Privatizing custodial services a good idea

February 3, 2006

Spectrum\Bob Doyle

The Mat-Su Borough School District is looking to the private sector for help in closing a $6-million budget gap for fiscal year 2007. Due to rapidly rising costs, primarily in the areas of health insurance and retirement benefits, the district must restructure operations or cut positions directly related to student learning.

With that in mind, the district issued a request for proposals for custodial services and light duty school maintenance in December 2005. Bottom line: Can the private sector help the district realize a cost savings for custodial services while maintaining or improving the cleanliness of the district's 36 facilities?

Nana Management Services is proposing to reduce the district's overall cost for custodial services and light maintenance by $1.6 million. With backing of co-owners Sedexho, a $20-billion international contract services company, and Alaska-based NANA Development Corp., NMS is in a position to deliver quality service to the district at a lesser cost.

In partnership with the private sector, the district can model efficiency, accountability, and sustainability while realizing significant operational savings. Most importantly, this can be accomplished without cutting the budget for teaching and learning. We are listening when taxpayers tell us they want to see their hard-earned tax dollars put into instructional resources for students in the classroom. The $1.6 million we can save by privatizing custodial services is enough to support salaries and benefits for nearly 20 teaching positions. We must prioritize our resources to improve student learning.

Current custodial employees will not be without job opportunities. NMS has proposed a personnel turnover minimization plan, with a goal to retain every custodial employee who currently works for the district. In addition, they'll add positions and increase the size of the custodial work force. Competitive salary and benefit packages include merit-based pay adjustments and comprehensive health insurance coverage for employees and their dependents.

There are alternatives to privatization. These include an overall reduction of our custodial workforce by 25 percent next year alone. Further cuts would be required in subsequent years as costs for benefits continue to escalate. The end product would be higher costs, fewer employees and a decreased ability to keep schools clean. We could conceivably receive more state or local funding than anticipated and maintain status quo operations. Costs will continue to escalate, however, and we'll only succeed in delaying the tough decisions.

The district must do business differently if it is to meet its mission and obligation to improve student learning.

Privatizing ancillary services is a reasonable, responsible way to ensure taxpayer dollars are applied directly to instructional resources for students.

Bob Doyle is the Mat-Su Borough School District's chief administrator.