3 school jobs cut

District cites budget in terminating union leaders

JOEL DAVIDSON/Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - Mat-Su School District officials maintain there was nothing sinister brewing behind the scenes when they sent three employees, including two high-ranking union board members packing this week.

Telling them to gather their belongings and leave school property with less than an hour's notice was not intended to send a message they said. Instead, they claimed the decision was purely based on a desire to keep their budget from plunging into a deficit this year.

Union president Ron Rucker isn't buying it. As leader of the Classified Employees Association, Rucker represents roughly 700 custodians, maintenance workers and food services employees throughout the district. He said he thinks the district is trying to silence union members who oppose the district's plans to privatize their custodial services next year.

For the last two months, Rucker's union has actively opposed the district's push to outsource custodial services to a private company. The district claims it can save $1.6 million by allowing NANA Management Services to clean and perform light maintenance on Mat-Su schools. That's money that Chief School Administrator Bob Doyle said can allow the district to hire as many as 20 more teachers and enhance classrooms.

In a memo to school board members, Doyle cites rising costs in employee health insurance and retirement benefits as reasons for recommending moving to a private contractor.

On Wednesday, school board members are scheduled to cast a final vote on whether to accept a private custodial contract with NANA Management Services.

Concerned that they could face less wages and benefits if a private contractor takes over custodial services, CEA employees have held multiple meetings to address how to oppose the district's plan and what to do if they lose their jobs. Several members have even voiced concerns publicly at recent school board meetings.

Rucker said its hard not see the timing of the three layoffs as an attempt by the school district to silence union members.

&#8220Maybe the budget has gotten tighter, but is this a good plan?” he said Saturday. &#8220Maybe, but something does not seem right.”

Two of the mechanics who lost their jobs this week chose to continue working with the district by activating a contract option which allowed them to take a lower paying position from an employee with less seniority. The third employee did not have such an option.

Rucker maintained, however, that it is still uncommon for the school district to send employees packing on the spot unless they are in trouble. He also said the district had repeatedly assured classified employees that no one would loose their jobs until at least June 30, after which the district hopes to privatize custodial services.

District Operations Director Scott Schwald is the supervisor who told the three employees they had lost their jobs. He admits to telling a group of classified employees, earlier this year, that their jobs were secure until at least June 30. Budgetary issues, however, forced the district to change plans, he said.

Schwald, Superintendent of Business Jack Sherman, and Chief School Administrator Bob Doyle made the final decision to terminate the three employees as part of a restructuring plan to the operation and maintenance department. The plan calls for replacing six Mechanic 1 positions with three Mechanic 2 positions and a journeyman electrician. That plan wasn't set to take place until this summer.

Schwald said one of the major reasons for the budgetary shortfall in his department arose from the fact that he had to move 10 portable classrooms from the old Valley Pathways school site to their new location. Schwald hoped to have completed the move before last July, which would have allowed him to pay for it out of the fiscal year 2005 budget.

Due to a number of circumstances, the move didn't happen until the FY06 budget cycle, which ate up a good chunk of his funds for this year.

As far as how the employees were told about their layoffs, Schwald said the encounters were without incident.

&#8220The employees are absolutely in good standing,” he said. &#8220I think the employees were very professional, and I think we acted very professionally.”

Schwald said the fact that he told the employees to go home, rather than work the last two weeks of their employment, was not motivated because of the employees' opposition to the district's privatization plans. He added that the employees get paid the same whether they are at work the last two weeks or not.

&#8220The two weeks notice allows employees to find another job; that's how I look at it,” Schwald explained. &#8220People can take advantage of that. It's a disadvantage to the district, but I see it as an advantage for employees.”

Mid-year layoffs are not uncommon when the district faces a possible budgetary shortfall, said school district information specialist Kim Floyd. She explained that classified employees usually get cut first because they don't have year-long contracts.

&#8220When you come into budget shortfalls, you have to have flexibility in coming up with how to recoup those funds,” she said. &#8220A couple of years ago we had to lay off some employees at Christmas time. This year, we had some unintended expenditures and we had to lay some people off.”

Rucker, however, said many classified employees view the layoffs with suspicion and said hundreds of employees are set to attend the upcoming school board meeting Wednesday to voice their opposition to the district's handling of the situation as well as plans to privatize services.

&#8220This situation creates a whole big issue,” he said. &#8220I've been working for three years to form a relationship with this district. I didn't want to have to fight them in the public arena, but I don't have any choice. I have 700 members whose livelihood it is my job to protect. Our relationship with the district is dying, but I have to respond to this.”

Contact Joel Davidson at

352-2266 or joel.davidson@

frontiersman.com.