PURCHASING
This chapter examines the Kerrville Independent School District's (KISD's) purchasing functions in three sections:
C. TEXTBOOKS
Chapter 31 of TEC spells out the rules and regulations surrounding state textbooks. Section 31.001 of the code states that "textbooks selected for use in public schools shall be furnished without cost to the students attending those schools."
TEA's Textbook Administration Division is responsible for coordinating the review, adoption, purchase and distribution of textbooks and other instructional materials for all Texas public schools and open-enrollment charter schools. After adopting suggested textbooks each year, TEA produces a recommended textbook list that is distributed to all Texas school districts. TEA then loans books upon request to school districts. TEA calculates the number of books allowed to each school district based on enrollment data by subject and grade. Districts submit enrollment data to TEA through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) reporting system. TEA spends approximately $200 million on textbooks and instructional materials annually. School districts that require more textbooks than their enrollment data allows are required to purchase the additional books with district funds.
KISD maintains a textbook selection committee that is responsible for considering the textbook list recommended by TEA annually; reviewing other texts available; and developing an adopted textbook list for the district. Textbook selection committee membership varies depending upon which grade levels and subjects have books up for adoption. The assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction is responsible for assigning district staff to the selection committee. Members include the assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, teachers and instructional department heads.
The assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction serves as the district's textbook coordinator. The coordinator oversees the adoption process and presents a proposed adoption list for approval by the school board, ensures that inventory counts are taken each year and monitors inventory discrepancies. The secretary to the assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction assists in the textbook inventory process, and each school has a textbook coordinator to oversee the textbook function at the school.
Exhibit 7-7 shows the organizational structure of the textbook function in KISD. The positions shown in the organizational chart are not full-time textbook positions, but rather absorb the textbook responsibilities with their other assigned job duties.
Exhibit 7-7 Source: KISD, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, March 2002.
KISD Textbook Coordinating FunctionsThe district does not have a central storage facility for the receiving or storage of textbooks. Textbook shipments are received in various locations, including the central office building, and then distributed to schools. Each school is responsible for storing and keeping textbooks assigned to it.
FINDING
KISD does not have a system that allows the district to reconcile campus textbook accounts and track its textbooks. The district uses a manual textbook inventory system that is cumbersome and time-consuming, and does not provide for adequate accountability of textbooks in the district.
Exhibit 7-8 shows a comparison of district textbook records to the records maintained by TEA. As the exhibit shows, as of September 2001, the district was missing $134,406 worth of textbooks. In addition to the discrepancies listed in the exhibit, the district also reported a total of 1,230 books listed in its textbook inventory, but these books could not be located in TEA's inventory records. Conversely, TEA records showed a total of 912 books, valued at $38,475 that could not be found in district inventory records. Because of the lack of adequate inventory control methods, it is not possible to determine whether the district's or TEA's records reflect the correct numbers.
Exhibit 7-8 Source: KISD, Textbook Inventory reports, September 2001.
KISD Textbook Inventory
As of September 2001
School Total Number
Missing TitlesTotal Number
Missing BooksDollar Value
of Missing BooksElementary Schools 83 11,205 $57,840 Middle Schools 35 5,169 $19,564 High School 145 12,026 $57,002 Total Value of Missing Books - All Schools $134,406 Since TEA loans textbooks to Texas school districts, the district is only required to pay for a replacement book if a child is in need of a book, or if the district returns all copies of a title because it was replaced by a new title. If a district keeps its textbooks until they are replaced by TEA with a new adoption, and if replacements aren't needed for students, then the district does not necessarily have to purchase replacement textbooks.
Textbook replacement costs in KISD have averaged $4,547 per year for the past three years. Exhibit 7-9 shows actual textbook expenditures for this time period.
Exhibit 7-9 Source: KISD, Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
KISD Actual Textbook Replacement Expenditures
1998-99 through 2000-01
Year Amount 1998-99 $7,924 1999-2000 $3,100 2000-01 $2,618 Three-year Average $4,547 Schools that have adequate mechanisms to track and account for textbooks, and those districts who hold students and parents accountable for textbook losses, have fewer books to replace each year. In Wimberley ISD (WISD), each teacher is assigned a specific number of textbooks and is required to sign for them at the beginning of each school year. At the end of the school year, the teacher returns the textbooks to the principal. The textbooks are then compared to the beginning-of-the-year assignments.
Teachers in WISD are also required to perform textbook verification at least once every six weeks. This task is accomplished by requiring students to bring their textbooks to class on a specific day and then checking them to ensure that the textbook is the same as that assigned to them at the beginning of the school year. Students are charged for any textbooks not returned.
Recommendation 42:
Implement an automated textbook inventory system in the district's middle and high schools to improve textbook accountability.
The district should implement a textbook inventory system and require textbook coordinators in the middle and high schools to use software to track textbooks, to report missing textbooks regularly and to pursue collection of lost and missing books.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The superintendent directs the assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction to procure and implement a textbook inventory software system. November 2002 2. The assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction issues a Request For Information (RFI) to determine the system options available and their respective price ranges. December 2002 3. The assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction requests funding for an inventory system. January 2003 4. The school board reviews and approves the budget request. January 2003 5. The assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction develops specifications for a textbook inventory system and works with the Purchasing supervisor to request formal quotes from vendors. February 2003 6. The assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction and members of the textbook selection committee select a vendor for the textbook inventory system. March 2003 7. The assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction develops an implementation plan for the new textbook inventory system for middle and high schools. April 2003 8. The assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction and the school-based textbook coordinators implement the new system. July 2003 FISCAL IMPACT
This fiscal impact requires an initial investment of $6,935 with an annual $100 software maintenance fee for each year subsequent to implementation. This estimate is calculated as follows:
Initial cost of software and maintenance per site for the first year $1,295 Textbook scanning equipment cost per unit $ 685 Total cost per location $1,980 Number of sites to be converted to automated system
(one high school, one middle school, central office)x 3 Total cost of software and equipment $5,940 Estimated training costs $ 995 Total one-time implementation costs $6,935 If KISD could reduce its textbook replacement costs by 60 percent (average replacement cost of $4,547 x .6 = $2,728) by using an automated tracking system, the system implementation would pay for itself in approximately three years.
Recommendation 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 Implement an automated textbook inventory system in the district's middle and high schools to improve textbook accountability. $2,728 $2,728 $2,728 $2,728 $2,728 One-time initial investment. ($6,935) $0 $0 $0 $0 Annual maintenance cost. $0 ($100) ($100) ($100) ($100) Net (Costs)/Savings ($4,207) $2,628 $2,628 $2,628 $2,628 FINDING
KISD does not have a permanent centralized location for the delivery and receiving of textbooks, which are normally received during the summer. Textbook shipments are delivered by publishers at various locations throughout the district, based on space availability. These locations include individual schools and the central office. In 1998-99 and 1999-2000, the textbook receiving location was designated as Tom Daniels Elementary Library. In 2001-02, an art room in Peterson Middle School was designated as the receiving location. Because there is no permanent centralized receiving location, textbooks must be stored in hallways and offices until they can be distributed to schools.
This has placed the district at risk of losing shipments, and the lack of available staff at some of the receiving locations can create problems in inspecting deliveries. For instance, a textbook shipment in August 2001 was delivered to a school where a custodian signed for delivery. After closer inspection of the textbook shipment, the district discovered that many of the books were missing. The district was unable to locate the packing slips or other shipping documents and, as a result, was forced to purchase additional textbooks.
A central receiving location for delivering textbooks facilitates receipt and distribution functions. In addition, having individuals who are at a central site and are trained in proper receiving procedures help districts to ensure accountability over textbooks.
Recommendation 43:
Implement a process for delivery and receipt of all textbooks at the district's Maintenance warehouse.
The district's warehouse is used to store plumbing supplies, small tools and parts, custodial supplies and paper goods. By re-arranging storage space in the central warehouse, the district would create valuable space that could be used to store textbooks until they are ready for classroom distribution.
Warehouse staff could be trained to check in textbook deliveries as they arrive, and then notify the assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction to handle distribution. Warehouse staff could be directed to forward all paperwork to the appropriate district staff.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The assistant superintendent of Business and Finance directs the Maintenance director to establish a designated area for receipt and collection of textbooks. January 2003 2. The Maintenance director sets up pallets and shelving to accommodate textbooks. February 2003 3. The assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction establishes procedures for checking in textbooks as they arrive in the district. March 2003 4. The assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction coordinates with the Maintenance director to train the appropriate warehouse staff to receive and process textbook shipments. April 2003 5. The assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction notifies all textbook publishers that deliveries will be received at the district's Maintenance warehouse. April 2003 6. The district begins receiving all textbook shipments at the Maintenance warehouse. May 2003 and Ongoing FISCAL IMPACT
The recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.
