Napa Valley Unified School District*

R1

Oversight Committees are recommended for future bond measures. These committees must have more right to participate in bond projects, including the right to be present for interviews with architects/consultants/contractors, the right to review all documents and the prerogative to write their own Interim Report. Oversight Committee members should be appointed by the Napa County Board of Supervisors and/or city councils of schools within the District. The Strict Accountability in Local Schools Construction Bonds Act of 2002 addresses some of the issues of the Grand Jury. An Oversight Committee is now a requirement of any bond that is approved. Ed Code 15278 states that "the governing board of the school district or community college shall establish and appoint members to an independent citizens' oversight committee, pursuant to Section 15282, of the date that the governing board enters the election results on its minutes pursuant to Section 15274." Ed Code Section 15278(b) The purpose of the citizens' oversight committee shall be to inform the public concerning the expenditure of bond revenues. The citizens' oversight committee shall actively review and report on the proper expenditure of taxpayers' money for school construction. The citizens' oversight committee shall advise the public as to whether a school district or community college district is in compliance with the requirements of paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 1 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution. The Mission Statement of the Measure Y Oversight Committee clearly states and conforms to the District's purpose for promising voters such a committee would participate in bond oversight. The Mission Statement was amended by committee members during the December 4,1996 meeting. Included are excerpts from the minutes of that meeting. MISSION STATEMENT The following mission statement was reviewed: MEASURE Y OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE On Tuesday, June 4, 1996, voters of the Napa Valley Unified School District approved Napa County Measure Y, a $23,100,000 Bond Measure for the purpose of improving student health and safety conditions by repairing and renovating electrical, plumbing, heating and roofing systems, by providing instructional technology infrastructure (cabling, wiring, and conduit) in classrooms, and by providing handicapped accessibility as required by law. In order to provide additional assurance to the voters that the Bond proceeds would only be used for the improvements referenced in the Bond Measure, the NVUSD Board of Education appointed a citizens' committee to oversee these expenditures. MISSION STATEMENT Our responsibility and commitment is to the voters of the Napa Valley Unified School District to provide public accountability and general oversight over the expenditure of $23,100,000 in Bond proceeds in a manner consistent with the declarations and language of Measure Y. In this regard, the Measure Y Oversight Committee will perform the following tasks: Verify expenditure of Bond proceeds to insure such expenditures are consistent with the purpose • of Measure Y. Review all projects, planned and approved, utilizing Bond proceeds to insure such projects are • consistent with the purpose of Measure Y. Provide a quarterly report to the NVUSD Board of Directors on the use and expenditure of Bond • proceeds. Report to the NVUSD Board of Directors any use or expenditure of Bond proceeds determined not • to be consistent with the purpose of Measure Y. Meet quarterly under provisions of the Ralph M. Brown Act (Open Meeting Act) and invite public On a motion from Bill Crain and second from Fred Valenzuela, the following section of the mission statement was removed from the mission statement. Provide a quarterly report to the NVUSD Board of Directors on the use and expenditure of Bond proceeds. On a motion from Bill Crain and second from Jay Hull, the following section of the mission statement was introduced to include in the mission statement, however, failed upon vote of the Committee. Proposed Addition To Draft Mission Statement The committee's actual activities will be limited to informing the public if, at any time, the school district or its employees voluntarily provide us any information which indicates the district has expended funds obtained through the sale of Measure Y Bonds in a manner violating state law that requires such expenditures be limited to capital improvements and repairs to real property. The committee will have no input into the manner in which Measure Y funds are allocated, nor will it have any authority over the selection of projects, specifications, or contractors. We will have no role in determining the necessity for , efficacy of, nor the cost effectiveness of any project undertaken by the school district. On a motion from Jay Hull and second from Bill Crain, the following section of the mission statement was added to the mission statement. Proposed Addition To Draft Mission Statement The committee's actual activities will be limited to informing the public if, at any time, the school district or its employees voluntarily provide us any information which indicates the district has expended funds obtained through the sale of Measure Y Bonds in a manner violating state law that requires such expenditures be limited to capital improvements and repairs to real property. On a motion from Kent Imrie and second from Bill Crain, the following section of the mission statement was removed from the mission statement. Report to the NVUSD Board of Directors any use or expenditure of Bond proceeds determined not to be consistent with the purpose of Measure Y. On a motion from Bill Crain and second from Owen Massey-Todd, the following section of the mission statement was introduced to include, however, failed upon vote of the Committee in the mission statement. We will have no authority to approve or disapprove of any project or expenditure proposed under Measure Y. Discussion regarding the amendments to the mission statement focused the Committee's role and involvement in project approval and review. The uncertainty and flexibility to attend to unforeseen needs were also discussed. Committee members suggested their role was to provide the community with periodic statements as to whether the district was engaging in work consistent with the Measure Y project listing used during the campaign. The final mission statement, as amended, now reads: MISSION STATEMENT Our responsibility and commitment is to the voters of the Napa Valley Unified School District to provide public accountability and general oversight over the expenditure of $23,100,000 in Bond proceeds in a manner consistent with the declarations and language of Measure Y. In this regard, the Measure Y Oversight Committee will perform the following tasks: Verify expenditure of Bond proceeds to insure such expenditures are consistent with the purpose of Measure Y. Review all projects, planned and approved, utilizing Bond proceeds to insure such projects are consistent with the purpose of Measure Y. The committee's actual activities will be limited to informing the public if, at any time, the school district or its employees voluntarily provide us any information which indicates the district has expended funds obtained through the sale of Measure Y Bonds in a manner violating state law that requires such expenditures be limited to capital improvements and repairs to real property. Meet quarterly under provisions of the Ralph M. Brown Act (Open Meeting Act) and invite public participation and comment with respect to any expenditure or project under Measure Y. The Oversight Committee met nineteen times between July 1996 and September 2000. The Committee conducted business sixteen of those times and three times were unable to conduct official business due to lack of quorum. Minutes of each meeting were provided to members. Additionally, the District provided financial facts connected with ongoing work and contracts that were being awarded. Four tours were provided to Committee members to review the on- going work and plans for all work were presented to the Oversight Committee. The Oversight meetings were rotated at times to provide those present an opportunity to see either on going or completed modernization work.

R2a

NVUSD should improve awareness of the condition of the schools. There are existing parent- teacher organizations at each school which should be encouraged to take a more active role in inspecting the school and reporting safety hazards or other substandard conditions to the District. Staff will work with Maintenance and Operations staff to quickly resolve any outstanding issues in the Fire and Life Safety Reports. Educational responsibility has changed since most of the schools were built. There are additional programs such as childcare and increased food service that take their toll on the facilities. It will take the support of school administration and parents to comply with areas of the reports. Parent involvement is always encouraged but often professional judgment must be used to prioritize projects. The District has met with the Fire Marshall and will give him a report on areas we can address immediately. There will be another list of items that will be addressed when the schools reconfigure.

R2b

NVUSD must find ways to provide adequate facilities for all the students. The Board of Trustees should reorder its priorities in apportioning the limited funds it controls to improve the physical plant of the District. Proposition 1a requires that 3% of the budget be set aside to maintain the facilities that received State funds. Napa Valley Unified School District currently spends 4-5% of its budget for that purpose. In a tough budget year, the Board of Education struggles to maintain current instructional programs much less increase funds to facilities. In order to support and enhance the work that has been done in the past six years, we believe it is critical that a bond be passed in November.

R3

The drop-off areas must be reconfigured and enlarged. The schools have more than adequate acreage to accomplish this. Our schools were designed and placed on relatively large pieces of land, however, the designers of 40 to 50 years ago placed the school buildings close to the primary frontage of the school land leaving little opportunity to expand off street parking facilities. There are some sites that can and will be improved with minimal impact on the students' play area. Additional funding, however, would be required in order to provide these areas. The District recognizes that the problem is more acute today than it was 20 years ago due in part to the fact that most schools serve beyond their immediate neighborhood. Students often attend schools that are close to the parents work or provide on-site childcare. Many no longer walk to their neighborhood school. This creates more traffic congestion as parents pick up and drop off.

R4

See Recommendation 2a In the 1950's and 1960's, when most of our schools were built, the bonds that were passed were to build schools as Napa was growing rapidly. As is the case now, the bonds did not create enough funding for lunchrooms and auditoriums. In addition there is now increased participation in areas such as girls athletics creating a bigger need. In order to provide additional funding it will be necessary to pass a bond.

R5

See Recommendation 4 The District admits that there has been some erosion in the ability to complete all the work orders that have been submitted. This is due in part to the time spent by District staff in supporting the modernization efforts. Areas such as carpentry, electrical, plumbing and general maintenance were the hardest hit. There were 5,388 work orders submitted during the 2001-02 school year, our maintenance staff completed 4,265 of them. The District acknowledges that communication has broken down in some cases and will look into taking advantage of technology to provide a better tracking system. This will allow the school the ability to check the status of the work order. Additionally, staff will be provided training in ways to ensure more efficient communication: as an example, contact will be made by the repair person upon arriving at the school and a review of the Work Order will take place. The repairperson will then contact the school office to share completion of the Work Order and obtain an acknowledgement signature.

R6

NVUSD should have further staffing and an employee whose primary duty is to conduct frequent school inspections and meet on a regular basis with school principals to inquire about conditions. This employee should also be knowledgeable about lead-based paint in the school buildings and the presence of asbestos. The Maintenance and Operations department is undergoing a restructuring due to staff retirements. It is anticipated that this reorganization will result in increased service to the school sites. There are 31 sites spread over 250 square miles and thousands of square footage to be maintained. We have attempted to compare ourselves with other school districts of similar size to ensure our staffing is adequate. Staffing is reviewed on an annual basis and has been adjusted when there was an appropriate increase in the workload. We hope to be able to establish a Mobile Maintenance Crew to rotate on a regular basis to each school site to take care of small items and prioritize larger projects. The District has between 800 to 900 toilets/urinals and only 2 plumbers to maintain them. The Maintenance Department will focus on improving the communication between the department and school sites. With the use of technology and e-mail, there will be a system developed that will acknowledge the receipt of work orders. Napa Valley Unified School District does currently have staff that is knowledgeable about lead- based paint and asbestos. Since 1989 the District has had in place a program for monitoring asbestos as required by the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA). Every three years a contractor is hired to re-inspect the district facilities and update files and make recommendations for remediation. Annually staff that may work in areas with asbestos are provided training by a district employee certified to train employees in the safe management of asbestos.