Having regularly attended Board of Education meetings for the last 7-plus years, I have never seen the outcry I witnessed at the meeting held on May 8 to keep the custodial staff. By the time midnight rolled around, the only decision made was to table the outsourcing agenda item.
So here we are, two weeks later and the issue is once again listed on the agenda. Will they vote or will it be removed from the agenda? As of the last meeting, two members of the BOE were committed to voting yes. If the board decides to vote this week, did either of those members change their mind? Quite honestly, I can't tell where most of the members stand on this issue.
Like many of the voices heard at the meeting on May 8, my children have had many positive experiences with the custodians. Nobody wants to see them lose their job. They are, and always have been a part of our community. Do I think our schools are filthy? No, that has not been my experience. My children currently attend TJS (about to enter MJS in the fall), and I also have a junior at MHS. I have not noticed any conditions in either of these schools that caused me concern.
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But then again, I'm not in all the schools. I really have to wonder why all the
administrators have supported outsourcing, as reported by Dr. Rossi at the May
8 meeting. Mr. Kennedy, the principal of CAS, actually pleaded that the deteriorating conditions at his school need to be addressed. It was certainly understood by most, that we need more custodians; not only to address the current concerns, but also to accommodate the move to block scheduling which occurs this fall at MHS.
Can we keep the current staff and perhaps hire some part time employees to fill in the gaps? Currently, according to Gary Lane, there are three people eligible for
retirement and three more people who are less than 18 months away from eligibility. Can we use this retirement breakage to hire additional staff; perhaps even some part-timers in order to save on benefits?
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If the BOE decides not to outsource, they still must address these issues and stay within their budget. It certainly is not an easy task, to say the least. If you think the BOE should keep the custodians, how would you suggest they address this need going forward? Perhaps there may be a few who believe that outsourcing is the way to go. What are your thoughts?
I'm sure there will be another standing-room-only meeting this Tuesday night. Perhaps the BOE may want to consider a few extra chairs in the Media Center.
