When it comes to non-academic performance management, there are many ways that data can help districts gain efficiency and improve processes. While you may not have thought about measuring operational performance data as part of the equation for district success, data from departments like transportation, maintenance and operations, food service, and technology can produce valuable information about how schools and districts operate. This data drives the ability to discover and communicate efficient best-practices.
A great resource for sharing best practices related to operational performance data is the ActPoint KPI Community, an online forum where ActPoint KPI users share best practices and ideas about how to tackle challenging issues school business and operations leaders face. The transportation department has many challenges, and some of the districts who use ActPoint KPI have shared interesting problems and thoughtful solutions.
A district leader in Florida provided shared the following experience:
“We have drivers that train with us, obtain their CDL and then leave to drive for the county transit systems because the pay is better. We provide free health, dental & life insurance (4 or more hours per day), driver attendance bonuses, longevity pay. We just negotiated a career ladder that when completed, provides for a $250 one-time bonus.”
Another district in Nevada reported some of the challenges they face in retaining their bus drivers:
“Because of the limited ability to impact the funding decisions (all salary issues are collectively bargained), our efforts in terms of retention are focused on creating a positive working environment. Generally, trying to establish an esprit de corps and a focus on how our drivers are actually tied to/support the mission is a major effort. Additionally, we are pursuing an effort to ensure the employees understand the “total compensation” they receive (i.e., to include benefits). Often the salary at another job may be higher, but total compensation is lower, as the total benefits package is not as rich. Given these are entry-level positions, normally filled by a younger population, this mixed reviews as to impact.”While a district in California shares its favorable retention rates:
“Driver retention - I believe besides the excellent salary and benefit(s) package our drivers are offered, we keep several of our field trips in-house. This allows our drivers the opportunity of overtime while still saving our schools tons of money.”
The Community feature has enabled districts all across the country to crowd-source creative solutions for common challenges that districts face.
Quotes from the ActPoint KPI Community have been edited for brevity, privacy, and publication needs.
