In January 2008, the Dayton Foundation, working with a Business and Citizens Advisory Committee, contracted with Evergreen Solutions, LLC to conduct a comprehensive diagnostic review of operations in Dayton (Ohio) Public Schools. This urban school district has been plagued with decreased school enrollment, declining fiscal resources, and lower than expected student achievement at many schools and grade levels. The Evergreen Consultant Team conducted surveys of central office administrators, principals, and teachers. The study focused on instructional improvements as well as efficiency and effectiveness improvements to non-instructional operations including finance, facilities, safety and security, transportation, human resources, technology, and district organization and management.
Department of Defense: Review of Food Service Operations
Department of Defense (sub to Cotton and Company)
In August 2007, through Cotton and Company, Evergreen Solutions employees were contracted to conduct an independent audit of the Army and Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES) School Meal Program (SMP) to assess the accuracy of collections and accounting for the Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DODDS). The SMP is a USDA Child Nutrition Entitlement Program funded by three primary sources: USDA reimbursements and commodities, Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) appropriations, and the meal prices charges to students.
The audit reviewed SMP operations annually from government fiscal years 2004-2006 and include information from AAFES Headquarters in Dallas, Texas as well as 10 schools and five accounting offices in three European (Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom) and two Pacific countries (Korea and Japan). Areas under review include claims for reimbursement, accounting systems, annual reconciliation processing, financial management, financial reporting, staffing, foreign currency exchange, and nutritional adequacy.
Los Angeles Unified School District, CA: Management Reviews
The Los Angeles Unified School District is the second largest in the country with approximately 750,000 students and 900 schools. As part of a two-phase review, Evergreen Solutions studied the most significant audits, reports, and studies on the district’s organizational performance and assessed what was implemented, what was not, and the reasons why.
Phase I was completed in March 2007 and included an in-depth evaluation of the district’s food services program. Phase II, completed in fall of 2007, included studies of the following:
- Instruction
- Governance
- Accountability
- Safety and security
- Finance
- Budgeting and payroll
Washington State Auditor’s Office: Yellow Book Performance Audit of the Administrative and Overhead Operations at the Ten Largest School Districts in the State of Washington
As a subcontractor to Cotton and Company LLP, Evergreen Solutions applied its education expertise to a comprehensive, independent performance audit of the administrative and overhead operations of the ten largest school districts in the state of Washington.
The districts being reviewed included:
- Seattle School District
- Tacoma School District
- Spokane School District
- Kent School District
- Evergreen (Clark) School District
- Lake Washington School District
- Federal Way School District
- Vancouver School District
- Puyallup School District
- Edmonds School District
The audit reviewed and analyzed the economy and efficiency of the administrative and overhead operations at these school districts and was conducted in accordance with government auditing standards.
State Employees Association of North Carolina: Salary Study
Evergreen Solutions was retained by the State Employees Association of North Carolina (SEANC) to conduct a Salary Study. Pay ranges were analyzed in the public and private sector for 30 unique positions within SEANC to determine appropriate pay levels for the included jobs. Recommendations were provided to improve the fairness and equity in the current pay system.
Florida Department of Veteran’s Affairs: Business Case Analysis
Evergreen Solutions was selected by the State of Florida Department of Veteran’s Affairs to develop a business case analysis of three options to determine the most cost effective structure to ensure the highest quality of care to operate the state veteran’s long-term healthcare facilities. The objective was to ensure high quality of care by utilizing current professional standards of practice, ensuring resident and staff satisfaction, measuring the ability to meet the physical and clinical needs of the residents, and achieving the desired health outcomes as specified in individual care plans. Evergreen conducted operational forecasting in combination with analyzing the current operating environment of the department.
During the analysis, Evergreen measured nursing home quality by assessing staff levels, health inspections, and quality measures as defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Through this process, Evergreen determined the most effective and efficient ways to deliver services. In the end, a recommended option for providing the most efficient and effective services was made by Evergreen to ensure financial sustainability based on current levels of revenue and expense at the department.
Florida Department of Management Services: Review of Automated HR Tool
Evergreen Solutions was retained by the Florida Department of Management Services to review the EEO reporting methods, formulas, and business requirement document for its automated HR tool. Each measure was compared to best practices and the computational elements reviewed and verified for accuracy.
Florida State Board of Administration: Compensation and Classification Survey
The Florida State Board of Administration (SBA) contracted with Evergreen Solutions to update its compensation and classification system to ensure that internal and external equity was maintained. As part of the update, Evergreen Solutions reviewed the current structure that was established in 2006; determined the impact of compression since new employees were being hired further into the range than before; verified overall grade placement and internal equity for the organization as a whole; and ensured external equity with the marketplace utilizing primary and secondary data collection techniques.
Florida Department of Education: Ready to Work (RTW) Program Evaluation
The Florida Department of Education retained Evergreen Solution’s to evaluate the performance of the Florida Ready to Work (RTW) Program. Established in 2006, the Ready to Work Program is a statewide workforce education and economic development program. The goals of the Florida Ready to Work Program were to provide students and jobseekers with a standard credential that certifies their workplace readiness and ability to succeed on the job; save employers time and money by taking the guesswork out of the hiring process; help educators and workforce development partners prepare today’s students and jobseekers for tomorrow’s jobs; and help attract businesses with high-wage jobs to Florida which would grow Florida’s economy.
Evergreen Solutions conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the program throughout the State of Florida which involved visiting sites to obtain data and performance information from RTW shareholders. These shareholders, including job seekers, site administrators, and employers, provided real time feedback on how they felt the RTW Program was performing. In addition to administering surveys and conducting onsite visits, Evergreen Solutions analyzed data collected through the program, such as courseware utilization, performance of those taking assessments, employment rate for those with Ready to Work certifications, as well as overall success rate in varying geographic areas around the state.
State of Nebraska: Operations and Process Review and Assessment of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Human Resource Functions
In March 2009, Evergreen Solutions launched a comprehensive Operations and Process Review and Assessment of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Human Resource functions for the State of Nebraska. In addition to conducting the review, Evergreen Solutions also assisted with the implementation of our proposed recommendations.
Our team worked for approximately seven months through the four-phased study. Each phase was designed to meet the state’s objectives. Phase one, Project Initiation, included the finalization of the work plan and collection of data. During phase two, Environmental Scanning and Stakeholder Involvement, Evergreen Solutions’ consultants analyzed and evaluated different business processes, conducted interviews, and identified organizational obstacles or barriers to service delivery. The third phase, Development of Department Structure and Service Delivery Strategy, included tasks to meet the state’s objectives to identify opportunities and strategies for improving the service delivery process, as well as identified processes that can be streamlined, and conducted a cost-benefit analysis of services. Finally, in phase four, Development of Department Structure and Service Delivery Strategy, our consulting team created an overall implementation plan and delivered recommendations for the functional and process transitions.
The State of Nebraska’s DHHS has six divisions: Behavioral Health, Children and Family Services, Developmental Disabilities, Medicaid and Long-Term Care, Public Health, and Veterans’ Homes.