
Palm Springs USD
Citizens' Oversight Committee Annual Report - 2020
Dear Residents of the Palm Springs Unified School District:
In 2008, residents passed Measure E, a $516 million bond measure to build additional schools and renovate existing schools and support facilities. These bond funds will be spent on capital improvement projects and cannot be spent on teacher or administrator salaries, textbooks, or other operation costs.
One of the requirements of Proposition 39, the legislative authority of Measure E, is to assemble a Citizens’ Oversight Committee. Our oversight committee was formed prior to the launch of any projects and has remained in place as projects are undertaken. The committee meets three times per year and all meetings are open to the public.
The committee’s primary function is to review all expenditures of the bond funds to ensure they are being spent as specified in the ballot measure. In addition, the committee is regularly updated on the status of projects and often tours construction sites to review the progress of projects.
To ensure that bond funds are being spent appropriately, one of the goals of the committee is to improve communication with the residents of our district. We believe it is critical that the community understand how their tax dollars are being spent as well as assuring residents that the funds are being spent appropriately. Please feel free to attend one of our upcoming meetings. If you have any questions or comments, do not hesitate to contact any of the committee members or phone the School District at (760) 883-2710.
Citizens' Oversight Committee Members/Term Endings
Scott Fenton - Parent/Guardian of a Student in PSUSD (January 2021)
Asia Horton - At-Large Member (May 2020)
Diane Ross - Senior Citizen Organization Representative (May 2020)
Vacant - At-Large Member
Vacant - Parent/Guardian of a PSUSD Student and Active in PTO/PTA/PTG/Site Council
Vacant - Taxpayer Organization Representative
Our committee is comprised of seven members representing various constituencies within the District. The committee must contain one member from each of five different groups (business community, a parent or guardian of a child enrolled within the District, a parent or guardian of a child enrolled within the District and also active in their school’s PTO, PTA, or school site council, senior citizen organization, and a taxpayer organization) as well as two at-large members. Members may serve no more than two consecutive two year terms.
The COC meets 3 times per year. The purposes of the committee are:
· To actively monitor all projects and expenditures approved by the voters.
· To provide proper oversight and accountability to ensure that bond funds are used as they were intended.
· To report to members of the community on the progress bond projects.
Citizens' Oversight Committee Web Page
You can find helpful information regarding the Citizens’ Oversight Committee on the PSUSD web site, including: agendas, minutes and reports from past meetings. In addition, meeting dates and times are posted here as well as committee vacancies as they occur. We encourage community members to fill out an Application for Membership during the recruitment of vacant seats.
Website: psusd.us
Measure E Project Updates
Palm Springs High School Seismic project includes drainage upgrades, a new mini gym and massive building and seismic structural upgrades to existing buildings built prior to 1975. The PSHS library and cafeteria were built in the 1940’s and have been identified as potential class 1 historic buildings, and the gymnasium opened in 1975 has structural upgrades required to bring it to current code. The concrete walkways inside the building campus have been removed and 12 feet wide storm drain pipes installed, then the concrete walkways were re-poured. In addition to the gym structural upgrades, the gym will have a new entrance lobby with bathrooms and area for concessions and a ticket booth. Renovation include a new gym floor, bleachers, court dividers, sound system, roof and fire sprinklers and scoreboards With students not being on campus, the project was started in April 2020 and fast tracked for completion. Temporary housing for student activities and food service were not needed resulting in a savings of $700,000. The project will finish 10 months ahead of schedule with completion slated for November 2021.
DHSHS HVAC Addition at Locker Rooms:
This project involves the replacement of the existing Evaporative Coolers and Heaters on the Boys and Girls Locker Rooms with new HVAC units. The project was bid and awarded in January 2021 and work is underway. Completion is scheduled for August 2021.
Parking Lot Improvements at Della Lindley Elementary School:
The renovations to the parking lot at Della Lindley work was able to start in September 2020 due to the closure of in-person school due to the COVID 19 pandemic. The renovations include a safe path of travel for pedestrian and vehicles and enhance the flow of traffic for pick-ups and drop-offs of students. The bus lane has been relocated to the south side of the campus to provide more queueing space for vehicles and ten new parking spaces will be added. The work will be completed in March 2021.
New Modernization Projects:
In June 2020, the Board of Education approved the modernization and renovation of Della Lindley, Bubbling Wells, Landau and Sunny Sands elementary schools and James Workman and Cathedral City High schools. The initial investigate and preliminary analysis is being conducted. At the January 2021 Facilities Study Session the Board of Education approved the replacement of metal modular and portable classroom buildings on the Sunny Sands and Landau campuses. The Phase II District-wide Fire Alarm Upgrades are incorporated into each of the individual school modernization projects.
Central Plant Replacement at the Richards Center:
The central plant which provides heating and cooling for the Richard Center is roughly 40 years old and will be replaced with a new energy efficient central plant. The initial design for the new plant started in January 2021 and plans will be submitted to the Division of State Architect in April 2021. Work is anticipated to start in Fall of 2021.
Facilities Master Plan:
The 2019 Facility Master Plan is a long-term blueprint for meeting the changing facility needs of the district. Developed with input from the community, parents, and school and district staff, the plan contains a needs assessment for every school in the district. The plan contains recommendations on school reconfiguration and rehabilitation to align facilities best with future curriculum needs with the axiom of “Instruction Drives Construction”. Projects are prioritized with the highest priority going to safety and security of campuses and buildings, creating engaging learning environments to support and advance teaching and learning environments, renovate and replace aging infrastructure. The Facilities Master Plan is updated on an annual basis to adjust to the district needs.
Elementary Shade Canopies: As continued awareness of the importance of having our younger students stay physically active while making accommodations to the Coachella Valley desert’s environment, most healthy children can safely participate in outdoor sports and other physical activities through a wide range of challenging warm to hot climatic conditions. The 30 feet by 60 feet playfield metal shade structures are installed at each of the district’s 16 elementary schools. The remaining part of the project is the installation of 9 shades trees on each of the elementary playfields. The tree installation should be completed by the end of 2021.
Parking Lot Improvements at Rio Vista and Cathedral City Elementary Schools:
Revisions to the parking lots at Rio Vista and Cathedral City Elementary schools were needed to provide a safe and enhance flow of traffic for pick-ups and drop-offs of students. The bus lane at Rio Vista Elementary was relocated to the west side of the campus to provide more queueing space for vehicles. Cathedral City Elementary had changes to the bus lane and additional parking spaces added. The parking lots at Rio Vista and Cathedral City Elementary schools were completed during the summer of 2020.
Elementary School #17:
PSUSD owns land in western Desert Hot Springs, near interstate 62, north of Pierson Road. Plans will start for this school when enrollment near the school property is sufficient to require construction of a new elementary school.
Palm Desert K - 8 School:
PSUSD owns land in eastside of Gateway and south of 35th Avenue in the City of Palm Desert. Plans will start for this school when enrollment near the school property is sufficient to require construction of a new K – 8 school.
Other:
Bond issuance costs, arbitrage fees and other non-construction costs are paid from Measure E bond funds.
Della Lindley Elementary
Rancho Mirage Elementary
Main Gym Roof Demo
Completed Projects
Agua Caliente Elementary Renovation
Nellie Coffman Central Plant Upgrades
District-wide heating and air conditioning replacements at Desert Hot Springs High and Cielo Vista Charter Schools
Palm Springs High School Field Restroom building
Parking Lot Improvements at Two Bunch Palms and Katherine Finchy Elementary Schools
Cathedral City High School Solar and Re-roof Project
District-wide heating and air conditioning replacements at Palm Springs High, James Workman Middle and Mount San Jacinto High Schools
Raymond Cree Portable Replacement
District-wide Swimming Pool
Roof Replacements at Rancho Mirage Elementary, Raymond Cree and James Workman Middle Schools
District-wide Fire and Intrusion Alarm Upgrades
Palm Springs High Auditorium Renovation-Seismic Upgrades
Raymond Cree Restroom and Locker room Renovations
District-wide Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP)
Rancho Mirage High School Exterior Restroom building
Bubbling Wells parking lot revisions
Palm Springs High Field House and Concession Building
Raymond Cree Chiller and Cooling Tower Replacement Project
Edward Wenzlaff Education Center Renovation
Bella Vista Elementary School
District-wide Playground Upgrades
Rancho Mirage High School
Palm Springs High New Band Room
Cabot Yerxa Elementary School
Painted Hills Middle School
Cathedral City High Stadium Snack Bar, Restrooms and Girls Varsity Softball Dugouts
New Service Center
Nellie Coffman Middle 100 Wing Renovation
Nellie Coffman Middle Seismic Retrofit
Independent Financial and Performance Audits
In Compliance with the requirements of Proposition 39, PSUSD engaged the CPA firm of EideBailly to perform an independent audit of the financial records of the bond program. A copy of the auditors’ report for the year ending June 30, 2020 is located on the Palm Springs Unified School District website—Fiscal Services Financial Documents section.
In accordance with Education Code Section 15280(b), the auditors reported the following results of their procedures:
1. The general obligation bond fund expenditures were accounted for separately in the Building Fund of the District.
2. The net proceeds from the sale of the general obligation bonds were deposited into the appropriate accounts within the Building Fund.
The review of the expenditures for the period of July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2020 did not reveal any items that were paid from the general obligation bond funds that did not comply with the purpose of the Bonds that were approved by the registered voters of the District on November 2, 2004 and February 5, 2008.
The auditors also noted “there were no findings or recommendations reported.”
In its review of the documents for the year ending June 30, 2020, the Committee has made the following findings:
In Compliance with the requirements of Proposition 39, PSUSD engaged the CPA firm of EideBailly to perform an independent audit of the financial records of the bond program. A copy of the auditors’ report for the year ending June 30, 2020 is located on the Palm Springs Unified School District website—Fiscal Services Financial Documents section.
In accordance with Education Code Section 15280(b), the auditors reported the following results of their procedures:
1. The general obligation bond fund expenditures were accounted for separately in the Building Fund of the District.
2. The net proceeds from the sale of the general obligation bonds were deposited into the appropriate accounts within the Building Fund.
The review of the expenditures for the period of July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2020 did not reveal any items that were paid from the general obligation bond funds that did not comply with the purpose of the Bonds that were approved by the registered voters of the District on November 2, 2004 and February 5, 2008.
The auditors also noted “there were no findings or recommendations reported.”
In its review of the documents for the year ending June 30, 2020, the Committee has made the following findings:
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Palm Springs Unified School District Board of Education
John Gerardi
Trustee Area 5
Karen Cornett
Trustee Area 3
Richard Clapp
Trustee Area 2
Madonna Gerrell
Trustee Area 1
Timothy S. Wood
Trustee Area 4
Contact us
Email: kmurphy4@psusd.us
Website: psusd.us
Location: 150 District Center Drive, Palm Springs, CA, USA
Phone: 760.883.2710