Expressions of anger, disappointment and betrayal were unleashed across the packed gymnasium at Leonard Elementary Monday night immediately following the Oxford Board of Education’s 6-0 approval of a three-year contract with the Enviro-Clean Building Services, which effectively privatizes the district’s cleaning services and eliminates the 25 full-time custodians.
The crowd of more than 200 custodians, parents, high school students and other residents of the school district erupted after hearing the vote. A chorus of boo’s and chants of ‘recall the board? filled the gym.
Because the room became so rowdy, School Board President Colleen Schultz called for a recess, which lasted nearly 10 minutes.
A group of audience members were so upset at the school board’s decision that they started chanting a profane word to the board members as they walked out of the room.
Once the board returned from recess, Schultz announced to the crowd that a sergeant-at-arms from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office was in the building.
The decision came after nearly an hour-and-a-half closed session by the school board to discuss the contract, which upset the crowd even more.
‘I think this is a farce to the people of Oxford, to the people who have students in Oxford, to all the custodial workers, to all the bus drivers, to all the food service (workers) because this privatization has not stopped. It will not stop with the custodial workers,? said Oxford resident Dee Gross.
School Trustee Kim Shumaker said that this was the last thing that she wanted to do. ‘I wish it could be different, but right now this is what we are faced with, and I apologize immensely for the effect it is going to have,? she said.
‘There was no joy in this decision,? said Trustee Bob Martin.
Gabrielle Stadnick, a senior at OHS, said she now regrets spending her school career here because of the board’s decision.
‘If I get suspended, I don’t care because I will go to another school and graduate because as of right now, I do not want to be a part of this school…I am completely disappointed in you guys,? she said.
The contract with Holland, Michigan-based Enviro-Clean Building Services would be for three years beginning with the 2010-2011 fiscal year. It will cost the district $910,805 per year and run from July 1 of this year through June 30, 2013.
Using Enviro-Clean will save the district $814,635 in the first year and $5.036 million over the course of five years, based on the current union contract with district-employed custodians.
Board member Mary Stein was not present at the meeting due to recent surgery, but she voiced her support for privatization via a letter she wrote to the board.
‘We cannot afford to continue to have exorbitant compensation and benefit packages for our district employees that are completely out of line with other organizations and businesses,? Stein wrote. ‘The average annual custodial cost will be over $70,000 this year and rise to about $80,000 per custodian in five years. This does not seem reasonable.?
Stein noted the district ‘cannot afford? to pay 100 percent for health coverage, participate in a ‘very costly retirement system? or have a high number of holiday, vacation and sick days per year.
‘At a very minimum, every employee has 34 days off from work,? she wrote.
School Board Vice-President Bill Keenist said the decision was based on providing the best education for the students.
‘If we make decisions contrary to that, we are hypocrites,? he said.
‘I am saddened beyond belief that this is what has happened in the schools, but I have to protect the education of the school system in Oxford,? Schultz noted.
But the board’s comments didn’t satisfy or convince the audience.
‘By privatizing our school you are taking away good people and kicking them out on the streets for pretty much no reason,? said Britni Ellis, a senior at Oxford High School.
Enviro-Clean is a full-service commercial service that has been around since 1975. They employ more than 750 people and service 18 K-12 education clients, which include Avondale and Troy School Districts.
They would provide the district with 33.32 full-time employees to work a total of 265.75 hours per day opposed to the district’s existing 25 full-time custodians who currently work a combined 200 hours per day.
The Enviro-Clean custodians would earn $9-11 per hour and pay 50 percent of their health care premiums for themselves and 100 percent of the additional premiums for their family members.
Enviro-Clean employees would also have the option of contributing to their 401(k) plan. District custodians do not pay any health insurance premiums and do not contribute to their retirement.
Anthony Lorio, who was on the negotiating team between the union and district, said the union proposed $792,000 in wage and benefit concessions. The custodians had proposed taking a 20 percent cut in pay.
‘We gave it to them, and they still voted no and I cannot understand what this vote came down on,? said Lorio.
According to Deputy Superintendent Nancy Kammer, privatizing the custodians would save the district $800,000 in the first year of privatized services and that the savings that were mentioned by Lorio included all three employee groups ? custodial, transportation and food services.
‘The number that was put out there . . . were proposed savings that did total $792,000. The problem is that was not a tentative agreement and we are still negotiating. We still have a number of items to negotiate,? Kammer said. ‘We didn’t reach a tentative agreement. What would have to happen is, if we were to reach a tentative agreement, which we don’t know when that would happen, the entire group would have to agree that it was a tentative agreement and then they would have to vote on it.?
‘Even though that number was put out there, they were proposed savings. It was not necessarily agreed upon by the whole group,? she said.
Many in the audience felt as though the board wasn’t even willing to listen to them or consider alternatives.
‘I am shocked, they didn’t even hear us,? said Oxford resident Patricia Morawski. ‘They did not give the public here a chance to speak and they did not give us a chance to speak.?
Both Morawski and her husband Richard are custodians at Lakeville Elementary.
‘We gave them what they wanted and they still got rid of us,? said Pat Morawski.
More than one person voiced their concern about the school district bringing in strangers as employees when they privatize the custodians.
‘What you are doing is you are going to bring in strangers to our community and . . . we don’t know anything about them. I think this is wrong and I think it was a poor judgment,? said Debbie McDonald.
Every Enviro-Clean employee, before being hired, is subject to a background check performed by the Michigan State Police and a Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprint check. They also go through boundary training and undergo a five panel drug test.
Even with all of the potential savings to the district, audience members were not pleased with the decision and spent over an hour voicing their concerns and displeasure to the board.
‘I feel that realistically they had already made their decision before they had their first meetings,? said Oxford resident Ronda Comparoni. ‘I feel that their decision has been made and this is just a dog-and-pony-show.?
Comparoni noted the people that ‘really care are the custodians.?
McDonald echoed Comparoni’s thoughts.
‘We need single-minded people that are going to step forward and speak for others, not a group of people with one vote and that’s it. We need individual people that aren’t afraid to voice their opinion,? she said.
However, Shumaker responded by saying that this was not an easy decision for her and that she didn’t decide until right before Monday’s meeting.
‘Contrary to assertions that this vote was made a week ago or a couple months ago, I can tell you that I did not know until I pulled into the parking lot…I don’t make this kind of decision quickly and anyone here can tell you that I don’t let anyone tell me what to decide. I’m very independent. Now, at the end of the day, if the conclusion that I come to isn’t favorable, it is my decision; don’t blame Dr. Skilling, I made my decision,? said Shumaker.
Mitchell said that the board decided that cuts were going to be made everywhere and that everyone was going to be affected.
‘I think the cuts should be across the board equally. I think everyone should sacrifice…everyone needs to share the sacrifice from the top on down,? said Oxford resident Frankie Thomas.
‘I want you to know that I will be your advocate and do everything that I can to ensure those cuts are made from the very top ? administration, staff, support, teachers ? that’s what I’m going to do,? Martin said.