SERVICE CONSOLIDATION PLAN for the JACKSON COUNTY INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT The Jackson County Intermediate School District has been providing services to local school districts in Jackson County for a number of years. Consistent with the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) guidance and Michigan statutory requirements, the JCISD is hereby formalizing its provision of services into a Service Plan. The JCISD attempts to provide the services required by the local school districts within Jackson County (and neighboring counties as may be applicable) as requested by the county wide Superintendents or when called upon by a particular district based on need. Description of Services The JCISD has been responsible for overseeing the county wide provision of Special Education services and Career& Technical Education services for many years. The JCISD plans to continue providing these services into the future. Consolidating these services into the ISD s responsibility many years ago results in savings of millions of dollars compared to each district attempting to provide these services. It is also likely that by consolidating these services at the ISD, a much broader range of these services can be provided for all students within the county as compared to if each district attempted to provide these services on its own. Within the past few years, the JCISD began providing a number of non-instructional services based on needs within the local districts of Jackson County. These services include primarily Technology, Student Data Reporting, Power School and Business Services. As a result of providing the goal of the JCISD is to reduce total cost and/or improve the level of quality that is received by each local district. These two criteria reduced total cost and improved quality of service will be the two primary criteria used by the JCISD as it evaluates opportunities to expand current services or to branch out and provide additional services in the future. A description of specific services provided or to be implemented is provided below: 1. Technology Services The JCISD provides complete Technology services to all 13 local public school districts in Jackson County, plus the Hillsdale ISD, and 6 local public school districts in Hillsdale County. 2. Student Data Reporting The JCISD provides student data reporting services to 8 local public school districts in Jackson County. 3. Power School The JCISD provides hosting, implementing, technical support and ongoing training for a county-wide student management system to all 13 local public school districts in Jackson County, plus 5 additional local public school districts in Hillsdale County. 4. Business Services The JCISD provides Business Services to 5 local public school districts in Jackson County. Some districts receive full services, others just Payroll or Business Manger services. 2 additional local districts will soon be receiving business services from the JCISD 5. Legal Services The JCISD just began providing Legal Services to 7 local public school districts in Jackson County during the 2013-14 school year.
Criteria / Decision Making Process In each potential situation of service consolidation is unique. The ISD and other districts it services look evaluate potential service consolidation opportunities to determine: Potential cost savings opportunities o Efficiencies o Economy of scale Improved quality of service o Expertise o Focus Inability or Difficulty in smaller entity (district) being able to provide service Projected Total Cost Savings In each situation of providing a service to a local district is unique. In some cases the ISD s services reduce cost and save the local district money. In other cases the ISD s services are at a much higher level than what the local district had been receiving (but at approximately the same cost). In some cases the ISD s services both save cost and improve quality. In yet other cases the ISD is able to provide a service that a local district did not have and would have had to go outside to receive any service, most likely at a significantly higher cost. Listing of Services The table on the following page provides a breakdown of the current or anticipated future consolidated services by function / service as established by the Michigan Public School Accounting Manual.
Jackson County ISD List of Consolidated Services by Function / Service 1xx Instruction Function/Service Fully Career Implemented & Technical Ed, GenNet - 13 districts Partially Implemented May be Expanded Plan to Consolidate in the Future Considered but not Feasible or 21x Pupil Support 22x Inst. Staff Support Some PD opportunities - 13 districts 23x General Adm. Legal Services - 7 districts Additional Legal Services 24x School Adm. 25x Business Services Business Services - 5 districts Additional Bus. Serv 26x Operation & Maintenance 27x Transportation 28x Central Adm. 29x Food Services & Athletics Technology Services, Pupil Accounting, Student Data Management - 17 districts Transp.
Another way to look at the services currently provided specifically showing which districts participate in which services is provided in the table on the following page:
District Receiving Service Jackson County ISD List of Districts Receiving Services by Services Category Technology Services Student Data Reporting Power School Columbia School District 11, 12, 13 12, 13 13 Business Services Concord Community Schools 11, 12, 13 12, 13 13 11, 12, 13 East Jackson Community Schools 11, 12, 13 12, 13 13 Grass Lake Community Schools 11, 12, 13 12, 13 13 13 Hanover Horton School District 11, 12, 13 12, 13 13 Jackson Public Schools 11, 12, 13 13 Michigan Center School District 11, 12, 13 13 Napoleon Community Schools 11, 12, 13 13 12, 13 Northwest Community Schools 13 13 Springport Public Schools 11, 12, 13 12, 13 13 12, 13 Vandercook Lake Public Schools 11, 12, 13 13 Western School District 13 12, 13 13 The da Vinci Institute 11, 12, 13 12, 13 13 11, 12, 13 Hillsdale ISD 12, 13 Hillsdale Public Schools 13 13 Pittsford Area Schools 13 13 Will Carleton Academy 13 13 Hillsdale Prepatory School 13 13 North Adams - Jerome Public Schools 13 Camden Frontier Schools 13 13 Note: Numbers indicate the fiscal years (FY) ending June 30th for which these services were provided. 11 = FY ending June 30, 2011; 12 = 2012FY; 13 = 2013FY