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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 01252005 - D4 ion t BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra FROM: John Sweeten, County Administrator l • o s costa DATE: January 25, 2005 y SUBJECT: Proposed Closure of Fairgrounds Child Care Center Count �t4 SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. DIRECT the Community Services Department to close the Fairgrounds Child Care Site in Antioch by February 8, 2005 but no later than February 15, 2005. 2. DIRECT staff to seek alternate placements to which Fairgrounds children can be immediately referred pending the licensing and reopening of the site by a third party operator. 3. DIRECT staff to continue efforts through the RFP process to secure a third party operator as soon as possible. 4. DIRECT staff to provide required notice to parents of children at Fairgrounds that site will be closed. 5. DIRECT staff to notify federal and state agencies of intention to close the site. 6. ADOPT resolution number 2005/61 abolishing positions and laying off employees in the Community Services Department. 7. DIRECT staff to prepare any necessary contracts with appropriate community child care providers. FISCAL IMPACT: The program is funded by State and federal Head Start funds. The fiscal impact of this action is unknown at this time. BACKGROUND: The Community Services Department (CSD)serves more than 2,500 children at 20 child care centers throughout the County. The Fairgrounds Children's Center in Antioch serves 141 preschool children including 21 infants and toddlers in its Early Head Start, Head Start and Child Development programs. The site is staffed by 20 teachers and one site supervisor. On January 4, 2005 the Board of Supervisors took action to authorize the transfer of operations to a third party, to submit a Quality Improvement Plan to the Administration for Children and Families regional office, to issue a Request for Proposals for operating an early childhood education program at the Fairgrounds Children's Center, to execute a contract for management training-, and to establish a class of Personnel Administrator. 77� CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: x YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD CO MITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON JANUARY 25,2005 APPROVE AS RECOMMENDED OTHER PLEASE SEE ATTACHED ADDENDUM, VOTE OF SUPERVISORS HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS (ABSENT �,�zr, 1 AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN If lob" AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD AYES: NOES: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ATTESTED .JANUARY -5 1; JOHN SWEETE14,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF PERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Contact Person: Scott Tandy CC: Dorothy Sansoe � Pat Stroh BY: � DEPUTY SUBJE'CT: Proposed Closure of Fairgrounds Child Care Center On January 18, 2005 an unusual incident occurred at the Fairgrounds Child Care Center, the fourth since September 2003. A child was left unattended in a playground area for less than one minute. The incident was immediately investigated by Mickey Williams, Community Services Department Interim Personnel Administrator, and reported as required by California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Article 6, (101212)to the California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, within 24 hours, Two teachers have been removed from the classroom and transferred to another location where they will have no contact with children. Appropriate disciplinary actions have been initiated. The January 18t`' incident follows a series of previous incidents over a two-year period leading to the proposed revocation of the license by the State of California. Since the two staff members failed to abide by the Head Start Standards of Conduct and the department's policies on the supervision of children and despite other extraordinary measures, such as triple door locks, surveillance cameras, monthly trainings on health, safety, and basic supervision, and the presence of security guards on the site, CSD has concluded that it is in the best interest of the safety of children at the Fairgrounds site to move toward immediate closure. This proposed closure will not affect the operation of any of the other nineteen sites. In a continuing effort to ensure the safety of children in its care, CSD is recommending that the Board of Supervisors consider that the Fairgrounds site should be closed as soon as possible with the least disruption to children and families, but no later than February 15, 2005. To accomplish that objective the following actions are being recommended: • Parents of children currently enrolled will be notified of the intended closure • Enrollment at the site will cease immediately • State and federal agencies will be notified of the intention to close the site • Staff will work with each parent on an individual basis to ensure that Head Start and child care services will be provided in an uninterrupted fashion and accomplished in an orderly manner CSD is developing an action plan and timeline to expedite the closure of the site and the transferor lay-off of affected staff mernbers. The effort to secure a contract with a third party to provide services at the Fairgrounds site will continue as planned, Responses are due from bidders February 11, 2005. The Department anticipates returning to the Board of Supervisors on March 8, 2005 with a request to approve the selected contractor. THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Adopted this order on January 25, 2005 by the following vote: AYES: SUPERVISORS GIOIA, UILKEMA, PIEPHO, DeSAULNIER AND GLOVER NOES: NONE ABSENT: NONE ABSTAIN: NONE RESOLUTION NO. 2005/61 SUBJECT: Abolishing Positions and Laying Off Employees in Community Services Department THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, in its capacity as governing Board of the County of Contra Costa and all districts of which it is ex-officio governing Board, RESOLVES THAT: 1 The Board has considered the impact to children at the Fairgrounds childcare site operated by Po" Community Services Department due to repeated incidents, the staffing necessary for the AW" a 0 efficiency of Countygovernment operations, and the staff retentionplansubmitted by the Community Services Department. 2. In order to keep expenditures within available funding, it is necessary to abolish the positions described in attachment A on the dates indicated because the necessity for the position(s) involved no longer exists and to lay off employees accordingly. Said list is incorporated herein by reference, and said positions are hereby abolished effective on or before March 15, 20050 3. The Community Services Department shall issue layoff or displacement notices, as the case may be, and give notice to the affected employees of the Board's action. 4,, The Employee Relations Officer shall give notice of this Resolution to recognized employee organizations representing employees impacted by this. action. 5. To the extent that the supiects of this Resolution are within the scope of representation pursuant to the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (Government Code Section 3500 et seq.), this Board offers to meet with recognized employee organizations upon request concerning this Resolution. 6. Recognized employee organizations may submit to the Employee Relations Officer written requests to meet and confer on specific proposals with respect to the Resolution or resulting layoffs. This authorization and direction is given without prejudice to the Board's right to reduce or terminate the operations and services of the County and of Districts governed by this Board, and to eliminate classes of employees or positions as involving the merits, necessity, or organization of services or activities of the County or districts governed by the Board and not within the scope of representation. '. This action is taken without prejudice to pending consulting, meeting, and meeting and conferring with recognized employee organizations. I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Su isors on the date shown: ATTESTED: �,/ �e�� �J �`�.f 0 JOHN SWEETEN,Clerk of the oard of Supervis--a*%.-and County Administrator By eputy Human Resources Auditor Controller County Administrator RESOLUTION NO. 2005/61 ATTACHMENT A CONTRA COSTA COUNTY POSITIONS TO BE ABOLISHED DEPARTMENT: Community Services EFFECTIVE: No Later Than Close of Business February 15, 2005 Position# Classification Class Code Org# Vacant/Filled 1048 FACS Site Supervisor III-Project 9MF1 1523 Filled 1078 FACS Teacher-Project 9MH5 1805 Filled 6752 FACS Teacher-Project 9MH5 1805 Filled 11298 FACS Teacher-Project 9MH5 1436 Filled 12113 FACS Teacher-Project 9MH5 1495 Filled 12395 FACS Teacher-Project 9MH5 1805 Filled 12397 FACS Teacher-Project 9MH5 1893 Filled 6843 FACS Infant/Toddler Teacher-Project 9MH6 1850 Filled 6844 FACS Infant/Toddler Teacher-Project 9MH6 1850 Filled 1137 FACS Associate Teacher-Project 9MV2 1893 Filled 6765 FACS Associate Teacher-Project 9MV2 1805 Vacant 6796 FACS Associate Teacher-Project 9MV2 1805 Filled 6808 FACS Associate Teacher-Project 9MV2 1805 Vacant 6814 FACS Associate Teacher-Project 9MV2 1805 Filled 6827 FACS Associate Teacher-Project 9MV2 1848 Filled 12018 FACS Associate Teacher-Project 9MV2 1417 Vacant 12132 FACS Associate Teacher-Project 9MV2 1805 Filled 6859 FACS Inf/Tod Assoc Teacher-Project 9MV3 1805 Filled 6862 FACS Inf/Tod Assoc Teacher-Project 9MV3 1850 Filled 6864 FACS Inf/Tod Assoc Teacher-Project 9MV3 1850 Filled 6877 FACS Inf/Tod Assoc Teacher-Project 9MV3 1462 Vacant ADDENDUM TO D.4 dated January 25,2005 On this day, the Board of Supervisors considered closing the Community Services Department's Fairgrounds Child Care Center by February 8, 2005 but no later than February 15, 2005; alternative placements for children; abolishment of positions; layoff of employees and other actions as recommended by the County Administrator. The Chief Assistant County Administrator, Scott Tandy,presented the staff report and summary of proposed actions. Scott Tandy introduced the item to the Board. He updated them on a recent incidence that had taken place on January 18, 2005 at the Fairgrounds Child Care Center,which was the fourth that had occurred since September 2003. A child was left unattended in the playground for less than one minute but it was one minute too long. The incident was immediately 'investigated by Mickey Williams,the Department's Personnel - Administrator and was also reported to the State Community Care License, which is required by State Law within a 24-hour period. Appropriate disciplinary action was taken. The January 18, 2005 incidence followed a series of previous incidence over a two-year period that led to the proposed revocation of the license at Fairgrounds Child Care Center by the State of California. Scott recommended that the Board consider the Fairgrounds' Child Care Center should be closed as soon as possible with the least disruption to children and families,but no later than February 15, 2005. He said he would prefer that to occur February 8, 2005. To accomplish that objective he recommended additional actions for the Board's consideration. Scott also informed the Board that the process for request for proposals to transfer that center to a third party operator no later than July 1, 2005 had already been initiated. In addition to the above details, Scott requested the Board to consider adding the following recommendation no.8 8. DIRECT staff to pursue an emergency"Certification of Operation" from the State Department of Education on behalf of a local community child care provider for Fairgrounds Head Start/Child Care site before it is transferred to a third party operator through the RFP process, As a matter of background, Supervisor Federal D. Glover made reference to actions taken by the January 4, 2005 Board Meeting. He referred to the January 18, 2005 incidence, and reiterated that the Board would have zero tolerance for any other violations that take place. He also noted that the directions in terms of recommendations to have this occur with a provider that can bring employees in and operate that service is the direction the Board would like to go. Supervisor Glover noted good employees throughout the system, and because of the vacancies that exist within the system,these employees could fill those vacancies. He had for Fairgrounds Head Start/Child Care site before it is transferred to a third party operator through the RFP process. Motion was made by Supervisor Federal D. Glover and seconded by Supervisor John Gioa. Passed unanimously.