For both the review of accomplishments and the "TO DO LIST" the School Board and the Essex County Public Schools are considered to be, respectively, the Legislative/Policy/Finance part and the Executive/Admin-istrative part of county education program.
Only major items affecting open government and transparency are included in the lists below.
ACCOMPLISHED DURING 2012
1. Employed Dr. Pope as acting Superintendent. She is eminently qualified, is committed to and open and pragmatic Budget Development Process, and seeks an open dialogue with the various constituent groups.
2. Developed and Deployed an excellent new Education Web Site. There are still some information gaps to be filled but the greatly improved navigation, enhanced communication capability with the School Board Members, and accesses to more information are noteworthy.
3. Provided regular comprehensive updates on the renovation/construction at Essex HS. This major project was carefully coordinated to permit construction to proceed without any significant impact on instruction, activities, or athletic programs. As of 1 January the project was in on schedule and within budget.
4. Developed and posted the FY 2012 Budget Development Planning Calendar. This is a major step in transparency for it permits public engagement in the development of a needs based budget.
TO DO LIST FOR 2013
1. Have a review of the Essex Public Schools Web Site by Sunshine Review. ESO believes that the Essex County improved site will be graded much higher than the D of early 2012. We also believe that we will rank higher within peer systems in the surrounding counties. Our ongoing analysis and comparative review identified that several sites of other School Systems have failed to update date maintain current information for public access.
2. Improve the Budget Process and Access to the Approved Budget. A recent survey by the Virginia Coalition for Open Governments of county and town budgets identified 26 localities which received an "F" grade. Essex and Middlesex Counties are the only nearby localities that did not provide adequate online access to their budget (and did not include sufficient information to understand the sources and specific uses of funds). Please Note that the Grade was based on the County Budget; however, the Essex Public School Budget had no more clarity than the County Budget.
There is essentially no cost to publish comprehensive online budget data which includes assumptions, rationale, and explanations of changes from the prior year. Essex County School Board should ensure that the entire budget development process is open to the public and not just provided at a single public hearing before submitting the budget to the Board of Supervisors.
3. Examine and make public the Purposes and Effectiveness of School Athletic Programs, Creative Arts, and the various Activities with the Essex System. The conduct of some student athletes has been called into question. Our High School Band, after an excellent Memorial Day public concert in 2012 seems to have disappeared. ESO believes that athletics, fine arts, and other activities are essential elements of effective education programs and the development of capable and confident graduates. Public Transparency (i.e. report the problems and solutions, celebrate and praise the successes) is essential to develop financial support, volunteers, and attendance at events.
5. Conduct a Wage and Benefits Survey of the Surrounding Counties. A current survey is an essential tool in determining the fairness of local government employee compensation.
6. Publish Annual Turnover Statistics for positions within the System. ESO published several years of data in 2012. We believe that high turnover rates may be symptoms of poor leadership, inadequate compensation, poor discipline/working conditions, or weak selection and employment practices. The Board of Supervisors should publish comparative date for Essex County Schools with and analysis of the turnover rate. Comparison with the turnover rates with the School Systems of nearby counties would also be helpful to the public.
The foregoing "To Do List" was prepared solely by ESO and is does not represent all of the issues that the School Board and local government must address. We recognize that there are a number of initiatives being developed within Essex County Public Schools. We ask the School Board and the Superintendent to continue to encourage individual creativity and initiative. We believe that our school system employees, our citizens who provide the essential education and support services, are the best sources for innovations, improved procedures, and greater efficiency.
John R. Clickener
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