County Offices of Education and School Districts What s the Difference?

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1 February 20, 2013 County Offices of Education and School Districts What s the Difference? Wendy Benkert Associate Superintendent, Business Services Orange County Department of Education What s Different about Working for the County Office? Culture Statewide Perspective Need to think about the welfare of all districts Customer Service Financial Oversight Responsibilities Involvement with State Agencies Empathy 2 1

2 District/County Relationships Good Financial Practices Ongoing Communication with COE Attend workshops & meetings Knowledgeable staff with an understanding of district operations Ongoing communication with district staff Proactive review Understand the whole picture 3 Governance & Personnel Board governs district Board may delegate certain authority to superintendent Boards are the employer & have the authority to hire & fire Must disclose collective bargaining agreements to the public and county superintendent Shared governance between superintendent & board County superintendent is the employer & has the authority to hire & fire County superintendents do not have a role in district collective bargaining unless in some instances in which district is negatively certified 4 2

3 Policy & Advocacy Develop programs that meet local needs Work with COE to advocate for policy actions that serve district students Coordinates county-wide programs Coordinates policy advocacy efforts of behalf of districts Serve on statewide policy organizations & act as conduit between state policy makers & districts 5 Judicial & Appeals Board makes determinations for expulsions Board makes determinations for interdistrict student transfers Board makes determination on approval or disapproval of charters Appeals body for student expulsions Appeals body for interdistrict student transfers Charter school appeals 6 3

4 Curriculum Adopts curriculum for its students consistent with state law Provides professional development & coaching to district personnel including trainings on the adoption and use of state approved instructional materials 7 Instruction Manages student instruction, primarily with district employed teachers and staff Monitors the credentials of district teachers Provides professional development on research-based instructional practices Runs court & community schools for students on probation, incarcerated, expelled or referred by districts and/or parents 8 4

5 Special Education May staff & run their K-12 special education programs May provide educational program for special ed. students referred to COE May run infant & preschool programs May serve as the administrative unit for SELPAs & provide oversight for districts SELPAs receive & allocate funding 9 Business Operations Manage day to day business operations Only independent districts issue their own payroll Submit retirement information to county for processing & payment to CalSTRS and CalPERS Issues payroll based data input by districts CalSTRS & CalPERS reporting May operate financial & HR systems May issue vendor payments based on district data files May review legality of vendor payments 10 5

6 Budget & Fiscal Accountability Independently determine & adopt annual budget & interim reports Hires an independent auditor to perform annual financial & compliance audit Provides detailed guidance for budgets & interim reports Reviews budgets & interim reports May intervene depending upon severity of problem Reviews annual audit reports Review of Disclosure of Collective Bargaining & non-voter approved debt 11 How does funding for County Offices compare to Districts? District Most funding is unrestricted Revenue Limit deficit for is % State categorical flexibility Funding per student is the same for every student County Most funding is restricted strings attached Revenue Limit deficit for is % State categorical flexibility COE students referred from school districts, Probation and Social Services Student funding differs based on type of student & how referred to county No one-year protection for declining enrollment 12 6

7 Other Financial Differences District Majority of Funding based on P-2 ADA Funding based on days operated Basic Aid districts allowed to spend taxes in excess of fair share reduction One student calendar County Most ADA funded at annual Fixed divisor 175 days Basic aid counties excess taxes are treated differently Different student calendars by program GENERAL FUND REVENUE K-12 vs OCDE K-12 School District Revenue Sources County Office Revenue Sources

8 FY Revenue Limit (ADA Funding) Distribution K-12 vs OCDE K-12 School District Revenue Limit County Office Revenue Limit 15 Best Practices for Strengthening Relationships Monthly meetings with functional groups Training & support of district staff Talk directly, not just electronically Continually access services needed Trend analysis, new funding model potential impacts Welcome new district staff & maintain positive relationships with existing staff It s a marriage make it a good one! 16 8