse within nine months of the fiscal year end. To comply with this requirement, the Business Administrator and auditor must complete the audit in time to meet this deadline. As discussed later in Budgeting and Financial Management, the independent auditors for the School District have completed audit reports on a timely basis. More specifically, the School District struggles with timely audits which have led to certain corrective action plans. Also, the audit process has not begun for FY2018-19. In addition, independent auditors have yet to request any information for the audit or set dates for field work. The School District is proactively preparing schedules that it knows the auditors will need. However, it is recommended that the School District prepare and RFP for a new audit firm for FY2019-20. This initiative is captured in Initiative FI12. This is a prior initiative from the 2015 Plan that has not been fully implemented due to the lack of resources available in the Federal Programs department and in the Business Office. In addition, the late issuance of the audited financial statements will continue to result in an audit finding of non-compliance with filing the data collection form to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse within nine months of the fiscal year end. It is recommended that this initiative be continued until all corrective action plans have been implemented. Also, see initiative FI12 regarding the recommendation to initiate the RFP process for a new independent audit firm.



Respond to any corrective action plan identified by the auditors and develop procedures to ensure compliance

End of annual audit

End of annual audit

Federal Programs Liaison

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FP04: Communicate the importance of Federal programs and external funding to District staff and the community.

This was a prior initiative that has not had much success as evidenced by the reduction in resources available to the Federal Programs department to adequately research, apply, monitor, and comply with additional grant programs. Although it is largely understood that the Federal Programs department is responsible for obtaining grant monies that are used to fund instructional salaries and various programs, most are unaware of the amount of time and effort required to write, manage, and comply with each grant. In addition, most are unaware of the additional funding that could be available to the School District if the Federal Programs department had adequate resources to research and apply for more grants. Moreover, local grant opportunities, corporate partnerships, and alumni fundraising efforts are almost non-existent due to the lack of resources available to take on such responsibilities. As a result, the reductions of staff in the Federal Programs department has limited the ability to proactively research, apply for, manage, and comply with any additional grants. It is recommended that this prior initiative remain a priority along with adequate resources in the Federal Programs department to enhance grant revenues for the School District.



Identify target list of potential grants for which the School District should apply

December 2019

Ongoing Federal Programs Liaison

Communicate with CUSD staff, elected board members, and the community regarding assistance needed

January 2020

Ongoing Federal Programs Liaison, Chief

Operating Officer, Receiver

FP05: Expand efforts to identify and obtain additional funding opportunities

This initiative was partially implemented. For example, the Safety Committee identified grants available for Safe Schools. Last year, the School District received approximately $468K from this grant and used it to purchase cameras, lighting, staff, student ID cards, and safety training. This year, the School District is applying for $490K in Safe Schools grant funding and plans to use the funds to hire a School Resource Officer, conflict resolution staff, and a serious incident reporter. The grant is a 24-month grant beginning in March 2020. It is recommended that the planned positions be outsourced versus CUSD employees since they are being funded by grant monies that may or may not be available to reapply for at the end of this 24-month period.

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Identify and apply for grants that will provide additional revenues to support instructional programs and improve support services

September (annually)

June (annually)

Federal Programs Liaison, proposed

Development Assistant

Financial Impact $490,000 over 24 months beginning in March 2020

Communication among Departments

FP06: Document and streamline all processes necessary for prompt and successful implementation of Federal and grant funded programs.

Target Outcome: Be prepared to implement more externally funded programs successfully.

The process to plan and budget for use of federal funds involves a number of individuals throughout the organization. The Federal Programs department relies on support from the Business Office and Human Resources to assist with the administration of grants in terms of budgeting, hiring, contracting, purchasing, accounting, and compliance. Until recently, it was difficult for the Federal Programs Liaison to receive accurate reports in a timely manner, due to the skeletal staff and high turnover in these departments. However, with recent staff additions in the Business Office and Human Resources, the process has been strengthened. In addition, there are no documented procedures in place for the grant application process that explain what is needed and by when from each department. Similarly, there are no documented procedures in place to explain what is needed and by when from each department once a grant is received. Accordingly, the Federal Programs Liaison has developed a flow chart that incorporates the information needed and related deadlines for receiving such information from each department when applying for a grant (See Exhibit 17). In addition, the Federal Programs Liaison has developed procedures for how grants are to be processed once they are received (See Exhibit 18).



Distribute to HR and the Business Office flow chart (Exhibit 16) that incorporates information needed and related deadlines when applying for a grant

December 2019

December 2019


Distribute to HR and the Business Office procedures (Exhibit 17) for how grants are to be processed

December 2019

December 2019


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Federal Programs Liaison to meet at least monthly with Human Resources Director and Business Manager to review status of current and upcoming grants

Monthly Ongoing Monthly

Federal Programs Liaison, Human

Resources Director, Business

Manager

Staffing

FP07: Hire Outsourced Federal/State Government Relations Liaison, Outsourced Local Government Relations/Private Grants Liaison, and Outsourced Development Assistant, and hire CUSD-employed administrative assistant

The Federal Programs department is not adequately staffed to write, manage, and comply with the reporting requirements of each grant. In addition, the School District believes that, conservatively, approximately $1.5M per year in grant opportunities are missed due to the lack of resources available in the Federal Programs department. While the School District is confident it can achieve this goal, it is not able to provide a list of additional grants totaling $1.5M that it would target at this time due to lack of resources. The current organizational structure for the Department is as follows:

According to the Federal Programs Liaison, the staffing structure for the Federal Programs department would include the following:

Federal Programs

Liaison

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The positions would carry the following responsibilities: Federal Programs Liaison

• Provide direction and oversight for development office

• Write and monitor federally allocated and PDE-sponsored competitive grants (Title I, Title II, Title III, Title IV, Ready to Learn, SIG, 21st CCLC etc.)

• Prepare and submit reports for federally allocated and PDE-sponsored competitive grants

• Coordinate federally funded programs including Homeless Services, English Language Development, and 21st CCLC

• Provide guidance and oversight for all grants awarded through the development office

Local Government Relations/Private Grants Coordinator

• Establish relationships with local partners and funding agencies including private foundations corporations, government entities, and universities

• Write and monitor grants made through private and local government agencies

• Prepare and submit reports

• Cultivate relationships with private donors

• Establish a donor database

• Develop solicitation processes to garner individual contributions Federal/State Government Relations Grants Coordinator

• Research state and federal, non-PDE grant opportunities, such as those offered through the federal Department of Education, Department of Justice, Department of Human Services, PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency, etc.


Federal/State Government

Relations

Local Government Relations/Private

Grants

Development Assistant

Administrative Assistant

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• Establish relationships with federal and state funding agencies

• Write and monitor grants made through federal and state agencies

• Prepare and submit reports

• Establish and monitor a grants database Development Assistant

• Provide supports to Federal Programs Liaison and Grants Coordinators

• Collect data for grant development

• Collaborate with school district offices to help with grant development

• Read and outline RFPs

• Edit proposals

• Create data collection tools

• Monitor progress and data for all grants awarded through the development office

• Assist with report generation Administrative Assistant

• Serve as office manager

• Manage phone calls and correspondence

• Establish and maintain filing systems

• Handle copying and mailing

• Ensure report filing is accurate and timely The proposed staffing structure would add $220,000 to $270,000 annually in salaries to the budget. As a result of PSERS costs, benefits typically average 70 percent of salaries. Accordingly, the proposed staffing structure also would add $154,000 to $189,000 in annual benefits to the budget. The total impact on the budget would be an increase of $374,000 to $459,000 annually. If the School District is correct that conservatively there is $1.5M in annual grant awards that could be attained by the School District if it had the resources, the net benefit to the School District would be slightly in excess of $1M annually. While the School District is confident it can achieve this goal, it is not able to provide a list of additional grants totaling $1.5M that it would target at this time due to lack of resources. The alternative approach would be to outsource the additional positions needed in the Federal Programs department so as not to incur the annual benefits associated with full-time employees. The average cost of contracted grant writers ranges from $500 to $2,000 per day, depending on the qualifications of the grant writer and scope of the project. In either case, increasing the resources available in the Federal Programs department would provide a significant net financial benefit to the School District. In addition, it would enhance the School District’s ability to comply timely with each grant’s reporting requirements.

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Create job description and advertise for outsourced Federal/State Government Relations Liaison

December 2019

January 2020


Resources

Create job description and advertise for outsourced Local Government Relations/Private Grants Liaison

December 2019

January 2020


Resources

Create job description and advertise for outsourced Development Assistant

December 2019

January 2020


Resources

Create job description and advertise for Administrative Assistant

December 2019

January 2020


Resources

Interview and hire all positions January 2020

March 2020


Resources

Financial Impact: $1.1M annual net increase in financial position ($1.5M increased grant revenues less $400K estimated personnel costs)

Delaware County Intermediate Unit (DCIU)

FP08: Contact DCIU for potential interim support with grant research, applications, and compliance

The Legislative and Community Services department of the DCIU overseas government relations. Through its Delaware County Education Foundation, it offers grant seeking and development services. The School District has not contacted DCIU in order to determine what, if any, assistance is available. It is recommended that the Federal Programs Liaison contact DCIU to determine what interim support is available while the School District reorganizes the Federal Programs department. Ideally, such support would include grant research and writing. The estimated cost for these services should not exceed the average cost of contracted grant writers, which ranges from $500 to $2,000 per day, depending on the qualifications of the grant writer and scope of the project. The projects should be based on agreed upon grant opportunities by the School District and DCIU.



Develop list of interim support services needed December 2019

December 2019


Contact DCIU and determine services available and estimated cost for services

January 2020 January 2020


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Determine if services should be contracted depending on status of recruiting process for permanent positions

January 2020 January 2020


There has been some progress in the implementation of the Federal Programs initiatives from the 2015 Recovery Plan. However, limited available resources have impacted the School District’s ability to fully implement each initiative. In addition, new or expanded initiatives have been identified during the process of preparing the 2019 Plan through meetings and interviews with the School District and PDE, and analysis of available documentation.

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HUMAN RESOURCES

The Human Resources department provides services including but not limited to: organization and management; policies and procedures; recruitment/employment; compensation and benefits; employee/labor relations; and records management. The Director of Human Resources oversees the organization and functioning of the Department by providing leadership and guidance to insure effective service, as well as collaborative relationships with every member of the organization. The Director is supported by an employment specialist, and two confidential secretaries. In fall 2019, the Director resigned, leaving the department in need of a new Director. Initiatives Analysis of prior initiatives:

Prior Initiative Status

HR01 To effectively and efficiently manage the benefits of all district employees

Employee benefit contribution initiated. Continue monitoring of net benefit costs.

HR02 Develop a comprehensive Human Resource Procedure Manual

Not completed due to lack of resources

HR03 Continue development and the revisions of the ADA compliant Job Descriptions

Completed

HR04 Increase the advertising budget for Human Resource recruiting

Not completed due to lack of financial resources

HR05 Perform an employee benefits eligibility audit and reprise at regular intervals


HR06 Implement a three-times yearly orientation for new staff on the District organization and different departments' roles


HR07 Adopt a policy for records retention and scan old Human Resources files


HR08 Integrate student, finance and human resources data systems


HR09 Internal control for creating positions and hiring


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The School District has identified the following initiatives that should be implemented regarding Human Resources:

HR10: Assess the financial impact of outsourcing the Human Resources department versus hiring a new director and maintaining the current staff

Target Outcome: Improved efficiencies and potential savings especially related to benefits

Financial Impact: TBD

Responsible Party:

Receiver and Business Office

With the departure of the Human Resources Director, the School District has recommended an analysis of the financial impact of outsourcing the entire HR Department be performed.

HR11: To effectively and efficiently manage the substitute services currently used

Target Outcome: To develop and operate a substitute service that can meet the needs of the School District


Responsible Party:

Director of Human Resources

The School District employed Source4teachers as the substitute teacher service over the last four years. However, Source4teachers reportedly has not been effective in filling the schools’ teacher absences. The School District has identified an alternative vendor, Insight Workforce Solutions, for substitute teachers and recommends that implementation of the new vendor be completed during the 2019-2020 school year.

HR12: Invest in a Position Control System

Target Outcome: Establish clear and detailed information regarding the School District’s positions

Financial Impact: ($15,000)

Responsible Party:

Human Resources Department

All schools and departments have a budget for salaries that is based on the budgeted permanent full- and part-time staff positions allocated to the school or department. Currently, this process is managed manually and does not provide a comprehensive report detailing the budget. With the position control report, administrators would be responsible for managing his/her school/department’s annual compensation budgets and the staff hiring process in accordance with the Business Office and Human Resources guidelines and procedures. The report would provide a more complete picture and would list all

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positions allocated to a school or department for the current school year and include the names of current employees assigned to each position. Vacant positions would be listed as well. The School District recommends that it research and retain a Position Control system during the 2019-2020 school year and train all administrators to use the position control report so that it can be utilized in the budgeting process for 2020-2021.

HR13: Continue development and the revisions of the ADA compliant job descriptions

Target Outcome: All position descriptions will reflect ADA compliance specifications.

Financial Impact: Cost included in HR02

Responsible Party:

Human Resources Department and Department Supervisors

All job descriptions have been finalized to reflect the ADA specifications. Department supervisors have been provided job descriptions for each person in their department, with an outline of how of ADA regulations affect the position. The Department Supervisors have been tasked with providing employees with a copy of their job description.

HR14: Adopt a policy regulation regarding the length of time employees may remain on workers’ compensation

Target Outcome: Controlled workers’ compensation costs


Responsible Party:

Human Resources Department

While the District has a policy for workers’ compensation, it is vague in how long and employee may remain on workers’ compensation. The School District recommends that a policy regulation be implemented to clearly state the length of time an employee may remain on workers’ compensation. Several additional initiatives have been identified through the recovery plan process. However, without a Director of Human Resources, the department lacks the leadership to carry out several of the already proposed initiatives. In addition, the School District proposes that the following items be addressed as future initiatives once leadership of the Department (via a new director or an outsourced solution) is resolved:

• Characterize employee turnover and address any issues by analyzing retention by position category.

• Explore recruitment through analyzing the District’s ability to attract individuals to various positions.

• Continue to monitor class sizes as it relates to the number of teachers or other support staff, such as reading specialists.

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• Continue to monitor District-wide enrollment projections to ensure appropriate staffing levels are maintained.

• Address the high cost of workers’ compensation payouts compared to other Districts in the state.

• Evaluate the current relationship with the School District’s insurance broker and also conduct a risk analysis.

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WORKFORCE The HR Director resigned in October 2019 and has not been replaced. Accordingly, it was difficult to get adequate insights into workforce priorities and initiatives. The following areas need further analysis by the School District to determine potential cost savings: Health Care Cost

• Exploring plan modifications, such as a high-deductible plan with a Health Savings Account (HSA).

• Analysis of benefits compared to other districts. Pay Schedule

• Analysis of financial impact of modifying payment schedule for summer pay for teachers.

• Eliminate need for state subsidy advances to resolve payroll shortfalls.

• Review accuracy of salary calculations (i.e., years of service and step increase) and develop plan for continued monitoring of calculations.

Contracting Out Services

• Analysis of outsourcing HR, IT, Custodial and Maintenance, and Federal Programs

Collective Bargaining Agreements

• Analysis of terms and use of Act 141 which requires future labor contracts to conform to the terms of the Plan.

Initiatives

The following prior plan initiatives need to be evaluated for any progress and whether

additional work needs to be completed.

WF01 Continue to Right-size District staffing to match the student population

WF02 Compensation Cost Containment

WF03 Length of teacher day

WF04 Combat Absenteeism

WF05 Strengthen workers’ compensation cost controls

WF06 Remove impediments to outsourcing from collective bargaining agreements

WF07 Teacher evaluation plan must be in accordance with the Commonwealth’s Educator Effectiveness guidelines

WF08 Teacher scheduling, planning, and professional development

WF09 Tuition Reimbursement

WF10 Notice of Resignation or Retirement

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FOOD SERVICE

The School District recently went through a competitive RFP process for the purpose of entering into a contract for the operation of a food service program for the District. The School District selected Compass Group USA Inc. by and through its Chartwells Division for the 2019-2020 school year. The Division of Food and Nutrition for the PA Department of Education reviewed and approved the proposed Food Services Management Company contract with Chartwells for the 2019-2020 school year. The contract is for a period of one year with the school year beginning on July 1, 2019 and ending June 30, 2020, with up to four one-year renewals.

FS01: Eliminate the Food Service Fund deficit and repay the General Fund subsidy

Target Outcome: Continue progress to improve food service finances to permanently eliminate General Fund support and begin to repay prior year General Fund subsidy

This is an initiative from the prior plan and is an ongoing issue that still applies. Generally, there is not enough cash on hand in food services to run programs from July through October/November. As a result, the General Fund covers food service shortfalls. In addition, after cash flows have improved, the Food Service Fund still operates at a slight deficit versus breakeven or a slight surplus. It is recommended that an in-depth analysis of food services expenditures be performed to identify where costs may need to be further controlled.



Perform an in-depth analysis of the food services expenditures and identify where costs may need to be further controlled

January 2020

March 2020

Business Office and Food Service

Manager

FS02: Implement strategy for increasing breakfast and lunch counts

Chartwells has stated that there may be opportunities to increase breakfast counts but would require support from the administration. Currently, breakfast is limited to a certain timeframe. Middle and High School counts could improve if Chartwell was able to offer a second breakfast. It is recommended that the administration determine if there is a way to adjust the schedule to accommodate a second breakfast in order to increase the number of meals taken and improve Food Service Fund finances. The School District attempted to provide bagged lunches as a way of increasing breakfast and lunch counts in situations where students are not able to go to the cafeteria. However, the students have not reacted favorably to the bagged lunch concept and often throw the lunch in the trash.

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Identify possible scheduling changes and implement, if feasible, to accommodate a second breakfast

January 2020

March 2020

Business Office, Superintendent,


FS03: Continue to integrate food program with other nutrition and wellness initiatives

Target Outcome: Leverage other resources to increase effectiveness of food service provision

Due to limited resources in the Food Services department, the School District has not been able to research and apply for several programs that would address this initiative.



Identify nutrition and wellness initiatives available in the community


June (annually)

Food Service Manager

Develop and implement a plan to integrate the District’s food service program with available community-based programs


June (annually)

Food Service Manager

Staffing

FS04: Hire a full-time Food Service Manager

The Food Services department would benefit from the addition of a full-time employee who would be responsible for monthly reporting, monitoring of expenses, and managing the budget to ensure the department is at least breakeven, researching and applying for mini and equipment grants and other potential grants, monitoring and evaluating equipment needs, determining ways to increase breakfast and lunch counts, and identify potential partnerships within the community that would enhance and promote the food services program. The Food Service department relies on the part-time support of an employee from the purchasing department to assist with preparing monthly reports, applying for mini and equipment grants, and completing applications and monthly reports for the fresh fruit carts. While reports are being completed timely, the School District has missed opportunities to apply for mini and equipment grants. In addition, there is no capacity to proactively identify additional grant opportunities. The School District should have a dedicated full-time employee to more effectively and efficiently manage the needs of the department. The School District believes that the

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addition of a full-time employee would ensure timely compliance with report filing requirements and would provide the opportunity to research and apply for additional grant revenues. The estimated salary for a full-time employee is $45K to $50K, plus benefits.



Create job description and advertise for Food Service Manager

January 2020

January 2020

Human Resources and Business

Office

Interview and hire Food Service Manager January 2020

March 2020

Human Resources and Business

Office

Financial Impact: ($75,600 salary and benefits, annually)

Equipment

FS05: Replace or repair equipment needs at each school

Chartwells has assessed the immediate equipment needs/repairs for each school. The School District needs to develop a plan for the gradual replacement of equipment and evaluate potential financing options. Due to the condition of some of the equipment, the School District is at risk of not being able to provide breakfast or lunch to its students. Based on input from Chartwells representatives, the School District needs equipment, including ovens, steamers, refrigeration, and working serving equipment. In addition, it needs a new food truck and warming units to transport food to certain schools that do not have a kitchen on site. The School District had a recent incident with the current food truck breaking down and having to scramble to find alternative transportation for the food to certain schools. Based on Chartwells’ evaluation, the immediate equipment and repair needs are as follows: Main Street:

Equipment Needs/Repairs Reason

Steam Table for Serving (on wheels)- 4 wells Rusty; needed even if grant not awarded

3-Compartment Sink Not in compliance

Milk Cooler, 8 crate Broken Reach-In Freezer, Double Door Increase efficiency Reach-In Refrigerator, Double Door To meet HACCP compliance Stainless steel Work table To meet HACCP compliance

Stainless shelving units To meet HACCP compliance

Replace/update electrical breaker Life safety

Replace hood for oven Life safety

Stetser:


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Steam Table for Serving (on wheels)- 4 wells Several wells do not work

Reach-In Freezer, Double Door Increase efficiency

Stainless Steel Shelving Facility lacks storage space Table Top Refrigeration Unit To meet HACCP compliance 3-Compartment Sink To meet HACCP compliance Upgrade serving area (better configuration) Life safety Evaluate electrical set up Life safety

CUSA:


Double Stack Electric Convection Oven Increase efficiency

Reach-In Freezer, Double Door Increase efficiency

Hood over oven Life safety

Remove pizza impinger oven Life safety

Repair two reach-in refrigerators Life safety

Remove refrigerated merchandiser Equipment is broken

Toby Farms:


Reach-in Refrigerator - Triple Door Old refrigerator is inefficient

Hot Food Table/Pizza Merchandiser To meet HACCP compliance

Grab & Go Breakfast Cart To help increase breakfast participation Table Refrigeration Unit To meet HACCP compliance Even flooring to avoid tripping Life safety Remove ice cream freezer Life safety Repair serving line unit Two wells need repair

Chester High School:


Double Stack Gas Convection Oven Increase efficiency

Automatic Slicer Decrease prep time for satellite service

Hot Food/Pizza Warmer Merchandiser To keep food warm and more appealing 3-Compartment Pot Sinks To meet HACCP compliance Grab & Go Breakfast Cart To help increase breakfast participation Stainless Steel Serving Table Increase efficiency Assess kettle and braiser Repair needed Repair reach-in refrigerator Life safety Repair oven hood Broken Repair entrance door with swipe card Does not lock properly

STEM


Cold Deli Station for Prep and Serving To serve food

Ice Machine Increase efficiency and safety

Hot Food/Pizza Warmer Merchandiser Decrease prep time for satellite service Grab & Go Breakfast Cart Increase breakfast participation Stainless Steel Serving Table Increase efficiency Remove fryer/grill Life safety Convert dish room into a snack hut area School improvement Repair security gate Broken

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Develop a plan and timeline for the replacement of food services equipment at each school as identified by Chartwells

January 2020 March 2020 Food Service Manager and

Business Office

Perform an analysis on the costs associated with buying or leasing a food service truck

January 2020 March 2020 Business Office

Identify potential financing alternatives and secure funding

January 2020 June 2020 Business Office

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TRANSPORTATION

The initiatives set forth in the 2015 Recovery Plan were as follows:

TS01: Continue Assessment of Contracting for Transportation Services

TS02: Develop a Replacement Vehicle Program

TS03: Employ a contract administrator with bus routing and scheduling expertise

Initiative TS01 was completed and it was determined that the School District should contract transportation services versus the district operated transportation services. Initiative TS02 no longer applies since the School District contracts its transportation services. Initiative TS03 was completed. The School District hired a Transportation Coordinator who interacts with the third-party transportation service regarding scheduling, routes, and invoicing, processes requests for transportation, and responds to parents’ questions. Chester-Upland Transportation

TS04: Renegotiate current transportation contract or consider potential new RFP process.

Target Outcome: Reduced transportation expense by including add-on services that should have been included in original bid, and require separate contracts for regular education and special education transportation needs

The School District contracts its transportation services to a third-party service provider, Chester-Upland Transportation. The RFP was supposed to be split between regular education and special education transportation needs. However, Chester-Upland Transportation’s bid was for all of the School District’s transportation needs in one contract and suggested significant savings to the School District over the prior contract with Durham. Accordingly, a five-year contract was awarded to Chester-Upland Transportation. Note, the School District subsequently contracted with Countywide to provide special education transportation services. The School District soon realized that many of the needed services were not included in the contract. These add-on services significantly increased transportation costs for the School District. The following table illustrates the original bid submitted by Chester-Upland Transportation compared to the actual costs incurred by the School District for the 2018-19 school year, as well as the actual prior Durham costs:

CU Transportation Estimate 2018-19 per Bid

CU Transportation Actual

2018-19 (unaudited)

Durham Actual

2017-18

Durham Actual

2016-17

$2,713,320 $4,440,850 $3,812,984 $3,867,686

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The current five-year contract expires at the end of the 2022-2023 school year and includes an escalator each year (Note: this year’s contract escalation was approximately 4.5 percent). The contract provides a termination clause for performance but does not include a termination fee. The School District is interested in renegotiating the current contract given the significant amount of services not included in the original bid.



Meet with Chester-Upland Transportation to discuss the contract expectations versus actual results and attempt renegotiation of contract

January 2020

January 2020

Chief Operating Officer,

Superintendent, Receiver

Financial Impact: ($500K annually)

Student Safety Concerns

TS05: Develop a Pupil Transportation Policy

The School District raised concerns that the bus drivers employed by Chester-Upland Transportation often take direction from individual schools, charter schools, or even directly from parents/guardians regarding the pick-up or drop off location of a student. The School District has addressed this issue with Chester-Upland Transportation, however there are still many instances when this occurs. The safety of the School District’s students is of the utmost importance. It is recommended that the School District immediately:

• Inform Chester-Upland Transportation that bus drivers must not deviate from the scheduled approved route, pick-up, or drop off locations, unless otherwise instructed by the School District transportation office. Any instances of noncompliance should result in financial repercussions to Chester-Upland Transportation.

• Inform district and charter schools that any changes to a student’s pick-up or drop off location must be submitted to the School District transportation office for approval to be effective.

• Inform parents/guardians that any changes to their child’s pick up or drop off location must be submitted to the School District transportation office for approval to be effective.

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Develop and distribute a Pupil Transportation Policy that incorporates all the suggested recommendations above

January 2020

March 2020

Transportation Department,

Business Office

Require all route changes to be documented by bus drivers and submitted weekly to the School District transportation office

Monthly

Ongoing Transportation Department

Potential Purchase or Lease of School Buses

TS06: Increase student safety and transportation efficiencies

On numerous occasions, students have been stranded at away games because the contracted bus service does not remain with the students for the duration of the event. In addition, due to the unsafe environment of many of the schools after hours, the buses are not allowed to drop the students off at the schools after a game. Instead, the bus is required to take students to their neighborhood, which is an added but necessary cost to ensure the students arrive home safe. As a result, the School District in considering the potential purchase or lease of one or two school buses to be used for student sporting events and as a supplement to special education transportation. The School District also believes that the availability of a district owned bus would provide potential cost savings for some special education out of district transportation needs.



Evaluate the cost of purchasing or leasing a District owned bus

January 2020

March 2020


Business Office

Determine if renegotiations are possible with current bus vendor to accommodate sporting event needs more appropriately

January 2020

January 2020


Perform cost benefit analysis of potential renegotiated contract versus a District owned bus

January 2020

March 2020

Business Office

Evaluate Transportation Services to Charter Schools

TS07: Evaluate transportation services to charter schools

Target Outcome: Combine routes and improve transportation efficiencies without compromising student safety or services available to the charter students

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The School District is required to provide transportation to students enrolled in brick and mortar charter schools. However, the School District believes that an analysis of transportation services to charter schools could identify potential cost savings. More specifically, the School District would like to evaluate the number of students at each bus stop to determine if any bus routes could be combined in order to eliminate the use of a bus (Note: one bus on the road daily costs approximately $50K per year). In addition, the School District would like an analysis of the costs associated with charter school early dismissals and assess any alternatives that would provide a more efficient and cost-effective solution, without impacting services to the students of these charter schools.



Evaluate routes and determine if there are opportunities to combine routes to improve transportation efficiencies without compromising student safety or services available to the charter students

January 2020

March 2020


Business Office

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FACILITIES

The School District’s facilities continue to be a significant challenge. All of the buildings need major repairs and certain buildings are not well suited for the grades they accommodate. Enrollment is suffering as students leave for newer and better facility conditions at charter schools. The School District must improve the condition of its current facilities or develop an alternative facilities plan. The 2015 Plan detailed several initiatives, including consolidating schools, $23M in renovating buildings, outsourcing maintenance and custodial services, selling buildings, and relocation of the Administrative offices to Chester High School. The Department of Education funded $3.775 million in emergency work at Chester High School, leaving a further $19.660 million in projects. It was expected that these projects would be eligible for and funded by one or more capital borrowings or one-time grant funds. However, this did not occur. Out of these initiatives, certain renovations were done at Chester High School, the Administrative offices moved to Chester High School, and other buildings were sold. BUILDINGS

FA01 Reorganize and consolidate District schools, administrative, and support facilities

The School District operates six schools at the following locations:

School

Grades

Location

Stetser Pre-K to 5 808 East 17th

Street, Chester

Main Street Pre-K to 5 704 Main Street, Upland

Toby Farms 6 to 8 201 Bridgewater Road, Brookhaven

Chester-Upland School of the Arts (CUSA) Pre-K to 5 501 West 9

th Street, Chester

Chester High School 9 to 12 232 West 9th

Street, Chester

Science & Discovery High School (Showalter) 6 to 8 1100 West 10th Street, Chester

Total

The School District leases the building that Stetser occupies from Widener University. The current lease expires June 30, 2023 and there is no guaranty that Widener will renew the lease. The District also owns the 6th Street Annex that is used both for vocational instruction and central support functions, and the unoccupied Christopher Columbus Elementary School located at 320 West 10th Street in Chester.

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Develop a plan for a more optimal use of all school buildings

January 2020

June 2020

Superintendent, Facilities Manager

Elected School Board $26M capital improvement project for Facilities

FA02 Renovate and upgrade remaining District buildings

While the Chester High School received a new roof and a new gym floor, many of the repairs outlined in the 2015 Plan have not been completed. Moreover, the Elected School Board has provided the following assessment of the current school buildings and the related additional repairs that need to be addressed:

School Repair Cost

Chester High School

Safety concerns due to the condition of the field and bleachers.

Stadium needs new track and field, new bathrooms, and new bleachers

TBD

STEM at Showalter School has been forced to close down on certain days because heat/cold not working. There are two different heating systems installed and they do not balance/function cohesively. The boilers often shut down during cold weather.

New HVAC and Power Panels

$7.5M

New windows $560,000

Toby Farms School has been forced to close down on certain days because heat/cold not working. Not well suited for middle school. The school was designed to be an elementary school. No library/media/auditorium. No science labs.

New HVAC $5.0M


Other issues

CUSA Contractors state systems are old and do not work properly for the space. Need an engineer to redesign the heating/cooling

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system. This is not a well-suited building for an elementary school. The building is an old high school.

New HVAC $8.0M


Main Street New HVAC $5.0M


Total $27.9M

As an alternative, the School District is in the process of evaluating the financial impact of building two new K-8 campuses, instead of renovating the existing buildings. However, the following issues need to be fully considered:

• Sale of the current properties and the impact on the existing debt structure;

• Financing options for the new campuses;

• Impact of the potential outsourced facilities management contract; and

• Impact of the potential outsourced management contract for K-8. Whether the existing buildings are reconfigured and renovated, or new buildings are constructed, the School District needs to evaluate financing options (and impact on the existing debt structure). Chester-Upland previously has participated in PlanCon, a process in which the Commonwealth provides reimbursement to the School District for major school construction projects, to meet its planning and construction needs. However, the Department is not accepting new PlanCon Part A applications at this time. On June 28, 2019, Governor Wolf signed into law House Bill 1615 (now known as Act 16 of 2019) which includes (in Section 732.1) a continuation of the moratorium on new Part A submittals being received by the Division of School Facilities during Fiscal Year 2019 – 20 (i.e., 7/1/19 – 6/30/20).



Hire independent firm to perform a comprehensive facilities study for each building owned by the District

January 2020

June 2020

Receiver, Superintendent,

Facilities Manager

Identify locations for potential new K-8 campuses

January 2020

June 2020

Receiver, Superintendent,

Facilities Manager

Perform cost analysis of repairing existing K-8 buildings versus building new campuses

January 2020

June 2020

Receiver, Business Office

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Evaluate available financing options and impact on the current debt structure

January 2020

June 2020

Receiver, Chief Operating Officer

Possible Outsourcing of Facilities Management

FA03 Outsource Maintenance & Custodial Services; Sell Facilities Department building

The District’s buildings are maintained by its Facilities Department, which includes 43 staff with the titles listed below.

• 1 Director of Facilities

• 1 Administrative Support

• 29 Custodians

• 2 Electricians

• 2 Painters

• 2 Grounds Laborers

• 2 Warehouse Laborers

• 1 Plumber

• 1 Glazier

• 1 Carpenter

• 1 HVAC Mechanic

Except for the Director of Facilities and administrative support person, all Facilities Department staff are members of Teamsters Local 312. The current median pay rate for custodians is $17.80 per hour, and the average rate is $20.22 per hour for tradesmen, with benefits. The historical operations and maintenance costs of the facilities were as follows:

Year Amount

2018-19* $5,256,000

2017-18 $5,793,000

2016-17 $4,967,000

*Unaudited

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Consistent with the 2015 Plan, it is recommended that the School District review the potential of outsourcing its custodial and maintenance services.



Develop RFI to collect data from various facilities management companies on services provided and cost of services

January 2020

March 2020

Facilities Manager

Perform cost analysis of potential outsourced facilities management versus keeping in house

March 2020

June 2020

Receiver, Business Office

FA04 Explore Relocation of District Administration to Chester High School

This initiative was completed. The District Administrative offices were moved to the

Chester High School and the prior administration building was sold.

FA05 Independent Facilities Assessment

It is important to have an independent facilities assessment in order to both evaluate the alternatives of improving or replacing facilities, as well as the prioritization and chronology of planned improvements or replacements.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY/CHILD ACCOUNTING

The Information Technology department supports both administrative and instructional technology including software, hardware, and network infrastructure. All components of the technology systems, including training, must be planned and managed to provide positive support for instructional and support service programs. The primary purpose of the department is to provide reliable technology systems to support modern instructional methods which prepare students for an increasingly technology-reliant world.

IT01: Continue to improve and document the enrollment recordkeeping and analysis system to manage student information.

This initiative has been completed.

IT02: Continue to develop and update the Replacement Schedule for all technology systems (software, hardware, infrastructure).

Software Several replacement schedules have been developed over the years. However, this initiative continues to be impacted by budget constraints. The approximate annual cost to maintain the current technology is $900,000 per year. In recent years, technology budgets for routine non-personnel expenditures have been approximately $750,000 per year. Accordingly, the School District would need to increase the annual technology budget by approximately $150,000 per year to maintain this initiative. The District also should explore leasing options, grant opportunities, and other measures to replace critical equipment now, allowing for payment options that address the District’s financial distress. The technology inventory is comprised of software, infrastructure, and hardware. The annual expense of keeping the system up-to-date as of June 2019 is shown below:

Software Inventory

Life Expectancy

Age of Chester-Upland

Component

One Time Replacement

Cost

Annual Maintenance Cost

Software: Financial and Personnel Administration (CSIU implemented 2012-13)

10 years 2.5 years $150,000 to $200,000

$15,000 to $20,000 annual replacement cost plus annual software maintenance fees (10%-15% of initial cost).

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Student Information System (eSchoolPlus)

10 years 4 years $91,300 initial Year 1 cost

$9,000 annual replacement costs plus annual software maintenance and support fees of $40,000

Hardware Inventory

The district relies on a wide array of hardware for the support of instruction. As a result of recent initiatives, the District has moved much closer to an intended goal of a 1:1 student to computer ratio for grades 3-12. Some schools, such as the STEM Academy at Showalter, have moved to a true 1:1 model, permitting students to take laptops home on a long-term loan model throughout the school year. Solutions such as iPads and Android tablets, as well as desktop labs and workstations in classrooms, continue to be employed to address the technology needs of students in younger grades (Pre-Kindergarten through grade two). Chester-Upland has utilized grant funds to provide new Promethean Board models for all classrooms, whose designs will allow easy and cost-effective upgrades, potentially keeping them at the cutting edge for the next two decades. The District also continues to explore Chrome devices (including Chromebooks and Chromeboxes) as an easy-to-manage and cost-effective solution for laptops and desktops. The table below provides an overview of the District's end user technology inventory.

Hardware Inventory

Life Expectancy

Currently in Environment

Annual Replacement

Need

Annual Replacement

Budget Needed

Laptops, student use

3-4 years 1,900 Chromebooks 350 Windows

600 Chromebooks $160,000

Desktops, student labs & classrooms

5 years 900 Windows desktops

110 Chromeboxes $62,000

Promethean Boards

10-15 years

215 boards Minor supplies (pens, cables, etc.)

$3,000

Technology training for staff (Promethean, Google)

1 year -- Annual training for all instructional & school admin staff

$24,000

Desktop computers, administrative

3-5 years 160 Windows desktops

50 Windows desktops

$18,500-$46,000 dependent upon

age of model

Laptop computers, teachers

3-4 years 200 laptops (Chrome/Windows)

80 Chromebooks $26,000

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Laptop computers, administrators

3-4 years 110 laptops (Windows)

30 laptops $27,000

Multifunction copier contract

5 years Sufficient for district (5-year contract)

N/A (service contract addresses

maintenance)

Approx. $85,000 for maintenance

of contract

Technology Infrastructure

In 2015, Chester-Upland began a project to modernize its entire network infrastructure, as all components were deemed to be well-beyond their useful life expectancies. These components included network cabling, fiber optics, switches, file servers, data storage, electrical surge protection and battery backup systems, wireless transmitters, and many other devices. The project was priced at approximately $575,000 through completion. The district was able to utilize e-Rate funds to receive federal reimbursement at 85 percent for these expenditures, allowing for the modernization of the network for stability and scale sufficient to support instruction in a 21st century school district. While this project was completed in 2018, it is a matter of time before elements of this refreshed network architecture reach their expected end of their five to seven-year lifespan and are once again in need of replacement. In this instance, reliance on e-Rate funding (should the initiative continue) will be critical for the District's maintenance of its network. There are expanded infrastructure needs which the District must address in coming years to ensure the security and physical integrity of its systems, including cooling needs for network hubs and server arrays and backup generators to ensure lack of downtime or corruption in the event of power loss. The purchase of a network access control system would allow more fine-tuned management of devices on the District's network, prevent unsolicited or improper usage, and expand capabilities for secure remote connectivity to District applications, such as purchasing and human resources management software. The District's phone system represents an investment made nearly 20 years ago, and all devices have reached expected end-of-life. In the coming years, the district must make an investment in a new phone system, for which a VOIP (Voice Over IP) solution would present an ideal cost-savings and ease of management. A network access control system keeps traffic off of the wireless system. It allows administrators to allow or deny access to users and would be beneficial in keeping students and outside users off the network. The cost of a Network Access Control System is approximately $60K-$80K. The District’s firewall is at the end of its life. The IT Department considers that the firewall so vulnerable that if it is shut off, it may not restart. A new firewall cost approximately $47K-$60K. The School District has received quotes ranging from

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$132K to $185K for both items combined (i.e., Network Access Control System and firewall).

Technology Infrastructure

Life Expectancy

Age of Chester-Upland

Component

One Time Replacement

Cost

Annual Maintenance

Budget

Network infrastructure & improvements

4-5 years 1-2 years $60,000 spent in 2014-15

$60,000

Network Access Controller (NAC)

5 years N/A (none in place)

$100,000 n/a

Firewall & Content Filter 5 years 7 years $105,000 n/a

Locally managed VOIP (Voice Over IP) phone solution for district

10-15 years 17 years $250,000 $12,000

Moreover, the School District needs to evaluate a cost-effective plan for preventing data loss, and for recovering lost data, whether through back up tapes or an online storage solution.



Continue to monitor all technology needs and develop list of priority items

January 2020

Ongoing IT Director

Implement a network access control system and purchase a new firewall

June 2020

August 2020

IT Director

Develop a Disaster Recovery Plan January 2020

June 2020

IT Director

Financial Impact: ($132,000) for Network Access Control System and Purchase of new Firewall

IT03: Develop student and professional user guides for technology.

IT04: Develop training program for all stakeholders.

As of 2019, while much of the District's infrastructure and end user technology has been modernized, there is still a need for formal training and reinforcement around the capabilities of hardware and software solutions, and a continued need to focus on the refresh cycle of the District's technology to ensure that it does not age past its expected duration. The need for a well-managed refreshment and training cycle is essential to the District's continued growth and success. Both IT03 and IT04 initiatives have not been completed and the School District does not have the resources to complete. Moreover, the School District considers this initiative a

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long-term goal once the other more pressing technology initiatives are completed. Accordingly, there are no current action plans at this time.

IT05: Evaluate all major software programs to determine whether all features and functionalities are used.

This initiative has not been completed and would require a serious commitment from other District departments. The IT Department does not believe that the departments are getting the most functionality available from their programs. However, the departments do not share complete access to the programs with IT, so the IT department cannot evaluate what else the programs can do. Moreover, the School District considers this initiative a long-term goal once the other more pressing technology initiatives are completed. Accordingly, there are no current action plans at this time. Staffing

IT06: Reinvest in the District’s systematic Help Desk system.

IT07: Evaluate all technology needs and determine staffing and contracted services needed.

Both IT06 and IT07 address staffing needs of the IT and Child Accounting Departments. The Information Technology systems are managed by a combination of District staff and contracts. Given current staffing levels, high level employees are frequently required to provide Tier 1 support to end users. The current staffing levels and general duties are shown in the table below:

Position Duties FTE Director of Accountability, Assessment and Technology

Administration of offices, child accounting functions for PDE, project management, supplemental tier 1 & 2 support to end users

1.0

Information Technology Specialist

Network administration, tier 1 & 2 support

1.0

Information Technology Coordinator

Project management, tier 1 & 2 support

1.0

Secretary Help Desk operator 0.5 (split between IT and Special Ed)

Technician

Wide array of technical assessment and repair duties

2.0 onsite contracted through DCIU

Technology Teacher Leaders (TTL)

Tier 1 support to schools, instructional technology focus and professional development

1 per building at annual stipend of $7,500 from Title 1

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The current staffing is insufficient to address the needs of a 21st century school district. To adequately meet the technology needs of the District, the Information Technology division requires at least two more technicians ($50K salary plus benefits each) and a dedicated help desk ($40K salary plus benefits). In the Child Accounting division, it has been difficult to maintain accurate tracking because the School District does not receive attendance reports from the charter schools. District schools and charter schools are not on the same Student Information System and more time is need to accurately account for each student. Until recently, the Director of IT and Child Accounting was one position. The School District recently split the positions and hired a dedicated Director of Child Accounting. However, the Child Accounting division still could benefit from a Data Quality Officer ($70K salary plus benefits), and an administrative clerk ($40K salary plus benefits). The School District needs to consider whether an outsourced IT solution would be able to implement many of the initiatives in this plan, and if this option would be more financially viable for the School District than hiring its own employees.



Prepare job descriptions for technicians, help desk, data quality officer, and administrative clerk positions

June 2020 June 2020 Human Resources

Advertise and interview candidates June 2020 August 2020 Human Resources, Director of IT, Director of

Child Accounting

Hire candidates deemed appropriate and approved by the 2020-2021 budget

August 2020 August 2020 Human Resources, Director of IT, Director of

Child Accounting

Evaluate the financial impact of outsourcing the entire IT Department

January 2020

January 2020

Human Resources, Business Office

IT08: Networking of Existing Multi-Functional Printers

This initiative has been completed. The School District removed individual printers as they were retired and is now using multi-functional printers as the primary printing solution. The School District will continue to explore solutions as technology changes.

IT09: Data Quality

The purpose of this initiative was to make sure that the information sent for state and federal reporting requirements is validated. This initiative is in process.

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Departments continue to proactively go through data more thoroughly to ensure accuracy of information

September Ongoing IT Director

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SCHOOL CLIMATE/SECURITY

The 2015 Plan included the following initiative: SC01 Enhanced School Climate and Culture

Target outcome: Reduction in reported incidents of inappropriate student behavior

In hindsight, the School District does not believe that this initiative provides an appropriate measurement of improvement. The reduction in staff directly results in the reduction of reported incidents. However, it does not mean that incidents of inappropriate student behavior did not occur.

The School District has made a commitment to providing staff with training on Cultural Proficiency, social/emotional responsiveness, trauma sensitive instruction, as well as Positive Behavior Supports. In addition, the district engages parents in district strategic planning, collaborating with community partners, and workshops on how to access a variety of resources provided at the school district, city, state, and federal levels. There have been great strides in developing and implementing the foundational resources and programs necessary to provide safe and supportive schools. Peer helper programs such as Youth Court have been implemented in each building. However, ongoing development and implementation of curriculum and programs is necessary. School Wide Positive Behavior Support Programs currently are developing in two schools, with plans to add 1-2 each year until District-wide. Safety and Violence prevention curricula currently implemented sporadically needs to be District wide and made a formalized strategy in each building.

An area of great need identified by the current administration is developmental services. In the past, a lack of resources and staff led to a loss in services and fidelity. Currently, the School District has rebuilt and re-staffed many of the services necessary to support students. Academic and other counseling is completed by guidance counselors and social workers. Crisis response, management, and intervention of student crises are dealt with in very incident specific ways. In addition to the social workers, the District employs safety officers and climate managers in each building. All staff that deal with crises undergo Safety Cares training to learn how to deescalate a crisis situation and, if necessary, how to restrain a student that is a danger to self or others. Crises of a more universal nature, such as building-wide lock down or fire, are addressed in each building’s safety plans. Behavior Support Services The Chester-Upland School District promotes the cognitive, social, and emotional development of its students. Its goal is to proactively provide students with

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opportunities to successfully access an appropriate education and develop social skills that will allow them to successfully integrate into any setting. Teachers are expected to utilize classroom management strategies that provide the necessary structure and predictability that are necessary in creating positive school environment. Each teacher is expected to create a classroom management plan with student input so that rules and expectations are not only posted, but meaningful to them. Each school’s plan is comprehensive in nature and demonstrates the initial stages of viewing behavioral infractions as teachable moments that can be used to educate students. The elementary schools within the district provide character education to the students to teach them empathy, respect, cooperation, trustworthiness, integrity, personal responsibility, and respect for themselves and others. Further, the elementary and middle schools have active School Wide Positive Behavior Support Plans in place or under development. Social skills instruction is incorporated with character education to teach students how to behave appropriately and provide opportunities to celebrate each other for making good choices. Several additional layers of support are available for students who require more intensive interventions to help them remain in the least restrictive environment, including opportunities to problem solve with the guidance of social workers, counselors, and behavior health liaisons. In addition, the District has Climate Managers at each school to lend positive support to the learning environment. In the more challenging school settings, the School District has created conflict resolution specialist positions that serve as preventative liaisons between the school and community. Additionally, a weekly “conference call” occurs every Monday morning, with district safety representatives, representatives from all local police departments, juvenile probation officers, and mental health providers, to discuss the events of the previous weekend in relation to what may impact the school day. Behavioral management strategies and tools, such as Functional Behavioral Assessments, Behavior Intervention Plans and Positive Behavior Support Plans, self-monitoring strategies, conflict resolution, youth court, and behavior contracts are utilized when students require individualized behavior plans. The District believes measurable behavioral outcomes are an actual component of quality education. To that end, the District requires all teachers, where appropriate, to identify outcomes, chart behavior, and utilize data in teaching. Professional development has been offered to assure all IEPs and behavior plans will have measurable outcomes. The Delaware County Intermediate Unit (DCIU), PaTTAN, and attorneys representing the District have assisted with this objective. The School District has partnered with DCIU for behavioral support in the areas of FBA, observation, and team planning. Training was also offered to all regular education, special education, and support staff for Safety Cares, the safety crisis management training.

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PaTTAN is utilized for behavioral modification programs and FBA in the autistic support classrooms. PaTTAN also provides verbal behavior training and support for writing effective behavior plans. Staff training in addressing the behavioral needs of the students is a priority. Staff members are trained in Safety Cares and are re-certified each year. Equipment and Technology SC02: Continue to explore and apply for grant opportunities

The School District was awarded $443,172 in April 2019 from the School Safety and Security Grant Program. With these funds, the Security Department was able to address various issues that adversely affected the security and climate of CUSD. These included the purchase of a new X-Ray Machine (replacing an old machine in need of service), two new walk-through metal detectors, and ten new hand-held metal detectors. Updated camera systems were installed in Toby Farms Middle School and STEM at Showalter. An updated camera system was installed in the E wing on the 3rd floor and the entire 4th floor of Chester High School. In addition, the Security Department began the transition from analog walkie-talkies to digital walkie-talkies. The digital devices are currently in use at Chester High School. The goal is to upgrade to digital walkie-talkie devices District-wide. The video surveillance system currently has been upgraded. All non-working cameras have been replaced with the new camera system. Also, with the School Safety and Security Grant, the District upgraded the camera systems’ DVR hard drives and restored the ability to view the cameras at STEM at Showalter and Toby Farms Middle School. Cameras also have been added outside the gym area at Chester High School to increase the visibility and monitoring capabilities of the system in that area.



Apply for 2019-20 School Safety Grant September 2019

November 2019

Director of Security

Act 67 of 2019 School Safety Guidance SC03: Ensure the School District is in compliance with Act 67 of 2019 regarding

School Safety Guidance

On July 2, 2019, Act 67 of 2019 (Act 67) was signed into law and went into effect August 31, 2019. Act 67 provides updates to Pennsylvania’s school safety laws, specifically

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regarding the training and credentials for school resource officers, school police officers, and school security guards. Under Act 67, school entities may only authorize school employees or contractors who meet the definition of “school security personnel” to carry firearms while performing their school duties. The Act also provides guidelines for the training and credentials that are required for school security personnel to be armed. The School District is in the process of ensuring compliance with this Act.



Ensure all school security personnel have the appropriate credentials and receive the required training for compliance with Act 67

September 2019

June 2020


Safety and Security Assessment Criteria SC04: Assess the safety and security for each school building based on the

Safety and Security Assessment Criteria

Act 44 of 2018 established a School Safety and Security Committee within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. The first task under the Act was to develop criteria for school entities and security assessors to utilize to assess the safety and security for school buildings throughout the Commonwealth. On September 26, 2018, the Committee adopted the Safety and Security Assessment Criteria. This initial set of criteria include a physical assessment of buildings and grounds, a policy and training assessment, and a student assistance and behavioral health support assessment. Each school building is unique and many of the recommendations in the assessment criteria may not apply. However, the School District should evaluate the assessment criteria as it applies to each school and update its Safety and Security plans as needed. In addition, the School District should reference the criteria regarding its need to develop School Wide Positive Behavior Support Programs in all remaining schools, formalize peer helper programs in each building, and develop Safety and Violence prevention curricula to be implemented District-wide.



Evaluate the assessment criteria as it applies to each school and update the Safety and Security plans as needed

January 2020

June 2020


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BUDGETING AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

The School District submitted its Final General Fund Budget for FY2019-2020 on July 25, 2019. The budget estimated revenues at $135,975,010 and expenditures at $136,798,624, resulting in an $823,614 deficit. After submission of the budget, the administration took steps to reduce the projected deficit by eliminating several non-instructional positions throughout the School District. The result was a reduction of $1,587,244 in salary and benefits. The budget was further revised to reflect the allocated Basic Education Funding, Special Education Funding, and Title I Funding reported by the Commonwealth. Moreover, Ready to Learn was removed from Basic Education Funding and reported separately under State Revenues at the same rate as previous years. Analysis of prior initiatives:

Prior Initiative Status

FI01 Restructure Business Office to Phase-Out the Position of CFO

Completed

FI02 Restructure Existing Debt Completed

FI03 Generate Operating Budget Contributions to the Capital Reserve Fund


FI04 Annual Appropriation to General Fund Operating Reserve Fund


FI05 Establish a Long-Term Deficit Reduction Plan

Not completed other than 2015 Settlement Agreement

FI06 Resolve All Outstanding Audit Findings on an Annual Basis

Not completed

FI07 Retain External Support to assist in Business Office Functions


FI08 Prepare and submit the District’s Annual Financial Report According to PDE Timelines

Not completed due to untimely audit filings

Staffing Issues

FI09: Hire a full-time and part-time administrative support person, and a full-time payables/purchasing support person

Outcome: Increase capacity, efficiency, and effectiveness in the Business Office

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The Business Office suffers from a lack of resources needed in order to operate as efficiently and effectively as possible. The current Business Office organizational chart is comprised of the following:

The Business Office would like to add the following positions to increase capacity, efficiency, and effectiveness:

• Full-time administrative support - $68K annual salary and benefits;

• Part-time administrative support - $20K salary and no benefits; and

• Full time payables/purchasing support - $92,400 salary and benefits. The revised organizational chart for the Business Office would be as follows:


Business Manager

AccountantAccounts

Payable ClerkPurchasing

ClerkPayroll Clerk

Chief Operating

Officer

Business Manager

Accountant

FT Admin Support

Payroll Clerk

PT Admin Support

Accounts Payable Clerk

Purchasing Clerk

Purchasing/Payables Support

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Advertise for part-time and full-time support positions May 2020 June 2020 Business Manager, Human

Resources

Interview and hire support positions July 2020 July 2020 Business Manager, Human

Resources

Software Program

FI10: Purchase new software program and implement transition

The Business Office uses an antiquated CSIU software program to manage the financials for the School District. The program is supported by the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit in western-PA. The School District is the only district in this part of the state that uses CSIU. The system is not user friendly and the School District struggles to produce the information needed from the system. The Business Office has started to look at alternative software provider vendors and has received a quote from eSchool+/PowerSchool for a new software program. This program would be able to interact with the HR Department, which already uses an eSchool+ program. The new program would cost approximately $66K to acquire plus $31K in annual maintenance fees, and it would take approximately nine months to a year to complete the transition. In addition, the Business Office would need to hire temporary staff to assist with the transition at an estimated cost of $50K.



Prepare comparison of the current CSIU software program to eSchool+ and review with Receiver

January 2020

March 2020

Chief Operating Officer, Receiver

Make final decision on purchase and transition to eSchool+

March 2020

March 2020


Develop transition plan timeline and planning for staff training

January 2020

March 2020


Identify transition team March 2020

June 2020


Financial Impact:

One-time cost $65,770; annual maintenance fees $30,795; plus cost of transition team $50,000

Financial Impact:

FT Admin - $68,000 annual salary and benefits PT Admin - $20,000 annual salary FT Payables/Purchasing Support – $92,400 annual salary and benefits

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Communication with Human Resources Department

FI11: Improve Communications with HR and develop new onboarding/off-boarding checklist

The Business Office and Human Resources Departments need to improve communications. Many of the inefficiencies that exist between the two Departments would be eliminated with the implementation of the new eSchool+/PowerSchool program. However, until the programs are aligned, the Departments need better communication regarding staffing hires and departures, benefits, and workers’ compensation matters. The Departments also needs to develop an onboarding checklist so that new employees receive the information needed for a successful and efficient start of employment. An off-boarding checklist is also needed so that the Departments ensure that they have collected all School ID’s, keys, access codes, computers, etc. Also, exit interviews should be conducted. The Departments need to develop a more comprehensive information package that is available to new employees prior to their start date. The package should include information regarding email and the telephone system, a list of all available benefits, and picture-based organizational chart to help familiarize them with the leadership in the various Departments of the School District. KEY TASKS / DELIVERABLES /ACTION STEPS (i.e., “What we want to accomplish”)


Develop onboarding checklist for new employees January 2020

March 2020 Human Resources

Independent Auditors

FI12: Initiate RFP process for new independent audit firm

The current independent auditors for the School District have been in place for a

number of years. However, the School District struggles with timely audits which have

led to certain corrective action plans. The audit process has not begun for FY2018-19.

In addition, the independent auditors have yet to request any information for the audit or

set dates for field work. The School District is proactively preparing schedules that it

knows the auditors will need. However, it is recommended that the School District

prepare an RFP for the independent audit firm for FY2020-21.

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Issue RFP for new audit firm for FY2020-21 January 2020

March 2020


Interview potential new audit firms March 2020

March 2020

Chief Operating Officer, Receiver,


Hire new audit firm for FY2020-21 audit March 2020

March 2020

Chief Operating Officer, Receiver,


FI13: Evaluate outsourced management concepts for the School District

In accordance with Title 24 P.S. Education § 6-642-A(a)(2) and § 6-642-A(a)(7), the School District is considering the financial viability of converting grades K-8 to charter schools, or in the alternative, entering into a management services agreement for the operation of the District’s K-8 schools. There are significant challenges associated with both options that must be considered, including:

• Whether the School District’s current facilities would be utilized or sold;

• The cost of alternative facilities if the School District’s buildings were to be sold;

• The potential impact on administrators, teaches, and staff; and

• The ability for the School District to meet its bond covenants and repay its bond obligations based on the high school enrollment alone.

Title 24 P.S. Education § 6-642-A(a)(2)(i-iii) provides the requirements for converting school buildings to charter schools, which include:

• The conversion must result in financial savings.

• The Elected School Board of Directors may designate and approve by majority vote the existing public-school building or portion of an existing public-school building that it seeks to convert to a charter school.

• The Elected School Board of Directors shall solicit applications to operate a charter school through a competitive request for proposal process. Applicant are required to demonstrate that the conversion will result in financial savings.

• The Elected School Board of Directors shall evaluate each submitted proposal in a public manner. Once a proposal has been selected, the Elected School Board of Directors shall explain how and why the proposal was selected and provide evidence, if available, of the provider's success in serving student populations similar to the targeted population, including demonstrated academic achievement, successful management of nonacademic school functions and safe school environment, if applicable

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• No member of the Elected School Board of Directors may serve on the board of trustees of an existing school or portion of an existing school which is converted to a charter school.

• The Elected School Board of Directors shall establish the alternative arrangements for current students who choose not to attend the charter school.

The financial savings to the School District under each model has not yet been analyzed fully. It is recommended that an analysis of the financial impact of both models be initiated by the Receiver to include the impact on employees compensation and benefits, vendor agreements, collective bargaining agreements, special education costs, and other district liabilities related to charter school conversion or an alternative management services concept. The School District should prepare a Request for Information from potential vendors or service providers to allow for an evaluation and financial analysis of financial outcomes. Thereafter, a competitive RFP process should be initiated in order to assess and determine whether that one of these alternative management models proves to be financially viable and economically advantageous versus status quo. KEY TASKS / DELIVERABLES /ACTION STEPS (i.e., “What we want to accomplish”)


Prepare a Request for Information from potential vendors or service providers to allow for an evaluation and financial analysis of financial outcomes.

January 2020

March 2020 Receiver, Superintendent, Chief

Operating Officer

Prepare a comprehensive RFP for privatizing or chartering the four K-8 District schools to determine the comparative financial viability of the School District

March 2020 June 2020 Receiver, Superintendent, Chief

Operating Officer

Decide whether to proceed with RFP process for a management services agreement for the operations of the District’s schools

January 2020

June 2020 Receiver, Superintendent, Chief

Operating Officer

2015 Settlement Agreement

FI14: Initiate planning for the negative financial impact of the 2015 Settlement Agreement that expires in FY 2024-2025.

The terms of the 2015 Settlement Agreement among the School District and Chester Community Charter School, Widener Partnership Charter School, and Chester Charter School for the Arts allowed for a substantial reduction in special education per pupil payments by the School District to these schools. This reduction in payments to the charter schools, which is in excess of $10M per year, has been and continues to be a significant component in the School District’s financial recovery. However, the last year

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of the Agreement is FY 2024-2025 and the School District does not have a plan to absorb the impending negative financial impact on its budget. Chester Community Charter School recently made a claim against the School District asserting that the 2019 Commonwealth Court decision rendered the 2015 Settlement Agreement invalid and that it was owed $54M in per pupil special education payments for the period 2015-16 through 2017-18, plus an additional $10M per year from 2018-19 through the end of the Settlement Agreement in 2025. Both the School District and PDE believe that the Settlement Agreement is valid and will be upheld if challenged. Therefore, the baseline budgets have not been changed for the asserted claims. The potential impact of this issue could be mitigated somewhat depending on the results of the recommended complete assessment of special education expenditures. However, if there are no significant corrections or efficiencies in special education expenditures, the School District must begin to plan now for how it will adjust its budget (i.e., revenue enhancements and further cost containment) for the approximate $10M+ per year increase in payments to the charter schools beginning in school year 2024-2025. In the alternative, the School District should attempt to negotiate a permanent special education funding resolution with PDE, the charter schools, or otherwise. KEY TASKS / DELIVERABLES /ACTION STEPS (i.e., “What we want to accomplish”)


Evaluate revenue enhancements and further cost containments in anticipation of impending $10M+ annual increase in special education payments to charter schools beginning in FY 2025-26

January 2020

2024 Receiver, Superintendent, Chief

Operating Officer

Financial Impact: ($10M+) annually beginning in FY 2025-2026 Note: This is not reflected in the revised budget as it is after the forecast period ending in 2023-2024

Projected FY2020-2021 through FY2023-2024 Baseline Budget As of the date of this Plan, the 2018-2019 financial statement audit has not been completed and it is expected that there will be several audit adjustments to the internally prepared financial statements. Accordingly, for purposes of this Plan, the projected baseline budget for FY2020-2021 through FY2023-2024 was developed based on the revised FY2019-2020 budget. The key assumptions used to prepare the projected baseline budget were as follows: Real Estate Taxes The Elected School Board chose to not raise real estate taxes for FY2019-2020, despite having had the ability to increase rates by up to 3.7 percent per the Act 1 index. In the past, rate increases have averaged approximately 2.5 percent per year. For FY2020-

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2021, the Act 1 index is 4.1 percent. However, the School District contends that a significant increase in property taxes on a primarily low-income population only will lead to an increase in delinquencies. The School District’s budgeted real estate tax revenues were $20.9M for the period 2019-2020 (using a 95 percent collection rate) and have averaged approximately $21M for 2017-2018 and 2018-2019. However, utilizing the School District’s underlying budget worksheets, the projected tax revenues were $17.6M for the period 2019-2020 (using an 80 percent three-year weighted average collection rate and no change in millage rate). Moreover, based on PFM’s input, the underlying data may be suspect, and there is no reason to forecast a decline in the real estate tax revenues. Accordingly, the baseline budget has been adjusted to reflect $21.5M in real estate tax revenues for the period 2019-2020 through 2023-2024. The real estate millage rate will need to be adjusted to the rates determined in PDE’s Consolidated Financial Reporting System as the 2020-2021 budget is prepared. The School District included approximately $2.3M of real estate transfer taxes in the 2018-2019 projected budget and approximately $2.5M in the 2019-2020 through 2024 annual forecasts. Historically, the School District has averaged $601,615 in revenues from this source for the five-year collection period from 2013-2014 to 2017-2018. PFM has clarified that the increase in 2018-2019 resulted from a one-time transaction with Crozer-Keystone Health System. According, the forecast transfer taxes have been reduced to approximately $600,000 to $650,000 for the 2019-2020 through 2023-2024 period. Philadelphia Union Soccer Program The School District received a commitment from the Philadelphia Union to fund the girls’ and boys’ soccer program with $500,000 over the first three year followed by $125,000 per year thereafter. These revenues and the correlating expenses in Student Activities have been included in the projected FY2020-2021 through FY2023-2024 budget.

Basic and Special Education Funding The three-year weighted average increase in Basic Education Funding for FY2016-17 through projected FY2019-20 is 3.25 percent, calculated as follows:

2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 Average

Basic Education

Funding $75,868,463 $77,082,256 $78,985,645 $82,355,828

Percent Increase 3.0%* 1.6% 2.5% 4.3% 3.3%

*Note: 2015-16 BEF was $73,666,356

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PDE has stated that the School District cannot assume that Basic Education Funding and Special Education Funding subsidies will increase at all. Accordingly, the baseline budget has been adjusted to reflect no growth in funding through 2023-2024.

Title Funding There is no consistency in the amount of Title I, II, or III funding received by the School District over the past several years. For purposes of the projected baseline budget, a two percent per year increase was used. However, no increases were applied to Title IV, Access, and Ready to Learn. Other All other revenue line items were grown at a rate of two percent per year. Bond Refinancing

FI15: Continue to monitor opportunities for bond refinancing

The next refunding opportunity for the School District to refinance its bonds would be for the 2011 Bonds that are callable Sept 15, 2021. Due to changes in the federal tax code, the financial institutions cannot close a tax-exempt refunding earlier than 90 days prior to the call, or June 15, 2021. Pricing for this transaction would be around mid-May 2021 which presents risk of fluctuations in the interest rate until then. Conversely, a taxable refunding would be permitted at likely higher interest rates. If rates stay near current levels, a refunding of the 2021 Bonds may produce net present value savings of $1.5M (See attached Exhibit 19). There are many variables associated with the projected savings. This analysis only is intended to provide some insights as to the timing and amount of potential savings. PNC Capital Markets LLC, the bond underwriter, continues to monitor refinancing opportunities and will alert the School District when the opportunity for refinancing becomes more tangible. KEY TASKS / DELIVERABLES /ACTION STEPS (i.e., “What we want to accomplish”)


Follow-up with PNC Capital Markets LLC regarding refinancing opportunities

June 2020

Ongoing, every six months


Financial Impact: $1.5M in 2021

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Potential outsourced management services model for the District schools; or Potential outsourced management and complete operations model for the District schools

FI16: Comprehensive Assessment of Special Education infrastructure and delivery system

There appears to be general consensus that the existing special education infrastructure and delivery system is not cost effective. Further, it is anticipated that a comprehensive study and restructure of the system will result in substantial savings to the District, far in excess of the estimated $100,000 cost of the study. Without the study, the amount of savings cannot be determined. KEY TASKS / DELIVERABLES /ACTION STEPS (i.e., “What we want to accomplish”)


Consult with PDE to help identify an appropriate consultant for the comprehensive assessment of the special education infrastructure and delivery system

January 2020

January 2020

Receiver, Superintendent

Hire consulting firm to prepare assessment and complete assessment

January 2020

March 2020

Receiver, Superintendent

Financial Impact $100,000 estimated cost of assessment

FI17: Limit salary annual increase to two percent and benefits to 68 percent of salaries

The School District’s budget increased salaries and benefits at a rate of three percent per year for the period 2019-2020 through 2023-2024. All other expenses (with the exception of payments to charter schools) were increased at a rate of two percent per year. The current US inflation rate is forecast at approximately two percent for 2020 through 2022. Given the current financial distress of the School District, it is recommended that salaries be limited to an increase of no more than two percent per year. The benefits have been recalculated to reflect a 68 percent three-year weighted average ratio of benefits to salaries.



Limit salary annual increase to two percent per year July 2020 June 2024 Receiver, Superintendent

Financial Impact Estimated $5.5M for the period 2020-2021 through 2023-2024

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Cash Flow Constraints The following issues have been identified as having significant cash flow constraints on the School District: Settlement Payment due to Cyber Charter Schools From FY 2015-2016 through FY2017-2018, the School District paid special education tuition to cyber charter schools at the same reduced rate determined in the 2015 Settlement Agreement. However, a recent 2019 Commonwealth Court order concluded the reduced rate did not apply to the cyber charter schools who were not a party to the Agreement. Moreover, the Court ordered the School District to pay the cyber charter schools the difference between the actual special education tuition rate and the settlement rate paid, or $3.5M. The amount has been accrued as an expense in FY2018-19. The full payment has not been made to the cyber charter schools due to cash flow constraints. PDE’s Financial Accounting Information system reports that $1.5M was paid in May-June 2019. However, the baseline forecast does not provide significant annual cash surpluses to absorb the required payment. The baseline budget did not forecast an increase in special education payments to the cyber charter schools. Accordingly, the approximate $1.2M estimated financial impact needs to be included in the revised budget.

Financial Impact Estimated $1.2M per year

Transitional Loans

The School District received two loans (June 2013 and March 2015) under the Financial

Recovery Transitional Loan Program totaling $14,665,000 for the purpose of

implementing the components of the financial recovery plan. Annual payments of

$1,466,500 are due on June 30th each year through 2028. Due to cash flow constraints,

the School District failed to make the June 30, 2019 payments on both loans.

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CONCLUSIONS Impact of Recovery Plan Initiatives on Baseline Budget

The financial impact of implementing the initiatives set forth in this Plan is as follows (see Exhibit 20):

2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24

Baseline Annual Deficit ($353,000) ($2,440,000) ($5,601,000) ($8,499,000) ($12,348,000)

Net Initiatives (1,447,000) 2,514,000 4,875,000 3,696,000 4,654,000

Annual Surplus/(Deficit) ($1,800,000) $75,000 ($725,000) ($4,806,000) ($7,693,000)

Annual Targeted Surplus* $1,350,000 $1,354,000 $1,358,000 $1,362,000

Additional Contributions Needed

$1,276,000 $2,080,000 $6,164,000 $9,055,000

Based on the information presented in this Plan, the overall observations and recommendations are as follows:

1. The School District remains in financial stress. The revised budget shows a path to financial viability only if the additional contributions needed are achieved. However, this does not result in financial sustainability due to the impending sunset of the 2015 Settlement Agreement. Therefore, it is necessary for all parties to consider the financial impact of all concepts (traditional and extreme) that have surfaced that may change the financial condition of the School District.

2. The baseline budget for 2020-21 through 2023-24 is based on 2019-20 general fund budget, since credible actual financial data is not yet available from the School District. It is concerning that as of December 2019, the School District could not produce reliable financial statements for the 2018-19 school year that closed in June 2019. In addition, the School District did not meet the October 31, 2019 filing deadline for the Annual Financial Report. It may be appropriate to revise the forecasts when credible data can be provided. This may not be until after the financial statement audit, which has yet to be scheduled.

3. The revised budget after initiatives includes the following main adjustments:

• Reduction of payments to charters as a result of increased enrollment to CUSD;

• Additions to administrative staff in several functional areas;

• Increased grant revenues;

• Renegotiated or new transportation contract;

• Technology upgrades;

• Bond refinancing opportunities; and

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• Estimated increases in special education payments to cyber charter schools.

However, it is before consideration of facilities expenditures and additional charter school payments at the end of the 2015 Settlement Agreement. These two issues alone render the School District insolvent.

4. All interested parties need to collaborate and develop a permanent solution to issues that have plagued the School District for the past 20 years, including:

• Stabilization of enrollment;

• Resolution of the Charter School Settlement upon sunset;

• Sustainability of PSERS;

• Potential outsourcing of functional areas,

• Control special education expenses;

• Funding of facilities costs; and

• Outsourcing the management of school, or converting the schools to private or charter schools.

The School District will not be in a position to achieve a viable plan that is

sustainable until these issues have been fully assessed.

revised financial recovery plan chester-upland … recovery... · • october 2015 revised amended...

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