Arizona State and Local Government Documents Collection

In fiscal year 2012, Isaac Elementary School District’s student achievement was similar to peer district averages, and the District’s operational efficiencies were mixed, with much higher administrative and plant operations costs than peer districts’ averages but lower food service costs. Between fiscal years 2007 and 2012, the District decreased its classroom spending while it increased nonclassroom spending, primarily for administration and plant operations. At the end of fiscal year 2011, the District closed two schools to reduce costs, but its administrative and plant operations costs remained high, partly because of higher staffing levels. The District’s transportation program operated efficient bus routes but had much higher costs per mile and per rider than peer districts’, partly because it operated a smaller program but also because it offered more generous benefits. Finally, the District lacked adequate controls over user access to its computer network and systems.

In fiscal year 2012, Fowler Elementary School District’s student achievement was slightly higher than the peer districts’ averages, and the District operated efficiently. The District’s administrative cost per pupil was similar to the peer districts’ average, and it employed proper accounting and computer controls. The District’s plant operations costs per pupil and per square foot were lower than the peer districts’ averages primarily because of lower energy costs. Additionally, the District’s food service cost per meal was lower than the peer districts’ average, and the program was self-sufficient, in part, because the District paid the vendor that ran its program lower administrative and management fees than peer districts, on average. Further, the District’s transportation program was efficient, with lower costs per mile and per rider and efficient bus routes. However, the District did not accurately report its number of riders transported, which resulted in substantial overfunding for fiscal years 2011 through 2014.

In fiscal year 2012, Duncan Unified School District’s student achievement was similar to peer districts’, and the District operated efficiently overall. Although the District’s administrative costs per pupil were slightly higher than the peer districts’ average, the District has taken steps to reduce its costs by reducing its number of administrative positions. The District’s plant operations, food service, and transportation programs were efficient with lower costs per square foot, per meal, and per mile, respectively, than peer districts’ averages. However, the District needs to improve its purchasing and computer controls. The District also needs to accurately determine, and report to the Arizona Department of Education, its ridership information to help ensure the District is properly funded and to allow it the ability to calculate and monitor transportation performance measures such as cost per rider and bus capacity utilization. Further, the District should ensure that its inmate worker documentation complies with statute.

In fiscal year 2012, Scottsdale Unified School District’s student achievement was similar to peer districts’, on average, but it compared less favorably in operational efficiencies. The District’s food service program operated efficiently with a cost per meal that was lower than the peer district average. However, the District’s administrative costs were higher than peer districts’, primarily because it employed more administrative staff. In addition, the District inaccurately reported its costs on its Annual Financial Report and it lacked sufficient computer controls. The District’s plant operations cost per pupil was higher than peer districts’, on average, because the District maintained more square footage per student than the peer districts’ and many of its schools operated far below their designed capacities. Further, the District’s transportation cost per mile was much higher than the peer districts’ average, in part, because of inefficient bus routes.

In fiscal year 2012, Osborn Elementary School District’s student achievement was slightly higher than peer districts’, and the District’s efficiency in noninstructional areas was mixed, with some costs higher and some costs lower than peer districts’. The District’s administrative cost per pupil was slightly lower than the peer districts’ average, and its food service program operated efficiently with a lower cost per meal, on average. However, the District’s transportation program operated less efficiently, and although the District made some improvements to the program in fiscal year 2013, better oversight is still needed. Further, the District’s plant operations costs were much higher than peer districts’, primarily because the District maintained a large amount of excess building space, even after closing a school at the end of fiscal year 2011. Lastly, the District needs to strengthen some of its computer controls.

In fiscal year 2012, Payson Unified School District’s student achievement was slightly higher than peer district averages, and the District’s operations were reasonably efficient in most areas. The District’s administrative costs were similar to the peer district average, but the District lacked adequate controls over user access to its computer network and systems. The District’s plant operations cost per square foot was similar to the peer districts’ average, but its cost per pupil was higher because it operated more building space per pupil. The District’s transportation program costs were higher than peer district averages, but the program was reasonably efficient, with efficient bus routes and proper fuel usage monitoring. However, the District’s food service program was less than efficient, with a higher cost per meal than the peer districts’ average because of higher staffing costs and some food service vendor contract terms that were not favorable to the District. As a result, the District spent $24,590 of its Maintenance and Operation Fund monies to subsidize its food service program.

The Arizona Department of Transportation’s (ADOT’s) process for working with Local Public Agencies (LPAs) in the development and delivery of their transportation projects has evolved over the years. Recent changes in Arizona’s economy have reduced the distribution of state funds for local transportation projects, which has increased the demand for federal funding sources. In response to the anticipated increase in LPA projects desiring the use of federal funds and the continuing need to meet state and local transportation requirements, this updated manual highlights the steps necessary to capably deliver LPA projects in compliance with federal, state, and local requirements.

The ADOT Local Public Agency Projects Manual has been a collaborative effort among the various Divisions, Groups, and Sections within ADOT, as well as the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Arizona Division, with input from LPAs. ADOT would like to express sincere gratitude to Logan Simpson Design Inc. for successfully facilitating that effort and for their contribution to the production of this manual. Their hard work and in-depth coordination with ADOT and FHWA staff has been invaluable to the preparation of this manual.

"This guidelines and procedures manual is intended to be used by the staff of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and Arizona's regional transportation planning agencies, which include Councils of Governments (COGs), Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and Transportation Management Areas (TMAs). In addition to outlining the guidelines and procedures for regional transportation planning functions, this manual provides an overview of the programs administered by the ADOT Multimodal Planning Division (MPD)."--Introduction, Page 1-1

"The Hopi Senom Transit Program has been operating for the past twenty-two years to provide public transportation on the Hopi Reservation and local border towns to the general public and employees of local governmental and private sector agencies. The service area includes the Hopi and Navajo reservation areas and Flagstaff. Boundaries and major communities of the area served is Keams Canyon, Tuba City, Flagstaff, Leupp and Kykotsmovi. Currently, the Hopi Senom Transit Program operates two fixed routes providing service five days a week. Service is provided on schedule between Kykotsmovi and Moencopi, and Kykotsmovi and Keams Canyon. Vanpool transportation for Tribe employees is provided Monday through Thursday between Flagstaff and Kykotsmovi. This vanpool style service is open to the general public, but is used primarily by Tribe employees. The Public Transportation Section of the Multimodal Planning Division of the Arizona Department of Transportation is charged, among other roles, with administering transit programs including the Section 5311 Rural Transit Program ... The Five-Year Implementation Plan will provide a roadmap for transit services on the Hopi Reservation. In addition, a matrix of tasks and responsibilities will provide a framework for the Section 5311 Program to maintain management oversight of the rural transportation programs. This framework will become a key part of the evaluation process for future funding cycles"--Pages 1-2

The Multimodal Planning Division (MPD) of the Arizona Department of Transportation has been tasked with identifying corridors throughout the state where improvements to the transportation infrastructure supports the greatest potential commercial and economic benefits. These "Key Commerce Corridors" represent a strategic statewide approach to leverage infrastructure improvements to enhance Arizona's competitive economic position. This document presents the basis for the identification and evaluation of the Key Commerce Corridors.