FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Firm to Assess LACCD’s Building Program

LOS ANGELES, CA (Nov. 4, 2009) -- The Los Angeles Community College District’s Board of Trustees has authorized the hiring of a financial and management advisory firm to conduct an independent organizational assessment of the District’s $6 billion building program.

The assessment will evaluate BuildLACCD, the team of construction businesses managing the District’s construction program. The program is modernizing all of the District’s nine colleges, many of which had no substantial construction for more than three decades.

Named to conduct the organizational assessment was Capstone Advisory Group LLC, which provides financial and operational advice to private sector and public sector clients. The Saddle Brook, N.J.-based firm has five offices around the country, including a location in Los Angeles.

A previous independent management assessment of the District’s building program was completed in 2005.

 “We felt that it was time to take a fresh look at the program,” said Board President Mona Field. “A year ago voters approved Measure J, a $3.5 billion bond measure that more than doubled the size of our program. We want to make sure that we are managing our expanded effort as effectively as possible.”

LACCD officials noted that the construction effort, also known as the Sustainable Building Program, routinely comes under other assessments. Those evaluations include annual performance and financial audits. In addition, the program is overseen by a District Citizens Oversight Committee and facilities committees at each of the District’s colleges.

As part of its evaluation, Capstone will assess staffing levels and compensation practices. The firm’s assessment also is intended to identify potential management inefficiencies as well as potential or actual conflicts of interest.

The District’s building program dates to 2001, when Los Angeles voters approved the first of three successive bond measures providing most of the program’s $6 billion in funding. While modernizing the District’s nine colleges, it also has focused on cutting-edge green building

techniques, and has won numerous awards of its sustainable construction practices. 

Interim Chancellor Tyree Wieder said the broad scope of the program, and its expansion over the past year, make it essential to conduct an updated management assessment.

“It is our responsibility to effectively manage the bond money approved by voters, so that we can provide improved educational opportunities for our students,” Dr. Wieder said.

Capstone will begin its work within days and will provide regular reports to the Board of Trustees.

For the firm’s work, the Board of Trustees authorized payment, including expenses, of up to $90,000. The contract extends through Jan. 31, 2010.

About the LACCD Sustainable Building Program
With more than $6 billion in bond funding to modernize its nine colleges, the LACCD’s Sustainable Building Program is one of the nation’s largest green construction efforts. For more information on the LACCD’s construction program and a list of awards the District has received for its environmentally responsible projects, visit www.laccdbuildsgreen.org.