PSA

​​​​​​Frequently​ Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is a site discretionary request?

Principals (or their designate) submit requests online using the Site Discretionary Portal.  Point your browser to https://unifier.sandi.net/portal and log in using the assigned user ID and password. Each request is reviewed and then assigned for further development and completion by an appropriate department.

a. Furniture Fixture and Equipment (FFE) requests are handled by the Provisioning Specialists from the Strategic Sourcing department.

b. Repairs/Improvements by Planner Estimator Inspectors (PEIs) from the Physical Plant Operations (PPO) department.

c. Work involving Profession Service contracts and outside vendors by Project Mangers (PMs) from the Facilities Planning and Construction (FPC) department.

2) What is eligible to be funded by SDF?

Capital improvements, major repairs and remodeling, furniture, fixtures, and equipment are permitted expenditures. Non-capital items such as personnel, supplies, and textbooks are not eligible uses for SDF.

3) Do Site Discretionary Funds Expire?  Can I lose them?  Do they carry over from year to year?

Site Discretionary Funds were specifically directed and in the voter guides for the Prop S, Prop Z and Measure YY bond authorizations.  These funds, once budgeted are available to the school until fully expended.  They cannot be taken away, and the remaining balance carries over from year to year.

4) Can I log in to the portal using my SDUSD user ID and password?

The Site Discretionary Portal does not recognize your SDUSD user ID and password.  Instead, each school is assigned a single unique user ID and password.  If you do not know the user ID and/or password for your school, or are otherwise unable to log in, please contact George Harris at gharris@sandi.net​ to reset your school’s log in credentials.

5) How do I fill-out a site discretionary request?

Go to https://unifier.sandi.net/portal, log in using the assigned user ID and password, and click on New Site Discretionary Request.

6) How can I cancel a request?

Go to https://unifier.sandi.net/portal, log in using the assigned user ID and password, and click on Cancel Site Discretionary Request.

7) How can I find out the status of requests and my remaining balance?

Go to https://unifier.sandi.net/portal​, log in using the assigned user ID and password, and click on Track Request

8) What if I need to discuss an existing request?

Contact Douglas Penn at San Diego Unified

dpenn@sandi.net

(858) 637-6247 desk or (619) 306-0732 cell

Intro: Proposition S and Proposition Z

The School Repair and Safety Measure of 2008 (commonly referred to as Proposition S) and the San Diego Neighborhood Schools Classroom Safety and Repair Measure of 2012 (commonly referred to as Proposition Z) are voter approved measures that provide capital funds for school facilities projects.

By law, these funds may only be used for the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or replacement of school facilities, including the furnishing and equipping of school facilities, or the acquisition or lease of real property for school facilities, and not for any other purpose, including teacher and administrator salaries and other school operating expenses. Proceeds from these bond measures are being used to finance a broad range of capital projects, including new school construction, new classroom construction, and the installation of 21st Century classroom technology, improved heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, improved accessibility, and modernization projects at every elementary, middle and high school.

Site Discretionary Funds:

In addition to listed projects to be executed at every San Diego Unified school, Prop S and Prop Z also include allocations for each elementary, middle and high school to pursue their own site-specific projects. These allocations are referred to as Site Discretionary Funds.

Charter Proposition Z:

Collectively, the 3 separate funds are referred to as the Proposition S/Z site discretionary fund (SDF) program. Each tenant has a fixed budget per the Voter Guide of each bond measure. Funding of each budget is dependent on the sale of the appropriate bond fund by the Board of Education.

Valid Site Discretionary Expenditures

Equipment versus Supplies:

A common use of Site Discretionary funds is for the purchase of items. Site Discretionary funds are appropriate if the item can be classified as equipment but are not appropriate when the item is classified as a supply which is considered an operating expense. Sometimes, it is difficult to determine whether an item is a supply or equipment. The California Accounting Manual provides guidance for distinguishing the two:

1. Does the item lose its original shape and appearance with use?

2. Is it consumable, with a normal service life of less than one year?

3. Is it easily broken, damaged or lost in normal use?

4. Is it usually more feasible to replace it with an entirely new unit than to repair it?

5. Is the cost of the item below the capitalization threshold set by SDUSD?

If the answers to ALL of the above questions is NO, then the item qualifies as a valid Site Discretionary expenditure. If the answer to ANY of the questions is YES, then the item probably does not qualify as a valid Site Discretionary expenditure.

Repairs and Maintenance versus Betterments

...repair costs are those outlays that are necessary to keep an asset in its intended operating condition but do not materially increase the value or physical properties of the asset.

An Addition refers to a physical extension of some existing asset. A betterment exists when a part of an existing asset is replaced by another and the replacement provides a significant increase in the life or value of the asset.​