207,000 students

Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) contracted with Gibson to conduct an Educational and Operational Efficiency Audit to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the district’s major operations and programs over a 16-month period. This work was prompted by a $140 million budget deficit that needed to be addressed. Instead of across-the-board cuts, HCPS hired Gibson to make more informed budget reductions that targeted inefficient practices.

Gibson conducted this work in three phases (i.e., Phase I: Operational Audit, Major Cost Savings; Phase II: Operational Audit, Comprehensive Review; and Phase III: Academic Management Audit). Our work included the collection and analysis of extant data, staff interviews, school leader interviews, classroom walkthroughs, focus groups with various stakeholders, and comparisons to peer, state, and national data. The results of the Phase I and Phase II audits identified significant opportunities for HCPS to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its central office operations, which resulted in a net savings of $100 million per year. The findings identified during Phase III yielded several recommendations for improving the overall efficiency and effectiveness of HCPS’ instructional programs.