Behind the Scenes at Clovis Unified
Undoubtedly the least visible, yet one of the most active departments within CUSD is the warehouse. Graduation, specifically the 11,000 chairs they transported to make the ceremonies possible, marked the beginning of their most complex season; June through August.
Ron Munarolo, Warehouse Supervisor, speaks proudly of his small, cross-trained crew of nine. “We are a well-versed team,” he said. “We are the unsung heroes.” With that, he rattles off staggering statistics that can only be appreciated by actually visiting the repository.
The warehouse stocks over 800 items. Between June and August, 500,000 skews, or objects, including paper, pencils, pens, rubber bands, and even food were individually pulled from the shelves and prepared for delivery. An additional 500,000 buy-out items (outside purchased supplies) including books were delivered to complete over 2,500 orders by the first day of school.
Over 4,200 cases of plain white paper, 11,000 black dry-erase markers and 6,000 plastic rulers were pulled, placed with each order and shipped to their final destination.
During the summer months, the staff received and unloaded 10-20 truckloads daily, including 25-30 pallets of books daily as well. “If it goes to the school district, we see it first,” said Munarolo.
Plant Operations encompasses several departments including custodial, grounds and maintenance. Managing a staff of 302, Fred Capshew, Director of Plant Operations, stays busy. “There’s not a campus we haven’t had to work on this summer,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of down time, that’s for sure.”
One of CUSD’s largest summer endeavors was carried out via Plant Operations through the maintenance department. The”Deferred Maintenance Bid” was a 4 Ã?½ million dollar summer project designed to keep Clovis Unified campuses in award-winning shape.
Included in the bid: tennis court re-surfacing for Clark & Kastner Intermediate schools, re-roofing the gyms of Kastner and Alta Sierra Intermediate schools and the deck of Dry Creek Elementary, new seals on various school parking lots and the enormous task of re-painting entire school campuses. This year, Jefferson, Cedarwood and Reyburn were the fortunate recipients. Each school is repainted every 10-11 years.
The custodial department focused its attention on deep-cleaning carpet and windows in all of the schools. Each campus with a summer school session received the royal deep-cleaning treatment again after the summer session ended.
The grounds department took tedious care in prepping all play fields, making sure they stay safe for students and school activities.
Twenty one portable buildings were moved over the summer. The majority of portables were transported from northern schools and re-set in eastern and southern based schools, due in part to the growth patterns of CUSD. Ramps and stairs were added to each portable building along with concrete paths to ensure easy flow within the school sites.
This past school year, Clovis Unified’s 83 bus fleet traveled over 1,022,000 miles on over 7,500 field trips. “That shows how active the schools are,” said Joe Bjerke, Director of Transportation.
Given the miles traveled, the tireless bus drivers hardly had a chance to relax. Aside from their required annual 10 hour in-service training, they also signed up for and completed all of the necessary summer maintenance needed to keep the buses in working order.
Buses generally have a 30+ year life span, due in part to the excellent service they receive. Each bus was given around five to six hours of special maintenance during the summer, including seat repair and re-upholstery, washing, waxing and rim detail.
Some buses required lengthier service; it takes approximately 40 hours to replace an engine. Though Clovis Unified will not incorporate any new buses this year, a possible grant may allow for 10 new buses next year.
Bjerke assures parents that their busing needs are carefully considered. “The router is constantly working to improve efficiency in bus routes,” he said. The router reassesses bus routes according to boundary changes and puts routes closest to where students live.
Pam Yarbrough, administrative secretary, was tasked over the summer with preparing the annual community bus passes. “Parents can buy a bus run if they live close enough to not warrant a bus run,” she said. One parent coordinates with the neighborhood to purchase the community bus pass, and payment is divided between the number of students who use the run.
The self- proclaimed “crown jewel of CUSD”, otherwise known as the Teacher Center, cheerfully bustled during the summer months as the staff made copies and laminations for upcoming in-service days. August is their busiest month, by far, as teachers arrived to begin spending their $125 annual budget.
Resources are immense at the Teacher Center, particularly compared to neighboring school districts. Copiers, laminators, over 2,000 die cuts, a folding machine, and a “super zoomer”, used for blowing up paper-sized images into poster-sized displays, are all at their disposal for reasonable rates. “We are the second happiest place on earth, next to Disneyland,” declared Rhonda Wooten, Clerical Specialist I.
Brand new teachers received a warm welcome from CUSD and, if qualified, entered the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program. Lynn Brannan, BTSA secretary, explained that the state-funded program is designed to make new teachers better in their field and realize what’s available to them.
Rounding out the summer months and gearing up for school to begin, teachers new to Clovis Unified were required to attend an introduction to the school district. The BTSA office stayed busy preparing for the approximate 150 attendees this year. Entitled “Dear Beginning Teacher”, the three day seminar included speakers from various departments of CUSD including: Benefits, Payroll, Character Counts!, the Teacher Center, Technology and the history of CUSD.
A peek within the infrastructure of CUSD and its tireless efforts invoke appreciation for all of the work and dedication that continue on behind the scenes. Each department, in its own unique way, ensures that students are offered an optimum educational foundation. Such is the enduring nature of Clovis Unified.
