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Clarenceville votes to privatize custodial services; Observer-July 8, 2010
Topic Started: Jul 9 2010, 04:51 PM (384 Views)
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Clarenceville votes to privatize custodial services
By Karen Smith • Observer Staff Writer • July 8, 2010

The Clarenceville school board voted 4-3 Thursday to privatize the district’s custodial services, effective Aug. 1.


Within minutes of the decision, angry members of the audience started organizing a campaign to recall board members from office.


“Shame on you — you didn’t represent us,” said Sharon Jayson, whose son is a junior at Clarenceville High School.


Jayson and former school board member Butch Bowden were among several audience members who spoke out against privatization before the vote. “We want the people who live and work in this community to stay here. We don’t want outsiders,” Bowden said.


About 10 custodians are expected to lose their jobs.


Administrators had recommended awarding a contract for custodial services to D.M. Burr of Flint, the lowest of nine bidders, in an effort to save $1.2 million over three years.


The board members did not explain their votes, which followed a closed session in which they reviewed the latest of two proposals for concessions from the Michigan Education Association unit representing the district’s 35 or so custodians, maintenance workers, bus drivers and food service workers.


The board members voted “ayes” and “nays” in unison so it wasn’t immediately clear who voted which way.


Kim Edwards, an executive director of the Michigan Education Association, said the employees deserved better from the board. She said the MEA will put its resources behind the recall.


She said the union had agreed to more than $200,000 in concessions annually and then offered to change their insurance company for additional savings. The latest proposal was given to administrators Wednesday.


John Gryczko, president of the union, said he was shocked. “I honestly and truly believe this would not happen.”


Earlier in the evening Edwards said the small district had retained its independence instead of being consolidated with another district because of the community. “I never thought I’d see the day.”


Parent Tia MacRae, a teacher for Southfield Public Schools who was collecting the names of people who want to work on the recall campaign, said Southfield privatized two years ago and it already changed custodial companies once. “I see the janitors try to pick up the students” at the high school, she said, adding the district is getting “nickeled and dimmed” for “extra” services like setting up for the ACT test. Toilets are broken, and wings to buildings are closed because they’re too expensive to clean, she said.


Superintendent Pamela Swert had said earlier the look at privatization was financially motivated and had nothing to do with employees’ performance. The board recent adopted a $19.1 million budget for the 2010-11 school year with a projected deficit of $852,000.


Only one speaker during the evening, Matthew Smith, said he’d prefer the board to outsource custodial services over closing schools and laying off teachers.
“We have to look at the big picture,” he said.

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20100708/NEWS10/100708008/1027/rss18
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