Policy 2.63

Superintendent's Efficiency & Effectiveness Awards

1. Goal.-- The goal of the Superintendent's Efficiency and Effective Awards ("SEEA") program is to improve the quality of the school district through the reduction or elimination of school board expenditures or improvement of school district or school center operations. The SEEA program provides incentives or awards pursuant to Fla. Stat. § 1012.22(1)(g) for "outstanding and meritorious service . . . and procedures or ideas adopted by the board which will result in eliminating or reducing district school board expenditures or improving district or school center operations" without reducing the quality of essential services.

2. Eligible Participants.-- As required by Fla. Stat. § 1012.22(1)(g), the persons eligible for awards under this Policy are "district employees, students, school volunteers, and advisory committee members who have contributed outstanding and meritorious service in their fields or service areas" through the Board's adoption of that person's suggestions for increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the District or a school. Two or more eligible persons may submit a joint suggestion.

1. For purposes of this Policy, the term "advisory committee member" shall refer to the Board's and Superintendent's advisory committees, and does not include school advisory councils.

2. The term "school volunteers" shall refer to volunteers properly registered and currently active pursuant to Policy 2.53.

3. A member of the steering committee appointed under subsection (3)(b) shall not vote on, or participate in the discussion of, any suggestion submitted by that member. Committee members shall not engage in ex part communication about a suggestion with the person submitting it; however, the committee is authorized to invite the person to address the committee.

3. Program Administration.-- The SEEA shall be operated efficiently, as required by Fla. Stat. § 1012.22(1)(g).

1. The Board may allocate funds specifically for the support and operation of the SEEA program.

2. The superintendent shall appoint a SEEA program steering committee and program coordinator to be responsible for the SEEA. The program coordinator shall be an employee of the District. The members of the committee should include representation from the groups eligible to receive awards under Fla. Stat. § 1012.22(1)(g) and Section (2) of this Policy. The members shall serve voluntarily and may be replaced at any time by action of the Superintendent. The duties of the SEEA program committee and coordinator may include, but will not be limited to, recommending and administering procedures, ensuring appropriate evaluations, following up on recommendations to adopt or not adopt a suggestion, and promoting the program.

4. Eligible Suggestions.--To be eligible, a suggestion must have been submitted in writing and then adopted by the School Board within two (2) years. For purposes of this Policy, the terms "adopt" or "adopted" shall refer to approval of the idea or procedure either by Policy, resolution, simple agenda item vote, consent agenda approval, or consensus of the Board. The following shall not be eligible for monetary awards through the program:

1. Suggestions that are duplicate of, or substantially the same as, issues which are already being pursued as a personal grievance or lawsuit, or that deal with the compensation and classification of positions.

2. Suggestions which the committee deems to be within the specific job description of the person, if the person is a District employee; provided that this subsection shall not be construed to disqualify awards for suggestions within an employee's general area of responsibility.

3. Suggestions which are a duplicate of, or significantly similar to, a suggestion already adopted by, or pending adoption by the Board or already under consideration by the SEEA committee or the Superintendent.

5. Suggestion Processing.-- The processing and evaluation of submitted suggestions shall be accomplished in an expeditious manner. A suggestion which is not recommended by the committee or Superintendent or adopted by the Board, will be kept on file for two (2) years from the date it was originally received by the program coordinator or the steering committee, whichever is earlier. The original proposer will be eligible for an award as provided in this policy if the suggestion is later adopted during this two-year period. Thereafter, an eligible person must resubmit the suggestion in writing before it can be reconsidered as a suggestion under this program.

6. Awards.-- Suggestions will be recognized through monetary or nonmonetary awards or incentives.

1. Nonmonetary awards shall include, but not be limited to, certificates, plaques, medals, ribbons, and photographs. The Board's expenditure for any nonmonetary award shall not exceed seventy-five dollars ($75).

2. Monetary awards, as required by Fla. Stat. § 1012.22(1)(g), "shall be limited to persons who propose procedures or ideas adopted by the Board which will result in eliminating or reducing district school board expenditures or improving district or school center operations."

1. Pursuant to § 1012.22(1)(g), "no award granted under this [Policy] shall exceed $2,000 or 10 percent of the first year's gross savings, whichever is greater," provided, however, that there shall be no obligation or expectation that the Board provide awards at those statutory maximums.

2. The term "gross savings," as used herein, shall mean the estimated permanent savings in the first year of full implementation of a suggestion for reducing expenditures.

7. Disclaimer.-- The SEEA committee, program coordinator, Superintendent, and/or School Board shall have no liability whatsoever regarding the recommendation or non-recommendation, acceptance or non-acceptance, approval or non-approval, and/or adoption or non-adoption of any suggestion submitted under the SEEA program.

1. As provided by Fla. Stat. § 1012.22(1)(g), "an award or incentive granted under this [Policy] may not be considered in determining the salary schedules required by paragraph [1012.22(1)](c)."

2. The acceptance of an award for any suggestion implemented through this program shall constitute an agreement by the recipient that the recipient waives all claims, immediate and future, on the School Board of Palm Beach County or the State of Florida, regardless of the use of the suggestion.

3. The entry of a suggestion shall constitute the employee's agreement that the employee does not acquire any contractual or property rights by entering a suggestion, nor by the adoption or implementation of the suggestion. All suggestions shall be public records and the property of the School Board. The employee further agrees that there shall be no cause of action at law or in equity, nor any basis for an administrative petition or grievance based on:

1. the amount of any award;

2. the board's lack of implementing any suggestion;

3. the law of awarding a bonus; or

4. any other action or inaction of the Board, Superintendent, SEEA committee, or program coordinator, related to the SEEA program.

8. Implementation Plan.-- The Superintendent shall develop procedures, to be appended to this Policy upon the Superintendent's recommendation, to implement the SEEA program. The implementation procedures may provide for, but not be limited to:

1. Promotion of the program;

2. Appropriate safeguards regarding conflict of interest in decisions leading to cash awards;

3. A procedure for appeal of decisions made by the SEEA steering committee.

4. Procedures for allocating savings along with appropriate safeguards to assure that the quality of essential services are maintained and/or improved as a result of such allocations.