Minutes-Regular Meeting-November 7, 2006
Personnel Commission
November 14, 2006
November 7, 2006
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Dr. Klonecky at 3:30 p.m.
PRESENT
Personnel Commissioners:
Dr. Harold M. Klonecky
Dr. Owen H. Griffith
Mr. Steven M. Busch (excused absence)
Dr. Kris Koga, Director-Personnel Commission
Mr. Walt Heath, Associate Personnel Analyst
PLACE AND DATE
OF MEETING
Torrance Unified School District Office Board Room, 2336 Plaza del Amo, Torrance, November 7, 2006.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Dr. Griffith.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES –Regular Meeting of
October 17, 2006
Dr. Griffith moved, seconded by Dr. Klonecky, that the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of October 17, 2006 be approved. Motion carried 2/0.
APPROVAL OF ELIGIBILITY LISTS –
Child Development Program Assistant-Tier II,
Instructional Assistant-Bilingual, School Bus Driver
Dr. Griffith moved, seconded by Dr. Klonecky, that the Eligibility Lists – Child Development Program Assistant-Tier II, Instructional Assistant-Bilingual, and School Bus Driver be approved. Motion carried 2/0.
APPROVAL OF ADVANCED PLACEMENT – Manager-Transportation
Dr. Griffith moved, seconded by Dr. Klonecky, that the new Manager-Transportation, Mark Plumb, be approved for advanced placement on Step 2, Range 90 of the Classified Management Employees Salary Schedule. Motion carried 2/0.
APPROVAL OF NEW JOB DESCRIPTION-Supervisor-Drivers/Dispatcher
Dr. Griffith moved, seconded by Dr. Klonecky, that the new Job Description-Supervisor-Drivers/Dispatcher be approved. Motion carried 2/0.
Mr. David Hawkins - School Bus Driver/Trainer, requested that approval for this item be postponed until the new Manager-Transportation is in place. He stated that he was speaking on behalf of himself, Ms. Terri Thomas - Dispatcher/Scheduler, and Ms. Sharon Mills – Transportation Assistant in conveying that a number of the proposed duties and responsibilities for the position were already being performed by employees in their current positions. He noted that a new person may not be sufficiently experienced in certain specialized areas to be effective in overseeing the current staff. In addition, he suggested the District realize a financial savings by not adding this new position.
Dr. Koga pointed out that since the proposed position would be promotional, only current District employees would be eligible to apply.
Dr. Klonecky clarified that it is not the responsibility of the Personnel Commission to determine the District departmental restructuring needs. He further noted that the Personnel Commission’s role include ascertaining the correct classification and recommendation of proper salary placement based upon the class specification relationships.
In response to Ms. Rhonda Bonebright’s, School Bus Driver, inquiry as to whether the position of Dispatcher/Scheduler would be eliminated as a result of adding the proposed position, Dr. Koga noted that the District requested the creation of a new classification only and not the elimination of any current positions.
INFORMATION ITEMS
Job Announcements:
Child Development Program Assistant-Tier II
Staff Assistant-Special Education
2007 CSPCA Annual Conference–February 15-18, 2007–Long Beach, CA
Next Regular Commission Meeting:
November 21, 2006, 3:30 p.m.- District Office Board Room
COMMENTS FROM STAFF
Dr. Koga noted that classified employees would soon receive the Fall 2006 edition of the Personnel Commission newsletter, which will focus on the subjects of Reclassification and Transfer Requests.
Dr. Koga announced that the Personnel Commission had received a letter from CSEA Chapters 845 and 19 confirming the selection of Mr. Patrick Furey as the classified employees’ appointee to the Commission for a three-year term commencing December 1, 2006.
Dr. Koga reviewed the response from an outside consulting firm to perform the annual reclassification study. She pointed out that although this bid was received after the established deadline and therefore ineligible for consideration, it was worth noting that this firm had proposed charging $135 per hour, with a minimum charge of $8100 for an estimated thirty (30) reclassification studies. This amount represented a substantially higher charge than the $3,000 maximum set by the Commission’s approved consultant, Mr. Richard Ide.
Dr. Koga suggested that the Personnel Commission may need to look into the more frequent use of outside advertising, such as newspapers, in recruiting for certain positions. The number of applications being received and processed for certain classifications, such as Paraeducator, is not sufficiently meeting the continuing needs of the District under current recruiting practices. She further added that expanded outreach in personally contacting local colleges has brought limited results.
COMMENTS FROM PERSONNEL COMMISSIONERS
Dr. Klonecky recognized Mr. Patrick Furey in the audience and Dr. Griffith extended a welcome to Mr. Furey.
Dr. Griffith reported his attendance at the Education Council of Torrance luncheon on November 6, 2006 and announced that the next luncheon was scheduled for December 4, 2006. He also reminded everyone that today was Election Day and to be sure and vote.
COMMENTS FROM THOSE IN ATTENDANCE
Ms. Roberta Belyea, President-CSEA Chapter 845, welcomed and thanked Mr. Furey for accepting the upcoming appointment to the Personnel Commission. She also thanked Mr. Steven Busch for his service to the classified employees as Commissioner during the past three years.
Ms. Ralinda Phillips, School Secretary I at West High, asked about who authorizes the extension of an eligibility list and under what conditions. She questioned the expense of a new recruitment if a current list was not used up.
Dr. Klonecky responded that the Personnel Commission authorizes such extensions.
Dr. Koga noted that even though a list may still contain a number of eligibles in ranks not reached for filling positions, it will have likely become “stale,” which means that the individuals are no longer interested or even able to be contacted after a period of one year. She cited as an example the six-month extension of the eligibility list for Custodian in 2005 in which many individuals were no longer interested in job opportunities.
Mr. Patrick Furey thanked CSEA for his pending appointment as Commissioner.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 4:17 p.m.
