District's cost-cutting focus called "phenomenal"

Waste-reduction programs in BG schools' cafeterias, such as this recycling line at Maple Grove K-8 School, are just one of the ways the school district is doing a "phenomenal" job of holding down expenses, the School Board was told Jan. 14 by Mike McAlexander (pictured). Click "read more" for details.

Phenomenal . . .  tenacious: Battle Ground Public Schools are doing a “phenomenal” and “tenacious” job of holding down costs, an expense-reduction firm reported to the School Board on Monday, Jan. 14.

The school district staff is “tenacious” in saving taxpayers’ money, Mike McAlexander of Expense Reduction Analysts (http://expensereduction.com/) told the School Board. “The district’s focus on keeping costs low is phenomenal.”

Beginning in August 2011, the company probed 12 non-labor categories of school district operations with total annual costs of $5.2 million. The company had every incentive to find waste or more-cost-effective ways of doing business. That’s because there was no built-in fee for its service. The company’s payoff is 50 percent of the savings it recommends during the two years of the contract.

Just 1.09% in savings identified: The firm’s examination resulted in recommendations for just $57,000 in savings per year. That’s 1.09 percent compared to an average savings of 20 percent the company finds for its clients.
 
“If we could have identified in Battle Ground schools the average savings we find for all our clients we would have found over $1 million in savings for the district,” McAlexander said. “I was surprised and shocked at how little we found” to recommend.

No improvements suggested in 10 of 12 categories: Expense Reduction Analysts “validated” 10 of the 12 expenditure areas examined, with the only recommendations coming in telephone wire-line-services and telephone-maintenance categories, including a one-time savings of $4,488 involving a lease agreement.

Examination’s targets: Since August 2011, company experts probed these categories: recycling/waste; telephone services; telephone equipment maintenance; insurance; general supplies; maintenance supplies; building-operations supplies; grounds maintenance; theft-sensitive materials; fuel; maintenance safety; tech supplies.

Praise for cafeteria recycling and waste management: Analysts were especially impressed by the savings in waste management in school cafeterias. The district “maintains a very aggressive recycling program at all schools,” the report said. “That reduces the amount of solid waste that needs to be removed. (The district) also hauls much of its own solid waste to a local transfer station, thereby substantially reducing commercial hauling costs.”
 
Conclusion: The report said the firm “has conducted over 15,000 successful cost reviews and is successful in finding savings in more than 90 percent (of them). The low costs and expenditures identified for Battle Ground Public Schools, based on our experience and benchmark data, is unprecedented.  . . .  The staff is to be commended for its proactive and aggressive approach to maintaining a low-cost operation at Battle Ground Public Schools.”