Millions in school savings
The Clark County School District could deliver $162 million more to classroom use over the next five years if it pulls money from departments not operating as efficiently as possible — namely janitorial services and school buses — says Texas consultant Greg Gibson, hired by the district three months ago.
In a report made public Wednesday, Mr. Gibson recommends outsourcing 1,522 custodial positions, saying the district could save $5.6 million in hourly salaries and $4.8 million annually in benefits costs.
The district pays $2.34 per square foot annually for custodial services, almost 50 percent more than the industry benchmark, Mr. Gibson said.
The financial perks offered bus drivers during Clark County’s rapid growth also need to be “dialed down,” Mr. Gibson advises. Drivers have been guaranteed six hours of pay a day, though many work only four hours.
If drivers won’t agree to this change and to a reduction in supervisory staff, the district should consider outsourcing transportation, as well, for a five-year savings of $36 million, Mr. Gibson advises.
Predictably, the employee union was not enthusiastic.
District employees undergo background checks. And these workers have “direct contact with students on a daily basis,” says John Carr, support staff union president and chief negotiator. If jobs are outsourced, the same level of scrutiny for prospective employees wouldn’t be maintained, Mr. Carr argues.
The objection hardly seems insurmountable; contracts with outside vendors could surely be written to require background checks just as rigorous as those now required.
“We know these will not be easy conversations,” admits Superintendent Dwight Jones, adding he supports the report’s recommendations and will work toward an implementation plan “as soon as possible” for the 2012-13 school year.
This is why the School Board hired Mr. Jones, commented School Board President Carolyn Edwards — it wants change. “This study moves us in the right direction.”
Good. Such steps, alone, can’t result in better academic results. But to the extent they allow more resources to be focused in the classroom, they are indeed a step in the right direction — toward a new focus on academic excellence, and away from seeing the schools as a guaranteed jobs program.
Resources will always be limited even in a district which, according to a Nevada Policy Research Institute report also issued Wednesday, now spends more than $12,000 in tax money per student per year (http://tinyurl.com/3hqw4g9). This makes it all the more important to make efficient, focused use of every dollar available.
