Comptroller Asks Chancellor Levy To Send A Letter To Principals Reminding Them of Importance Of SCA Surveys

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The New York City School Construction Authority does not always take follow-up action if problems with its work exist, according to an audit released today by Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. Although the report found that the SCA's Survey Tracking System was properly maintained, the surveys that went out to principals after SCA work had been completed took too long to be mailed out, further delaying the resolution of outstanding problems. As a result, the Comptroller has written a letter to Schools Chancellor Harold O. Levy asking him to remind all principals to respond to the surveys in a timely manner.

"The SCA needs to do a better job in communicating with schools about its work," Thompson said. While I am pleased that 57% of the survey respondents were satisfied with SCA work, it concerns me that 21% of the schools reported serious problems requiring follow-up work. And the fact that this dissatisfaction was discovered from four up to 15 months after the work was completed further troubles me. Add to that the finding that the SCA did not follow-up with principals who did not respond to the surveys, and there may have been even more problems that remained uncovered."

In response to the New York State Comptroller's Office 1997 audit of SCA operating practices, the SCA created the Customer Satisfaction Survey questionnaire that is mailed every October to all principals of schools for which projects were substantially completed during the previous fiscal year. The audit found that all surveys received by the SCA were correctly coded regarding the level of customer satisfaction and that resolution plans were developed when follow-up action was required, but discovered a number of problems:

· The SCA mails out surveys as many as 400 days after the projects were completed.

· The SCA does not take follow-up action when principals do not return the Customer Satisfaction Surveys. The SCA mailed 1,063 surveys, of which 630 (59%) received no response.

· The SCA does not ensure that schools are satisfied with the follow-up work done by its Project Management Unit, which is required to address problems reported on the Customer Satisfaction Survey responses. Of 20 sample schools chosen by the auditors, 50% were not satisfied with follow-up work performed by the SCA.

· The Project Management Unit does not always submit follow-up action plans to the Community Relations Division within the required 30-day time period. More than 30% of resolution plans were submitted late.

In response to the Audit, the SCA stated it agreed with many of the recommendations, but it did not agree to send out surveys shortly after work is completed as was recommended by the audit.

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