All Things Business
Summer Edition - July 2021
Summertime, Summertime, Sum-Sum-Summertime!
In this installment of “All Things Business,” I would like to wish everyone a safe and healthy summer and hope that everyone finds time for at least a little vacation time!
Annual Secretaries Workshop
Have you ever wondered how school secretaries got to be so smart? In addition to having good genes, they also actively participate in secretaries’ meetings that are hosted by Human Resources and Business Services. This year, the annual Business Services Site Secretaries’ Meeting is scheduled for July 22 via Zoom. At this meeting, not only do secretaries hear from the superintendent, they also receive valuable information from Kris Murphy, Business Services’ senior administrative assistant on important deadlines for the next school year; important communications and media updates from Joan Boiko, our coordinator of communications and community outreach; facilities updates from Julie Arthur, our executive director of facilities, planning and development; critical information from maintenance and operations department director Gregg Shoemaker; timely nutrition services information from Stephanie Bruce, our director of nutrition services; information related to fiscal services and payroll from Peter VanBuskirk, our director of fiscal services; updated student transportation information from Bob Spinuzza, or coordinator of student transportation; and critical updates from Rebecca Abeyta, our director of purchasing, warehouse and reprographics. Secretaries also hear vital information and updates from La Sonya Pitts, Jessica Aigamaua, and Renee Brunelle from human resources; Shannon Murdica from educational technology and information systems (ETIS); Levaughn Smart, our executive director of security and disaster preparedness; Dr. Vikki Parkinson, our director of special education; and Laura Meuse, our new executive director of student services. See you on July 22! More information on specific times will be sent to you from Kris Murphy in the coming weeks.
Thursday, Jul 22, 2021, 08:00 AM
Meeting conducted via Zoom
Principal's Feedback Survey - DUE July 9, 2021
I also want to take this opportunity to remind all principals to complete the annual business services feedback survey. This survey is extremely important to the business services department because it helps inform department goals and objectives for the following year. The original deadline for the survey was June 30; however, we have extended the deadline to July 9. Principals, if you have not already done so, please complete the survey at your earliest convenience.
Citizens' Oversight Committee
This is a reminder to all PSUSD stakeholders that our district has a “Citizens Oversight Committee” or COC, that works closely with not only my office but also with Julie Arthur in facilities, planning and development. The COC is comprised of seven (7) members who represent six (6) specific stakeholder groups:
1) a community member who is active in a business organization represents the business community located within the district,
2) a community member who is active in a senior citizen’s organization,
3) a community member who is active in a bona fide taxpayer organization,
4) a community member who is a parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the district,
5) a community member who is a parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the district and active in a parent-teacher organization, including PTA, PTG, or SSC,
6) two at-large community members.
The central purpose of the COC is to ensure that, “…the expenditures of public-approved bond measures are in strict conformity with the law; and taxpayers directly participate in the oversight of bond expenditures; and those members of the oversight committee alert the public to any waste or improper expenditure of school construction bond money.” We currently have two (2) openings on the COC,
1. Community member who is active in a bona fide taxpayer organization,
2. Community member who is a parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the district and active in a parent-teacher organization, including PTA, PTG, or SSC.
If you know of any PSUSD resident who is a member of any taxpayer group or is active in a school’s PTA, PTG, or SSC, and would like to serve the district in an oversight role, please send me their contact information. Thank you!
Brian J. Murray, Ed.D.
Assistant Superintendent, Business Services
Palm Springs Unified School District
150 District Center Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92264
(760) 883-2711
(760) 325-8726 (fax)
Facilities Planning Energy Update
PSUSD produces roughly 60% of its electricity from renewable energy solar panels at its schools and district offices. District staff continues to work hard to reduce PSUSD’s carbon footprint.
At the 27 schools and district administration offices this past year, the district has saved a whopping 9,496,614 kWh in the past fiscal year. This is equivalent to 14,803,321 pounds of CO2 removed from the environment!
These savings were achieved through the district’s HVAC push-to-over programming used this past year during the COVID 19 pandemic and the installation of solar canopies at Landau Elementary, Sunny Sands Elementary and the District Administration Center. PSUSD awarded a contract to install solar parking canopies at two more sites; Rio Vista Elementary and Mt. San Jacinto High Schools. The design of these panels is currently being reviewed by the Division of State Architect, and installation is expected to start soon. The solar arrays will offset roughly 70% of the existing kilowatt usage at these 2 schools with savings estimated at $150,000 per year. The district was awarded a zero-interest loan from the California Energy Commission for the installation of these solar arrays.
Electric Vehicle Charging stations are coming. Cathedral City High School is the first school to benefit from a state-approved $10 million Southern California Edison pilot to provide electric vehicle charging stations, including all necessary electrical infrastructure, to K-12 schools within the SCE’s service area. Construction will begin to install 12 chargers at the school in July 2021.
"The installation of 12 EV charging stations at Cathedral City High School is another step in PSUSD’s journey to lower carbon emissions and transition to zero-emission new car fleet goals set by the State of California by 2035," said Julie Arthur, Executive Director of Facilities Planning.
Transportation Services
First Student Staff Assists PSUSD Nutrition Services Department with Summer Feeding
This year summer school was dramatically increased to almost every school in the district. Transportation had about 51 routes that we were running throughout the month of June. We reached out to First Student to help get students to school and to help prepare for the upcoming school year. With the increase of schools participating in summer school, the bus drivers and bus monitors again stepped up to the plate to help the Nutrition Services department to package and deliver food so each student would get a lunch and a breakfast meal for the next day. The First Student staff participated in food distribution last year during Covid-19 when all classes were shut down. In addition to transporting food to our schools, they have been transporting food to the Boys and Girls Clubs in Coachella, Mecca, Indio and La Quinta. First Student staff assisted at all schools in the district including the Central Kitchen facility. On Wednesdays, they were out assisting Nutrition Services delivering food to the families of the students in our district.
Many of the staff at First Student normally do not work in the summer but when the decision was made to expand summer school, they agreed to participate, and the process has run smoothly. A special thank you goes out to our First Student staff for continuing our long-term partnership. Kudos to everyone for a job well done!!!
I have included a few pictures of the First Student staff working side by side with Nutrition Services staff:
Nutrition Services - OVER 9 Million Meals Served!!
For the past 16 months, Nutrition Services along with countless volunteers have served our students nutritious meals curbside. As curbside service ends on July 30th and we begin to move back to a normal meal service, we thank everyone for their hard work and support during this unprecedented time.
In a normal year, the Nutrition Services department serves approximately 4,000,000+ meals. The past 16 months 9,140,924 meals were served curbside with more being served during the summer months.
Our partnership with the local Coachella Valley Farmers allowed us to serve over 1,000,000 pounds of fresh from the farm produce to our students! Even a pandemic has a silver lining.
Cielo Vista Charter
Two Bunch Palms Elementary
Desert Hot Springs High
Maintenance & Operations
Community Use of District Facilities Reopened
As of Monday, May 17, 2021 outside groups/organizations are now able to submit use of facility requests on the CommunityUse web portal. Please keep an eye out for New Schedule Request email notifications.
Once your site has reviewed and approved the schedule request it is routed to M&O for final approval. For the time being, M&O will then forward the community use request to Cabinet for review. If approved, M&O will finalize the schedule request through FS Direct which adds the event to the CommunityUse calendar. The site will then receive a notification of the outcome (approved/denied) through FS Direct.
As a reminder, in-house requests, (graduation, open house, after school programs/activities, etc.) do not need approval from Cabinet but still require a use of facilities request be submitted.
Staff Corner
Martha Quintana - Purchasing Department Senior Buyer
Life beyond PSUSD! Our work life balance segment. Martha Quintana our Sr. Buyer celebrated the wedding of her son Mario, to his lovely bride Elizabeth. This was a much-anticipated destination wedding showcasing the beauty of Mexico. When she returned to work and shared her stunning pictures, I knew I had to share them with entire District. As Martha has worked with PSUSD for 15 years, most of us know who she is, because Purchasing seems to be in the middle of everything! This wedding was such a highlight for our department as it has been postponed for a year.
Yuki Umar - Fiscal Services Department Newest Staff Member
Yuki Umar is the newest member of the Fiscal Services department. Yuki has just accepted the position of Accounting Assistant where she will be working on allocating the health and welfare benefit expenses and paying those invoices. Yuki joins the Fiscal Services team from having worked in Nutrition Services. Most recently, she was the Nutrition Services Assistant III at Rancho Mirage High School. Yuki joined PSUSD in 2016.
Yuki was born in Yokohama, Japan. She decided to study abroad when she graduated high school in 2004. The first college to respond to Yuki was the College of the Desert. While Yuki was attending COD she started working at the COD Street Fair for one of the booth owners. FYI - The street fair is scheduled to reopen in October 2021 and Yuki will be there helping the same booth owner that has helped sponsor Yuki’s green card.
Yuki married her husband, Malik, in 2006. Malik already had three children, Tasneime 24, Bani 22, and Naeem 21. Yuki and Malik have a son together, Masato, who is 9. The family enjoys hiking together and one of their new favorite spots is the Whitewater Preserve.
Here is a great picture of Yuki, Masato, Bani, and Naeem.
Contact Us...
Email: kmurphy4@psusd.us
Website: psusd.us
Location: 150 District Center Drive, Palm Springs, CA, USA
Phone: 760-833-2710