M


COO, Orange County Public Schools, Orlando, Fla. MICHAEL EUGENE


WRITTEN BY SYLVIA ARROYO STN: As a COO, have


you always incorporated KPIs, or did you have other


methods that you practiced? Eugene: I’ve always used


KPIs as a foundation for continuous improvement, transparency and account- ability for results. However, KPIs are a single tool in a larger toolbox called performance management. I use the Government Accounting Standards Board’s (GASB) “Man- aging for Results” frame- work, which ties together the easily understand- able aspects of strategic planning, project manage- ment, program budgeting, performance measurement, analysis and reporting.


STN: What were OCPS’ operations like when you


first joined the district? Eugene: [District officials] asked me to focus on “systems thinking” and to accelerate and maintain performance improvements. Te historical culture of the operations division would be best described as “situational” manage- ment. Much of the data was “efforts” based, such as the “number of storage tanks inspected” (and the result always looked great


at 100 percent), rather than “outcome” based, such as “percent of storage tanks that passed inspection.”


STN: And how has it


improved? Eugene: Te first priority


of an executive has to be organizational development and alignment so you have the right team, with the right skill sets, focused on the right priorities. Of the eight departments within operations, there are five new department heads leading them. We have very detailed


strategy maps that show how we are shaping the path to achieve our pri- orities, and measure our progress by results instead of by efforts. Initiatives are accepted only after business cases are developed that il- lustrate what is needed, and the return on investment (ROI) that will result in terms of quality improve- ment and/or lower costs.


STN: So, how did your practices improve student


transportation? Eugene: Trough the use of performance management frameworks and the Council of Great City Schools’ KPIs and


18 The Show RepoRTeR • OCT 20 –25, 2012


benchmarks, our strategic priorities include: 1) reduc- ing costs through maximiz- ing average bus occupancy, 2) increasing our in-service rate by maximizing the use of the fleet, 3) enhancing staff availability for services by reducing workers com- pensation and other long- term leaves, and 4) reducing the environmental impact of busing through fleet modernization, idle time management, deadhead mileage reduction, and the pursuit of bio-diesel, if we can get the costs down. Tis year, Jim Beekman,


our new director, is estab- lishing scorecards at every level of the transportation department. Now, staff can measure how their actions are linked to improving our overall results. Performance management is a new world for the transportation team. Tey are rising to the occasion with a passionate desire to pursue world-class performance status.


STN: Tis year, OCPS


won the Council of Great City Schools’ “Managing for Results in Amercia’s Great City Schools” award for its performance-based management. For which efforts was the award given?


STN: Anything else


you’d like to say to student transporters about perfor-


mance-based management? Eugene: It can be a


complex, and frankly scary, thing for an organization


Eugene: In two short


years, the operations lead- ership team implemented extensive performance management methods to accelerate our momentum to achieve better results in cycle time efficiency, lower costs, improved quality and customer service. One core operational area


that has never managed through those methods. If OCPS can be of assistance to folks in doing this work, please don’t hesitate to call on us. We will learn from you in the process. 


Visit www.stnonline.com to read more of Eugene’s interview.


ichael Eugene, chief operating officer of Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, Fla., is a firm believer in performance-based management, which includes incorporating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to improve district-wide operations. His Sunday keynote presentation,


which kicked off this year’s NAPT Summit, focused on why this type of management matters in today’s economy and competitive environment, particularly for student transportation operations. Eugene has always practiced performance-based management at the district level, first as executive director of operations, then as COO, at Cleveland Metropolitan School District from 1998 to 2002, and then as business manager for Los Angeles Unified School District from 2002 to 2009. He was recruited in 2009 to serve as the COO of OCPS, working under the leadership of new Superintendent Barbara Jenkins. STN had the opportunity to speak with Eugene before the Summit about his


experience implementing performance-based management at these districts and how it improved student transportation.


COO OUTLINES MANAGING RESULTS FOR STUDENT TRANSPORTATION


for the award includes transportation, where we are lowering costs without impacting services.


Eugene, second from left, stands with OCPS’ transportation team in front of one of the district’s new school buses.


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