All Things Business
March 2023 Edition
Working Together...
As we make our way toward the final stretch of this school year, I want to thank all members of the business services team for the stellar service they provide to our schools and our communities. We’ve all heard the saying that to successfully nurture and raise children, “it takes a village.” The business services team, along with every other district department and school site, is an integral part of this village. With respect to this village, remember that we are all responsible for all students learning. It is important that every adult educational partner in PSUSD continually reflects on how their day-to-day work facilitates how students learn, and our role in creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning environments for our students. Relatedly, and in most cases, students cannot learn if they are not at school or actively engaged in an online learning program. Through the first part of the 2022-2023 school year, PSUSD students ranked 21st out of 24 districts in Riverside County in average daily attendance (ADA), at 88.55%. Prior to the pandemic, we were at 94.26%. Not only does this decrease have a significant negative impact on our funding, but our students are the ones that are impacted the most. Let’s finish the 2022-2023 school year by being the best “village” we can be by all doing our part to help our students get to school on time every day.
I end this month with a reminder- for Riverside County residents, as well as the residents in 43 other California counties, remember that the tax filing deadline this year has been extended six months from April 15 to October 15. This extension is due to the harsher-than-usual weather many California counties endured earlier this calendar year.
Have a great spring!
Brian J. Murray, Ed.D.
Assistant Superintendent, Business Services
Business Services Welcomes New Staff Members!
Tony Carrillo
Tony Carrillo Jr. is the new Director Fiscal Services and started with the district on December 1st. Tony attended Cal State San Bernardino where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and held many leadership positions in campus life, which began the evolution of his leadership style. Tony leads from the heart and wants all those who he leads to be successful.
Over the past 20 years Tony has held numerous accounting and finance positions in both the public and private sector. Tony had the privilege to spend six of these years in the role of Accounting Supervisor with Palm Springs Unified School District where he learned the many idiosyncrasies of school business and enjoyed being part of the district’s family like culture. For the past three years Tony served as the Director of Fiscal Services at College of the Desert where he furthered his knowledge of budget adoption, revenue and expense forecasting, payroll operations, financial aid, managing an influx of federal dollars, collective bargaining negotiations and remotely led his team through COVID and two malware attacks.
While working in the education field Tony learned that student achievement is essential to the success of any school district, and it is the Director of Fiscal Services job to ensure the resources provided to the district are well maintained and work to ensure the district remains fiscally solvent.
Tony is someone who thrives while collaborating with others and has a passion for improving and streamlining processes. During Tony’s off time, he enjoys spending time with his partner Josh puttering around town, enjoys hanging with his dogs Waffles and Dolly and playing softball.
Yuliana Rodriguez
Yuliana Rodriguez is our newest addition to the Fiscal Services Department. Yuliana started at PSUSD in March 2019 as an office technician in Early Childhood Education. In January 2021 Yuliana promoted to an office specialist for the Virtual Learning program. As of November 2022, Yuliana became the newest payroll specialist for certificated employees.
Yuliana was born and raised in Mexico and came to the United Stated in 2002 at the age of 16. Yuliana graduated from Cathedral City High School in 2004 then went out to College of the Desert to complete her general education units as well as a significant number of courses in business administration. Yuliana transferred to California State University of San Bernardino, Palm Desert Campus and graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.
Michael Towner
Please welcome Mike Towner as the new Supervisor for Nutrition Services, Warehouse. Mike joined PSUSD in 2010 as a Nutrition Services Assistant at Nellie Coffman Middle School and was promoted to Nutrition Services Delivery Driver in 2013. As Mike continued to grow professionally within the Nutrition Services family, he was promoted to the position of Nutrition Warehouse Assistant I. After working several years in the warehouse assistant I position, he earned further growth into the Warehouse Assistant II position. We are proud to have Mike join the Management Team in Nutrition Services.
Facilities Projects Update
Palm Springs Unified facilities department has been busy working on an ambitious list of school construction projects that will bring much-needed facility improvements to numerous campuses across the District, including a new state-of-the-art E-Gaming room, professional development center and meeting space at Desert Learning Academy and battery storage facilities at Cathedral City High, Desert Hot Springs High, Palm Springs High, and Rancho Mirage High Schools, to further assist in the district’s energy conservation goals.
As PSUSD looks ahead, 2023 will bring more major building renovations and the start of construction on modernization projects of several campuses, Della Lindley Elementary, Landau Elementary, Sunny Sands Elementary, James Workman Middle and Cathedral City High Schools. It’s all part of over $150 million in construction modernization work that includes replacing modular and portable buildings with permanent construction. Design work has already been completed on 5 of the 6 projects, including the installation of temporary portables during the construction timeline.
These schools built in the mid- 80s and early 90s will not only have their portable and modular buildings replaced but will be reimagined into spaces with open ceilings, new finishes, and better student flow. Additionally, the school's administration building will be modernized to create a single point of entry onto campus for visitors to make it safer for the school’s students. Bright new interior and exterior finishes will give each of these schools a new look that matches the innovative work happening inside classrooms. Additional shade structures, restrooms and nutrition facilities are included. These projects are funded by the local voter-approved Measure E & I bonds and state funding.
A new challenge has presented itself as the State moves to add a whole new grade level of four-year-olds to every elementary campus. This new grade is referred to a Transitional Kindergarten or TK for short. The new TK grade level comes with additional classrooms and modifications to existing classrooms and will take 2 years to complete.
Many projects are smaller in scale and have a smaller price tag, like adding shade structures to the early childhood campuses, Central Plant HVAC replacements, Nellie Coffman Middle School locker room upgrades, and lighting at the Desert Hot Springs High School parking lot. Whether it be a brand-new building or the modernization of a school, PSUSD’s building boom will benefit our students and the entire community. The design innovation of all school buildings impacts the wellness of PSUSD students and staff. PSUSD continues to have a constant pipeline of projects in play from site renovation and modernization to aesthetic improvements, installation of safety infrastructure, sustainability measures, and beyond. These ongoing projects districtwide will ensure our students have the best experience possible at school every day.
M&O Wants You to Know...
Transportation Services
Introducing DriverHub Onboard Tablet Technology
Effective March 2023, Palm Springs Unified School District’s transportation contractor, First Student, is moving away from the use of Zonar (bus tracking software) and replacing it with DriverHub software. DriverHub is a tablet-based fully integrated solution that is designed to improve the efficiency of the transportation operation and was designed to assist drivers throughout every stage of their day. It is a driver workflow system which provides real-time navigation assistance, provides data links into First Student’s operations and maintenance systems, and enables driver monitoring and coaching, further enhancing on-road performance and safety. It is important to note that inspections and child search process are not changing, only the device recording the inspections.
Below are some of the key features of the DriverHub tablet:
Purchasing Warehouse and Repro!
Purchasing For the End of the Year – Now is the time to start putting in orders for custom items: Agendas, yearbooks, graduation supplies!
Avoid delays by placing your orders early!
The new end of year calendar has been released!
May 5th, 2023 is the requisition deadline. All requisitions, including library book orders, must be fully approved in Galaxy.
Please keep in mind that absolutely no new requisitions can be entered after this date.
If you have any questions or need a copy of the end of year calendar, please email us at: purchasinginfo@psusd.us
Warehouse – Our warehouse team is working extra hard as we come to the end of year rush. If you need something ASAP for an event or time-sensitive project, please contact Jonathan Bowman: Jbowman@psusd.us
Our goal is to get you what you need when you need it!
Reprographics – The Digital storefront is open for all of your printing needs! Before paying someone else, email Repro to find out how they can save you money: reprographics@psusd.us or visit the store front: https://palmspringsusd.myprintdesk.net/
And as always…
When in doubt, call Purchasing! We’re here to help!
Contact Us
Email: kmurphy4@psusd.us
Website: psusd.us
Location: 150 District Center Drive, Palm Springs, CA, USA
Phone: 760-883-2710