Tabled outsourcing vote set

School board to make final decision on private custodial service

February 28, 2006

JOEL DAVIDSON\Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - The Mat-Su Borough School Board is expected to vote Wednesday on the heated issue of whether to accept a private contractor for custodial services, a move which would cut 112 custodians from the school district's fiscal year 2007 payroll.

Opponents of the plan claim public employees are more accountable to area principals and more loyal to schools they work in - offering to go above and beyond the call of official duties to help set up classrooms, unclog toilets during off hours and help students carry backpacks and supplies.

School district administrators, however, argue the cuts are necessary in order to maintain quality classroom teachers and education environments while dealing with rising costs in retirement benefits, salaries and health-care costs.

The district claims it will realize $1.6 million in savings, while gaining greater worker supervision, better cleaning equipment and computerized monthly reports on school cleanliness if the school board votes to award a private contract to NANA Management Services.

On Monday, CEA President Ron Rucker said he did not believe the school district will see a deficit once final funding amounts from the state and borough come in.

&#8220Our position is that we don't believe there is going to be a deficit,” he said. &#8220It will all go away in May when the numbers really hit. In the meantime, we are asking the district not to do anything permanent now.”

If the district needs to make cuts, Rucker said the union supports temporarily laying off employees versus entering an irreversible contract with NANA.

&#8220We're asking them to take actions that are reversible,” he said. &#8220Once they issue a contract, it is not reversible, but if you lay people off, you can always hire them back if you have the money.”

In a phone interview Monday, Mat-Su's Chief School Administrator Bob Doyle said the district has already considered the option of laying off employees. The layoffs, he said, would not be temporary because he doesn't see where the additional money is going to come from.

&#8220All this money can't just show up,” Doyle said. &#8220It would have to come from additional money from the Legislature, and I have not heard them talking about that.”

But even if additional money did materialize, Doyle said there are larger problems with the current custodial services. In a cost-savings measure several yeas ago, the district cut custodial supervision positions that trained and oversaw the work of night custodians. Without proper supervision, Doyle said the district has had multiple problems with night custodial staff leaving early and not finishing their jobs.

&#8220We don't believe we are getting eight hours' work for eight hours' pay,” he said. &#8220Right now, we are going through quite a lot of disciplinary actions with personnel leaving early.”

With the NANA contract, Doyle said custodians will be under night supervision.

&#8220We've looked at the options,” he said. &#8220Now we are just waiting for the board to make their decision.”

Since 1999, NANA has performed custodial and light maintenance services for the Sitka School District, which just recently renewed its contract with the company. NANA also works for Providence Alaska Medical Center, Anchorage Ted Stevens International Airport and Alaska Native Medical Center.

During the last regular school board meeting, Feb. 15, more than 700 people attended to oppose the privatization plan. Many in attendance were union members of Classified Employees Association, which represents 700 noninstructional educational support staff in Mat-Su schools.

Several school board members said they voted to postpone a final decision until Wednesday in order to give them more time to review the school administration's overall school budget and also to see if there were any hidden costs associated with privatization.

The school board meets at 6 p.m., Wednesday, at Palmer High School, for a one-hour public hearing on the privatization plan. The regular school board meeting will follow.

For a complete agenda of the upcoming meeting, visit www.matsuk12.us/RunScript .asp?Page=150&p=ASP\Pg150.asp. For more information, people may contact the district at 746-9255.

Contact Joel Davidson at

352-2266 or joel.davidson@

frontiersman.com.