Grand Jury report blasts school board, hospital

GCOE noted for poor relationship

For the second year in a row, the Glenn County Grand Jury took to task the relationship between the Glenn County Office of Education, the county superintendent of schools and the board of education.

In 2007, the grand jury said the office of education and its board lacked an effective system of checks and balances to oversee the Glenn County school system and that the board exercised little control over the superintendent. 

In the 2008 final report issued Monday, the grand jury said the circumstances of the former superintendent retiring under a legacy of “questionable activities” and strong feelings by certain members of the community have resulted in an air of contention between the county office and the board of education.

“After the election, the relationship between the new superintendent and the board turned adversarial,” the grand jury stated. “Board meetings deteriorated into contentious sessions making it difficult to conduct GCOE business.”

Adding to the discord were disagreements over the governance of William Finch Charter School and the unexpected increase in special education costs, which, according to the grand jury, created an environment of mistrust between the office of education, its board and the individual school districts.

Arturo Barrera, Glenn County Superintendent of Schools, said Tuesday that GCOE and its board has made great strides in recent months in repairing the relationships described in the grand jury report.

The recent approval of a new funding model for special education services has most of the district superintendents working together to serve students with special needs while keeping costs as equitable as possible for the school districts, Barrera said.

“It’s a new era of cooperation and collegiality,” Barrera said.

Barrera also said with the support of three of five board members, the business of GCOE and the board is being conducted with less turmoil and adversity.

And despite some opposition by charter school parents and teachers, Barrera said the majority of the board reaffirmed its original intention regarding the governance of William Finch Charter School, keeping the school under the legal arm of GCOE.

Division still remains between board members, particularly with regard to training, something the grand jury recommended in its 2007 report and again stated should be mandatory in its 2008 report.

According the grand jury report, all five board members and the superintendent agreed to board training.

However, the agreement was short-lived after three of its members voted on a motion made by Catherine Hanes to support Barrera’s suggestion to seek board training only after the November election places “new members” on the board.

The reversal incensed board members Julia Larson and Linda Miller who had pushed hard for the appropriate training.

Larson, who said she was speaking to the Journal as an individual, said she believes training didn’t come about for two reasons.

“First, the cost of training by the California County School Board Association is excessive and the alternatives suggested were not acted upon.” Larson said. “Second, it will come out in training that the superintendent’s control over the board is incorrect.”

As for the upcoming election, GCOE is taking the grand jury’s recommendation to actively attract the attention of county residents that elected board positions are available, Barrera said.

Three of the five terms expire at the end of the year, including those held by Ray Gollnick, president, Julia Larson and Linda Miller.

“There hasn’t been an election of a board member in a number of years,” Barrera said. “Most of the positions have been appointed.”

The grand jury also recommended that the board of education explore the possibly of limiting the number of times a board member can be reappointed and explore the possibility of allowing board positions to be elected from the county-at-large rather than restricting the seat to certain geographical areas.

Although the 2008 grand jury report was not as detailed in its criticism as the previous year’s, Barrera believes GCOE has improved, particularly on financial oversight in meeting the recommendations outlined by the 2007 grand jury.

Since being elected, Barrera has restricted credit card use and implemented a CalCard system that is easier to monitor and control.

“CalCard purchases require pre-approval,” Barrera said. “There are no more individual lunches being charged daily for the taxpayers to pay for.” 

Barrera has also restricted travel of his employees, reducing travel to mandatory meetings and allowing only one training conference a year for top GCOE staff.

“There is no more going away for conferences just because the topic is of some interest,” Barrera said. “As for my own travel, I’m pretty much a stay-at-home superintendent.”

In a related matter, the 2008 grand jury, while recognizing declining revenue and an increase in special education costs, recommended the Willows Unified School District hire a permanent business manager, develop a fiscal plan to build back its reserve account, help streamline a special education delivery plan to help reduce costs, and work to improve relations with the administration and staff of the Glenn County Office of Education.

Contact Susan Meeker at 934-6800 or smeeker@tcnpress.com.

Glenn Medical Center criticized

Multiple patient complaints regarding treatment at Glenn Medical Center’s emergency room led to a grand jury inquiry.

Several patients reported not receiving any treatment from hospital staff, after waiting considerable periods of time. At least two patients claimed to have been misdiagnosed at the hospital.

The Glenn County Grand Jury report released Monday says the average number of patients treated has jumped from 470 cases to 527 cases each month. They’re attended to by a group of four to five Bay Area doctors, who typically stay on for 24-hour shifts. The report recommends patients be immediately told when emergency room staff can’t treat their conditions.

“Local doctors should discourage people in the area from going to the local emergency room if the doctor suspects that specialized treatment, which is not readily available at GMC, is necessary,” the report says.

However, hospital administrator Woody Laughnan Jr. said Tuesday that residents would be better served by using the local hospital.

“Doctors in the (emergency room) make the decision to divert patients to other facilities,” Laughnan said. “It’s better, especially if a person is experiencing pain in their head or chest, to go the closest medical facility for immediate care. It makes more sense than driving nearly 40 miles to the next closest hospital (in Chico),” he said.

Another area of concern was whether hospital billing was processed in a timely manner. Some patients have been forced to pay bills in full themselves because the billing from the hospital was so late that insurance companies refused to make payouts, the report says.

Laughnan said billing issues had been more of a problem in previous years, but said the situation has improved dramatically. “When (Glenn Medical Group Inc.) took over the hospital from Enloe (Medical Center in Chico) in 2006, we had a lot of old equipment and a number of issues, but by and large I think we’re doing good with our billing now.”

Contact Rob Parsons at 934-6800 or rparsons@tcnpress.com.