HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 11051996 - D4 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS F&HS-03 �`E'sE,``••°� Contra
1 s�
FROM: FAMILY AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEEo `s Costa
x�. .:, : :--.- County
DATE: October 28, 1996
STATUS OF RFI/RFP FOR THE EAST COUNTY HEAD START PROGRAM
SUBJECT: AND STATUS OF PRE-AUDIT FOR PITTSBURG PRESCHOOL
COORDINATING COUNCIL
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. ACCEPT the attached reports from the Community Services Director and the
Interim Head Start Program Manager.
2. DIRECT the Community Services Director to outline three timelines for
making a decision regarding whether to put the East County Head Start
Program out to bid again and return those timetables to the 1997 Family and
Human Services Committee by the end of January 1997:
• A fast track timetable, assuming the most optimistic possible set of
circumstances.
• A moderate timetable, assuming neither a particularly optimistic nor
pessimistic set of circumstances.
• A slower timetable, assuming the most pessimistic set of
circumstances.
3. DIRECT the Community Services Director to conduct surveys of staff, Head
Start parents and the community in East County regarding their views about
the current operation of the Head Start Program and the possible changes in
the program were it to be contracted out and report the results of those
surveys to the 1997 Family and Human Services Committee.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD CO ITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S): MARK QaS4
ACTION OF BOARD ON Novembe, 5, 199f) APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: I. IV, V and Ii NOES: III (R'Tchnp) AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
ATTESTED November 5, 1996
Contact: PHIL H LOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF.
cc: E RS AND COUNTY ADMI BATOR
See Page 3
BY UT
D.-1
F&HS-03
4. AGREE that the Board of Supervisors and the Head Start Policy Council need
to jointly make a conscious decision to either issue a Request for Information
(RFI) to contract out the East County Head Start Program or to leave the
program as a Grantee-operated Program. That decision should be make in
May 1997 following the March 1997 Federal site visit.
5. LEAVE this subject matter on referral to the 1996 Family and Human Services
Committee for the time being, but also REFER the issue of contracting out the
East County Head Start Program to the 1997 Family and Human Services
Committee.
6. DIRECT the Community Services Director to report to the Family and Human
Services Committee on November 25, 1996 regarding the status of the State's
review of Pittsburg Preschool Coordinating Council's 1995-96 independent
audit, whether the State has removed the conditional status of Pittsburg
Preschool Coordinating Council's State child care contract and whether the
Community Services Director is recommending that the County lift its pre-
audit of expenditures under the Pittsburg Preschool Coordinating Council's
Community Services Department contracts.
BACKGROUND:
On October 1, 1996, the Board of Supervisors approved a report from our
Committee on this subject which included the following recommendations:
1. DIRECT the Community Services Director to return to our
Committee on October 28, 1996 with a report on the status of
the Head Start Program including comments from the Interim
Head Start Program Manager and a proposed timeline for the
release of an RFI and/or RFP for the Head Start Program in East
County.
2. DIRECT the Community Services Director to return to our
Committee on either October 28,1996 or November 25, 1996 on
the status of the State's audit of its 1995-96 contract with
PPSCC before implementing any decision to take PPSCC off of
the pre-audit of their contact with the County.
On October 28, 1996, our Committee met with the Community Services Director,
Scott Tandy and the Interim Head Start Program Manager, Fay Graef. They
reviewed the attached written reports with our Committee. Also present were Al
Prince, Administrative Services Officer for the Community Services Department,
Paul Katz, representing Local 1, and members of the 1996-97 Grand Jury.
Mr. Tandy noted that the deadline for applications for the Head Start Program
Manager position was October 25, 1996. The Department is using a minority-owned
executive search firm in Los Angeles for this purpose. The time schedule calls for
the Head Start Policy Council and the Director to interview the top applicants and
make a joint decision on a new Head Start Program Manager on November 22,
1996.
Mr. Tandy and Ms Graef noted that the Policy Council will seat new members on
November 22, 1996 and has invited all of the members of the Board of Supervisors
to join them for a luncheon meeting.
-2-
� L4
F&H -03
Ms. Graef reviewed her written report with our Committee. She strongly
recommends against putting the East County Head Start Program out to bid at this
time or even making a decision at this time whether to put the program out to bid at
a future date. It is important to get past the upcoming Federal site review in March
1997 and stabilize the program in the meantime. Putting the program out to bid
would be disruptive to staff. She summarized the pros and cons of a grantee-
operated program as opposed to a community-based organization operating the
program on contract from the County. Ms. Graef also recommended that a survey
be conducted of employees, Head Start parents and the community in preparation
for making a decision as to whether to put the East County Program out to bid again.
Our Committee agrees with Mr. Tandy and Ms. Graef that now is not the time to
disrupt the program, children, parents and staff by putting the program out to bid.
However, we believe strongly that the Board of Supervisors and the Head Start
Policy Council need to make a conscious decision either to put the program out to
bid or leave it as a grantee-operated program. This decision cannot be allowed to
simply drift and be made by default by not making a decision at all. We agree that
a survey should be conducted as proposed by Ms. Graef. We also want Mr. Tandy
to prepare three timelines for consideration by the 1997 Family and Human Services
Committee so we can assure ourselves that we are moving toward a decision point
when the Board of Supervisors and the Policy Council can make a conscious
decision on this most critical matter. We are asking that these timelines be reported
back to the Committee by the end of January 1997.
cc: County Administrator
Community Services Director
Frances Greene, Executive Director
Pittsburg Preschool Coordinating Council
1760 Chester Drive
Pittsburg, CA 94565
Eleanor McGuire, Executive Director
United Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations
837 Arnold Drive, Suite 100
Martinez, CA 94553
-3-
LA
Community Services DepartmentCOn}�� Child Development 374-3994
` Head Start 646-5540 Child Nutrition 374-3850
Administration Costa Communty Action 313-7363
1220 Morello Avenue, Suite 101
Martinez,California 94553-4711 County Housing and Energy 646-5756
(510)313-7350 Y
Fax: (510)313-7385 s L
Scott Tandy,
Director
October 23, 1996
srq.cou
TO: Family and Human Services Committee
FROM: Scott Tandy, Director, Community Services
1
SUBJECT: Status of the Head Start Program and East County RFP
Head Start Status Report
1. Recruitment of new Program Director is underway with the help of The
Hawkins Company, an executive search firm in Los Angeles. Closing
date is October 25, 1996. The Policy Council is scheduled to
consider final candidates on November 22 .
2 . Policy Council will transition with new members on Friday, November
22nd. The Policy Council is inviting the Board of Supervisors to
join them for lunch.
3 . Fay Graef, Interim Program Director, and Nancy Hobert, Assistant,
are continuing to strengthen and improve the communication, fiscal
and component services of the program. Head Start is also looking
at the implications of welfare reform.
4. My position on the East County, RFP was presented on September 23rd.
You requested further information from Fay Graef. Her report to me
is attached.
Pittsburg Pre-School Coordinating Council - Status of State's Audit
As we have explained before, the State Department of Education has placed
Pittsburg Pre-School Coordinating Council on "conditional status" for its
State funded FY 96-97 Child Development and Pre-School contracts. The
Department has recommended that PPCC remain on pre-audit until: (a) the
Department's pre-audit concerns have been resolved, and (b) the State
Department of Education removes the conditional status from PPCC's
contracts.
Recent conversation with PPCC and State Department of Education found
that Angelino Cayanan, CPA, has completed an independent review of
Pittsburg Preschool Coordinating Council and has filed a copy with the
State Office of External Audits. It is now under State review. The
State has not made a decision to audit at this time as implied in the
directions in the Family and Human Services Committee Board Order and
subsequent follow-up.
attachment
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer
D,q
DATE October 23, 1996
TO: Scott Tandy, Executive Director, Community Services Division
FROM: C. Fay Graef, Interim Head Start Manager
SUBJECT: East County Head Start Program
cc: Nancy Hobert, Assistant Head Start Manager
The Family and Human Services Committee of the Contra Costa Board of
Supervisors asked for a plan to RFP the East County Head Start Program.
RECOMMENDATION - The decision to place the East County Program out
for bid should not be made now. The program has gone through several
recent crises. Staff at all levels needs time to "heal" and recover. Even now
there is uncertainty about the future since a permanent Director has not yet been
selected. A number of major changes will impact the Head Start grant and any
decision about the East County program must be looked at in the context of the
total needs of Head Start - not dealt with in isolation. Some of these activities
and changes include:
• The impact of Welfare Reform;
• Head Start new Performance Standards are currently in draft form;
• A follow-up Federal Review scheduled for March, 1997;
• Head Start Reorganization proposed by the Transition Team;
• Community Service Cost Allocation Needs;
• Decisions about the future of the Head Start Family Child Care Project.
BACKGROUND - The Head Start program in East County was formally
delegated to a local organization to serve 232 children at a cost of approximately
$1 million. This arrangement served the community well until the past four
years. Serious problems with administration and fiscal controls resulted in the
decision not to award a contract for 1996. In January, 1996, the program
became part of the directly-operated services of Contra Costa Head Start. The
transition was difficult, and was particularly stressful on staff. Center licenses
had to be re-applied for under the County name, and staff from East County had
to be hired under the County system. All of this was accomplished at the same
time the overall Head Start program was undergoing compliance reviews by the
Federal Government.
a:\FG\WinWord\RFP.cc 1
10/23/96 4:11 PM
1 ` Vr LA
East County Head Start Program RFP V
The current Head Start Grant (1996) did not include a plan for delegation, and
the recently approved grant (1997) does not include such a plan. This is
important - because any decision to delegate will have to go through the Policy
Council for input and approval, then to the Federal Agency in the form of a grant
amendment before it can be implemented. Funds have been redistributed
throughout the program to meet overall Head Start needs. In fact, there may not
be sufficient funding to consider delegation - without major changes in other
parts of the program at this time.
DELEGATION CONSIDERATIONS - The Head Start program, as part of the
"war on poverty" has a long history of delegation. Delegation supports and
develops the capacity of local organizations and communities to run their own
programs. Local Boards are responsible to the communities they serve, and
should be in a better position to assess the needs of their communities and
provide relevant services. (Institutional change was key to the role that
Community Action Agencies played in the process of addressing issues of
poverty. Thirty years have passed; Head Start and Community Action Agencies
have changed. A lot of their initial impact is seen in today's institutions.)
Whenever it is possible to delegate a program to a community agency, it should
be considered. Reasons for delegating include:
• Development of community organizations;
• Process for hiring community staff is enhanced,
• Better access to community resources;
• Simplified accounting;
• More decisions made at the community level. (Policy Committee would be
involved in decisions regarding the program, as well as the Board);
• Community oversight of the program.
EAST COUNTY HEAD START RETENTION (DIRECTLY-OPERATED) -
Besides the issues of: 1) cost for delegation, and 2) changes that need to be
considered in the overall context of Head Start needs, there are some real
benefits to keeping East County as part of the directly-operated program.
Directly operating both Head Start and the State Child Development program
has probably played a key part in strengthening the child advocacy role of
Contra Costa County. Delegating a program places more distance between the
County and its constituents. Direct operation brings more community
involvement at the County level; there is more direct control over the quality of
services, and better access to County resources. The process of institutional
change may still be viable, as County resources are brought face-to-face with the
needs of the community. Other reasons to retain East County as part of the
directly-operated program include:
aAFG\WinWord\RFP.cc 2
10/23/96 4:11 PM
� Ll
East County Head Start Program RFP
• East County staff are now County employees. To some extent, this may
enhance their ability to move into other jobs;
• Enhanced opportunities to collaborate with the State Child Development
program, and look at more possibilities for full-day services;
• Increased County funding may be needed to supplement delegation. As
indicated above, funds have been absorbed in the grant, and would be
difficult to retrieve. Increases in the Head Start grant are primarily in the
areas of approximately $130,000 for Community Services overhead costs,
$150,000 initially under-budgeted for facility costs (some of which are in the
East County area), and $150,000 for a transportation RFP to serve East and
West County;
• Greater ability to address changes that may be needed to deal with the
impact of Welfare Reform on services;
• Probability of having more program stability during the next Federal
review scheduled for March, 1997. The entire Head Start program still
needs time to recover and stabilize.
As stated in the beginning, this is not, in my view, the time to make any decision
about delegation of the East County program. It should be included with other
major changes to be considered. The process of making this decision should
include a community survey, parent survey, and staff survey. The surveys could
be completed between now and March, 1997. The decision to delegate or not
can be made (along with other decisions that will impact the grant) by May, 1997.
a:\FG\WinWord\RFP.cc 3
10/23/96 4:11 PM
DA
Community Services DepartmentContra Child Development 374-3994
Child Nutrition 374-3850
Administration Costa CommHead Start 646-5540unty Action 313-7363
1220 Morello Avenue, Suite 101
Martinez, California 94553-4711 Count , Housing and Energy 646-5756
(510)313-7350 Y
Fax: (510)313-7385 se L
Scott Tandy,
Director —/-
STA cOilN'-
October 23, 1996
Ms. Karen Loring, Associate Management Auditor
Office of External Audits
California Department of Education
560 J Street, Suite 270
Sacramento, Ca 95814
Dear Ms. Loring:
This letter is to confirm our October 23, 1996 telephone conversation
regarding the submittal and status of Pittsburg Preschool Coordinating
Council's (PPCC) annual audit report to your agency.
Per our 11/23/96 discussion, you confirmed the receipt of PPCC's FY 1995-
96 independent audit by Mr. Angelino P. Cayanan, Certified Public
Accountant, by the due date of October 15, 1996. You further indicated that
your office would conduct a desk review of PPCC's audit within the next 30
days, and would notify both PPCC and the County in writing of your
findings and recommendations.
Please call me at (510) 313-7361 if you have any questions regarding this
matter. Thank you.
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer
Sin erely,
A Prince
Administrative Services Officer
cc: Frances Greene, Pittsburg Preschool Coordinating Council Inc.
Scott Tandy, Director, Community Services Department
Wilda Davisson, Child Development Program Manager
2
Community Services DepartmentContra Child Development 374-3994
Child Nutrition 374-3850
Administration Communty Action 313-7363
1220 Morello Avenue, Suite 101
Costa Head Start 646-5540
Martinez,California 94553-4711Co County, Housing and Energy 646-5756
(510)313-7350 Y
Fax:(510)313-7385
Scott Tandy,
f
Director
�; s
October 23, 1996
�a ...........
TO: Family and Human Services Committee
FROM: Scott Tandy, Director, Community Services
SUBJECT: Status of the Head Start Program and East County RFP
Head Start Status Report
1. Recruitment of new Program Director is underway with the help of The
Hawkins Company, an executive search firm in Los Angeles. Closing
date is October 25, 1996. The Policy Council is scheduled to
consider final candidates on November 22.
2. Policy Council will transition with new members on Friday, November
22nd. The Policy Council is inviting the Board of Supervisors to
join them for lunch.
3. Fay Graef, Interim Program Director, and Nancy Hobert, Assistant,
are continuing to strengthen and improve the communication, fiscal
and component services of the program. Head Start is also looking
at the implications of welfare reform.
4. My position on the East County RFP was presented on September 23rd.
You requested further information from Fay Graef. Her report to me
is attached.
Pittsburg Pre-School Coordinating Council - Status of State's Audit
As we have explained before, the State Department of Education has placed
Pittsburg Pre-School Coordinating Council on "conditional status" for its
State funded FY 96-97 Child Development and Pre-School contracts. The
Department has recommended that PPCC remain on pre-audit until: (a) the
Department's pre-audit concerns have been resolved, and (b) the State
Department of Education removes the conditional status from PPCC's
contracts.
Recent conversation with PPCC and State Department of Education found
that Angelino Cayanan, CPA, has completed an independent review of
Pittsburg Preschool Coordinating Council and has filed a copy with the
State Office of External Audits. It is now under State review. The
State has not made a decision to audit at this time as implied in the
directions in the Family and Human Services Committee Board Order and
subsequent follow-up.
attachment
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer
DATE October 23, 1996
TO: Scott Tandy, Executive Director, Community Services Division
FROM: C. Fay Graef, Interim Head Start Manager
SUBJECT: East County Head Start Program
cc: Nancy Hobert, Assistant Head Start Manager
The Family and Human Services Committee of the Contra Costa Board of
Supervisors asked for a plan to RFP the East County Head Start Program.
l
RECOMMENDATION - The decision to place the East County Program out
for bid should not be made now. The program has gone through several
recent crises. Staff at all levels needs time to "heal' and recover. Even now
there is uncertainty about the future since a permanent Director has not yet been
selected. A number of major changes will impact the Head Start grant and any
decision about the East County program must be looked at in the context of the
total needs of Head Start - not dealt with in isolation. Some of these activities
and changes include:
The impact of Welfare Reform;
e Head Start new Performance Standards are currently in draft form;
• A follow-up Federal Review scheduled for March, 1997;
Head Start Reorganization proposed by the Transition Team;
• Community Service Cost Allocation Needs;
• Decisions about the future of the Head Start Family Child Care Project.
BACKGROUND - The Head Start program in East County was formally
delegated to a local organization to serve 232 children at a cost of approximately
$1 million. This arrangement served the community well until the past four
years. Serious problems with administration and fiscal controls resulted in the
decision not to award a contract for 1996. In January, 1996, the program
became part of the directly-operated services of Contra Costa Head Start. The
transition was difficult, and was particularly stressful on staff. Center licenses
had to be re-applied for under the County name, and staff from East County had
to be hired under the County system. All of this was accomplished at the same
time the overall Head Start program was undergoing compliance reviews by the
Federal Government.
a:1FG\WinWord\RFP.cc 1
10/23/96 4:11 PM
East County Head Start Program RFP
The current Head Start Grant (1996) did not include a plan for delegation, and
the recently approved grant (1997) does not include such a plan. This is
important - because any decision to delegate will have to go through the Policy
Council for input and approval, then to the Federal Agency in the form of a grant
amendment before it can be implemented. Funds have been redistributed
throughout the program to meet overall Head Start needs. In fact, there may not
be sufficient funding to consider delegation - without major changes in other
parts of the program at this time.
DELEGATION CONSIDERATIONS - The Head Start program, as part of the
"war on poverty" has a long history of delegation. Delegation supports and
develops the capacity of local organizations and communities to run their own
programs. Local Boards are responsible to the communities they serve, and
should be in a better position to assess the needs of their communities and
provide relevant services. (Institutional change was key to the role that
Community Action Agencies played in the process of addressing issues of
poverty. Thirty years have passed; Head Start and Community Action Agencies
have changed. A lot of their initial impact is seen in today's institutions.)
Whenever it is possible to delegate a program to a community agency, it should
be considered. Reasons for delegating include:
• Development of community organizations;
• Process for hiring community staff is enhanced;
• Better access to community resources;
• Simplified accounting;
• More decisions made at the community level. (Policy Committee would be
involved in decisions regarding the program, as well as the Board);
• Community oversight of the program.
EAST COUNTY HEAD START RETENTION (DIRECTLY-OPERATED) -
Besides the issues of: 1) cost for delegation, and 2) changes that need to be
considered in the overall context of Head Start needs, there are some real
benefits to keeping East County as part of the directly-operated program.
Directly operating both Head Start and the State Child Development program
has probably played a key part in strengthening the child advocacy role of
Contra Costa County. Delegating a program places more distance between the
County and its constituents. Direct operation brings more community
involvement at the County level; there is more direct control over the quality of
services, and better access to County resources. The process of institutional
change may still be viable, as County resources are brought face-to-face with the
needs of the community. Other reasons to retain East County as part of the
directly-operated program include:
aAFG\WinWord\RFP.cc 2
10/23/96 4:11 PM
East County Head Start Program RFP
• East County staff are now County employees. To some extent, this may
enhance their ability to move into other jobs;
• Enhanced opportunities to collaborate with the State Child Development
program, and look at more possibilities for full-day services;
• Increased County funding may be needed to supplement delegation. As
indicated above, funds have been absorbed in the grant, and would be
difficult to retrieve. Increases in the Head Start grant are primarily in the
areas of approximately $130,000 for Community Services overhead costs,
$150,000 initially under-budgeted for facility costs (some of which are in the
East County area), and $150,000 for a transportation RFP to serve East and
West County;
• Greater ability to address changes that may be needed to deal with the
impact of Welfare Reform on services;
• Probability of having more program stability during the next Federal F
review scheduled for March, 1997. The entire Head Start program still
needs time to recover and stabilize.
As stated in the beginning, this is not, in my view, the time to make any decision
about delegation of the East County program. It should be included with other
major changes to be considered. The process of making this decision should
include a community survey, parent survey, and staff survey. The surveys could
be completed between now and March, 1997. The decision to delegate or not
can be made (along with other decisions that will impact the grant) by May, 1997.
a:\FG\WinWord\RFP.cc 3
10/23/96 4:11 PM
Community Services DepartmentContra Child Development 374-3994
Child Nutrition 374-3650
AdministrationO^t^ Communty Action 313-7363
1220 Morello Avenue, Suite 101
J d Head Start 646-5540
Martinez,California 94553-4711. Count` , Housing and Energy 646 5756
(510)313-7350 Y
Fax: (510)313-7385 s
Scott Tandy, f
Director
COSTACOU ..
N
October 2311996
Ms. Karen Loring, Associate Management Auditor
Office of External Audits
California Department of Education
560 J Street, Suite 270
Sacramento, Ca 95814
Dear Ms. Loring:
This letter is to confirm our October 23, 1996 telephone conversation
regarding the submittal and status of Pittsburg Preschool Coordinating
Council's (PPCC) annual audit report to your agency.
Per our 11/23/96 discussion, you confirmed the receipt of PPCC's FY 1995-
96 independent audit by Mr. Angelino P. Cayanan, Certified Public
Accountant, by the due date of October 15, 1996. You further indicated that
your office would conduct a desk review of PPCC's audit within the next 30
days, and would notify both PPCC and the County in writing of your
findings and recommendations.
Please call me at (510) 313-7361 if you have any questions regarding this
matter. Thank you.
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer
Sin erely,
A Prince
Administrative Services Officer
cc: Frances Greene, Pittsburg Preschool Coordinating Council Inc.
Scott Tandy, Director, Community Services Department
Wilda Davisson, Child Development Program Manager
2