The district office has begun to implement changes in business policy and procedure throughout the district, led in part by recently appointed Chief Business Official Song Chin Bendib.

New financial procedures involving staff reimbursement, group fundraisers, and independent contracts are among the changes in district enforcement and policy. The guidelines were put in place to align with California Education Codes and to protect staff and students. Implementation has started this school year, and these new rules apply to the entire district, including athletic groups and school clubs.

“There is a change in procedure about how we go to form partnerships with the vendors that we use,” Assistant Principal Eric Mapes said. “There is a lot that we have to perfect about how the independent contract is filled out and signed.”

When services are rendered to the school or groups under the umbrella of ASB, an independent contract is required beforehand which calls for items such as proof of insurance and a W-9 form for tax purposes. The contract for these services is to be sent to the Board of Education for approval after the necessary paperwork has been collected.

The change in procedure now requires the independent contracts and also encourages early completion and planning due to the new prerequisites.

As the new policy allows the Board of Education to ask questions before they approve a contract, it is opening communication between the school board and groups asking for these services, Mapes said.

“Communication is always where problems can appear, so the more we are doing to keep everyone connected, the better,” Mapes said.

For employment within California school districts, a person is subject to a tuberculosis (TB) risk assessment if they are to have frequent or prolonged contact with students, according to California Education Code 49406. The district is interpreting frequent or prolonged contract as exposure, more than once a month, to students. If risk factors are identified, the person should submit an examination to determine the presence of infectious TB.

“It will be harder at first for ASB to use business contractors because we haven’t set up [the procedure for the TB testing and fingerprinting],” ASB treasurer junior Colin Dixon said. “Once we get going it will be easier and help us stay organized.”

The new procedures regarding TB tests have been designed to reflect California Education Code 49406 and California Health and Safety Code 121525-121555 and mirrors procedure in other school districts. They can affect persons such as assembly speakers and other contractors hired by ASB.

“We need a person to be TB tested and fingerprinted for protection of student safety, which is really first and foremost in our minds and second is potential exposure and liability in the district,” Chin Bendib said.

There are also changes in the reimbursement process for student groups, such as athletics, and teachers. When a person files for reimbursement for conference registration, meals or other payments, they must present the original receipt. In the past, a staff member or group could submit photocopies of receipts or write what they were owed on an honor basis.

If the original receipt is not available, such as for an online purchase, reimbursement will require the name of the purchaser and the last four digits of the credit card number, Mapes said.

“Hopefully this won’t impact the student body at all,” Dixon said. “There might be more work, which could cause some problems, but ideally it won’t.”

Fundraising forms subject to approval for high school sports or club organized fundraisers have also replaced a more casual process in which the organization would only inform ASB of the fundraiser.

“I want the students to take on even more of a leadership role, and if a sports team is wanting to do a fundraiser and the students have questions, they should be able to relay that to [Craig] Best and [Megan] Hernandez,” Mapes said. “Then the three of us can relay that to the coaches and the coaches can tell us why or how the fundraisers are taking place.”