When a pure catastrophe strikes, district leaders are instantly saddled with an extended checklist of recent duties, the primary of which is making certain employees and college students are secure.
However the obligations don’t finish there.
As soon as the fast wants and considerations are resolved, colleges should flip to restoration, and, if a federal emergency is asserted, making use of for funding by the Federal Emergency Administration Company to help in these efforts.
It may be overwhelming, particularly for district leaders who haven’t needed to navigate the method earlier than, leaders of three districts who’ve carried out it stated throughout a Dec. 9 webinar hosted by AASA, The College Superintendents Affiliation.
Districts can take steps now to arrange for and ease the pressure of future disasters, from setting insurance policies and procedures to proceed paying staff within the occasion of extended college closures to establishing a “catastrophe crew” that meets yearly to evaluation FEMA tips and necessities and the district’s preparedness.
As local weather change more and more causes pure disasters and emergencies like massive wildfires, excessive warmth and chilly, and intense storms, extra districts may have to hunt FEMA funding to help restoration efforts in years to come back.
Preparation for these prospects could seem to be one thing a college district can push to the backburner, however districts ought to prioritize it and revisit their protocols routinely, stated Mary Sakuma, county superintendent of colleges in Oroville, Calif. Her district labored with FEMA to handle extreme winter storms with flooding and landslides in 2017, and, most notably, the Camp Fireplace in Paradise, Calif. in 2018, the deadliest wildfire in state historical past that burned greater than 150,000 acres and killed 85 individuals.
“The preparation for the catastrophe, in some methods it sounds unusual, like, how have you learnt you’ll encounter this?” Sakuma stated. “Sadly, for lots of us it’s not only one time, it’s a number of instances we’ll find yourself coping with this, so it’s greatest to be ready.”
Sakuma and leaders from two Texas districts shared their high suggestions for district leaders to think about addressing previous to a pure catastrophe.
Assign duties to key individuals forward of time and maintain common coaching
Karen Smith, the chief monetary officer of the Cypress-Fairbanks district in Texas, stated districts ought to contemplate establishing a crew designated to take care of completely different elements of the emergency response and FEMA-related obligations nicely prematurely of a pure catastrophe. The crew ought to embrace representatives who specialise in amenities and upkeep, emergency administration, finance, and procurement. Every employees member ought to have a transparent understanding of their obligations in case of a pure catastrophe, she stated.
Every particular person on the crew ought to keep knowledgeable about FEMA tips for colleges, which change typically, Smith stated. The company routinely affords free webinars to maintain individuals up-to-date, she stated.
The designated emergency-response crew may maintain annual conferences and trainings to “make sure that everybody’s on the identical web page” and guarantee anybody new to the district understands their obligations.
The Cypress-Fairbanks district holds its annual assembly within the spring, earlier than hurricane season begins.
Advance planning and hazard mitigation could make districts eligible for added federal funding within the occasion of an emergency, Sakuma stated.
Observe prices primarily based on FEMA necessities and set up emergency procurement processes
FEMA has particular tips and funding codes which will differ from those who college districts use of their budgets. Districts ought to contemplate adopting funding codes aligned withFEMA’s for simpler and extra environment friendly monitoring, stated Kayla Smith, govt director of finance for the Katy college district in Texas.
The district also needs to set up—or evaluation—an emergency- procurement coverage that authorizes particular individuals on employees to make purchases as much as a specified greenback quantity with out college board approval within the occasion of an emergency. This helps streamline restoration efforts, she stated, as it may be extraordinarily tough—and gradual—to assemble the college board to authorize purchases.
Karen Smith, within the Cypress-Fairbanks district, stated districts may set up contracts for sure companies from explicit distributors prematurely, even when it’s not clear whether or not they are going to be wanted. Her district, for instance, went by a conventional bid course of for storm particles elimination and mildew remediation, so the district has a service supplier it might probably name on ought to it’s wanted attributable to a storm or hurricane. That’s necessary particularly for work that prices sufficient to set off aggressive bidding necessities.
That may velocity up the method to get particles cleaned up and get youngsters again in class, she stated. That was the case for her district after Hurricane Harvey in 2017, which induced historic flooding and pressured greater than 200 Texas districts to shut.
If these companies are secured with no bid course of, FEMA could not reimburse the district for these bills, Smith stated.
“Take a look at what potential issues could occur in your space, and you are able to do these issues forward of time,” she stated.
Have a plan to proceed paying staff even when colleges are closed
Some of the necessary steps districts ought to take previous to a catastrophe is establishing a coverage and process for paying staff, even when colleges are closed for an prolonged interval after an emergency, stated Chris Smith, chief monetary officer of the Katy college district.
These insurance policies will range relying on the district, however district leaders ought to designate a spot the place mills can be found so employees can collect and course of the payroll, he stated.
The fee coverage needs to be “utilized constantly, whether or not an emergency occasion qualifies for FEMA funding or not,” he stated.
