School Board Constructs Plan to Save 5 Custodians
The Board of Education will vote on a revised "cuts" plan at its May 17 meeting.
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The Board of Education will vote next Thursday on a revised cuts plan that aims to fill a $450,000 hole in the school district's budget that was introduced last month when the board voted to retain 13 in-house custodians who were set to be replaced by contractors.
The new plan would save the jobs of some, but not all of the custodians who had originally been on the district's chopping block.
Superintendent Bruce Watson said all eight night custodian positions at the high school would still be privatized if the new proposal were to pass. The move would result in six layoffs, since one of those positions is already vacant and another is a retirement that wouldn't be filled.
To recoup the money spent to retain the five other custodial positions, the district will refrain from hiring four of the 11 proposed teacher and staff positions included in this year's budget, and postpone part of the bleacher repair at Sasso Field.
Watson said positions the district will no longer be able to hire if the new plan is approved include a speech teacher, a remedial kindergarten teacher, a social worker and an ESL teacher.
The elimination of the remedial kindergarten teacher position will force the postponement of the district's planned remedial full-day kindergarten program, which had been intended to bridge the gap for the growing number of kindergarten students who enter school academically behind their peers.
The alternative cuts plan was crafted following April's school board meeting where an outpouring of public support for the district’s custodians prompted board members to freeze expansion of the custodial outsourcing that began last year and look elsewhere to make up the money saved by privatizing custodial services.
Having already approved an $86 million budget in March, the board needed to find a way to make up the $450,000 that custodial outsourcing was expected to save the district.
Due to the state of the economy, Watson said continued privatization of the district's custodial force may be necessary in the future.
What do you think of the board's budget compromise? Vote in our poll below.
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Mei Won Sum
1:17 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
School = Education. Education = Teachers. So, why doesn't Watson and the lackey BOE grow some balls and eliminate some of the Administration positions? Teachers and custodians perform vital functions.
Tommy P
4:41 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Hold on, cleaning toilets and teaching kids is not the same. Just about anyone can scrub a toilet, being a teacher requires an education. The Board of Education is completely out of control.
The "custodians" are bunch of bullies who should be let go the moment their contract ends. They are a textbook example of waste.
Randi Kestin
1:34 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Does the district seriously want to favor the preference of a few custodians over the needs of our most vulnerable children? Where are the priorities?
BellairBerdan
2:06 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The priorities are to pit people against one another so the Board can do as it likes, bust unions and keep their own inflated salaries and benefits intact.
Allen P
1:59 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
this seems like the school board is trying to prove a point- saying fine we ll keep a few janitors but now we are cutting these positions. heres an idea take it out of the administrations ridicoulessly inflated salaries.
you become involved in education to help children not to become a millionaire.
Watson- how can you make these cuts and justify your salary? if you are doing it for the kids prove it by cutting your salary and leading by example. you should be ashamed of yourself.
i
Anon Omus
4:35 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
neither keep them all
aramark is destroying our schools
Allan E. Fineberg
4:49 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
"The priorities are to pit people against one another so the Board can do as it likes, bust unions and keep their own inflated salaries and benefits intact." You mean, BellaiirBerdan, that BoE members get a salary? I never knew.
BellairBerdan
6:33 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
I apologize I should have been more clear. I meant the priority of the Supt, and his and his crew's salaries.
Tommy P
12:16 am on Thursday, May 10, 2012
BellairBerdan, by way of disclosure, are you a BoE employee?
Joe M
4:56 pm on Thursday, May 10, 2012
Being a former school custodian of a Southern NJ school dist (Winslow Twp, NJ) that was privitized in June of 2010, I can tell you what is going to happen. First you will get a janitorial co that will make it sound like they are going to save the BOE so much money that it will come out of the walls of the schools. Wrong.
You will not see your taxes go down and each year you will see the cost of the service go up. Our current service (Aramark) is asking for 100,000 increase this year alone. This is not including the month to month cost that were suppose to be under control by laying off all of us custodians, maintaince and grounds workers. Last May (2011) the quarterly bill for extra services for running the district was an extra $90,000.
They will not be able to keep good help and will always be hiring, like they do here in Winslow (just check out Craigslist for South Jersey and type in janitor or custodian, it will say Camden County) and last year alone several were arrested for dealing drugs to students. This is what you will get, oh and lots of Mexicans that don't belong here and unclean classrooms besides.
It's sad that when money needs to get cut the custodian is first to go.
Also, Tommy P, I am sorry you think that it's just about cleaning toilets and that anyone can do it. I have my NJ Black Seal lic, NJ IPM Management cert and many class room hours learning about MRSA, C DIFF, OHSA, P OHSA and other neat things.
karen coles
7:29 am on Saturday, May 12, 2012
great e-mail we would love for you to bring this up at the at the board of ed meeting this thur night at 700 ediison school.come help your fellow custodians
Tommy P
6:10 pm on Thursday, May 10, 2012
Joe, I full understand there is a difference among individuals, I also understand a poorly worded government contract can cost the government quite a bit. But those overages are avoidable. Even if the contract were horrible, and we were hit with an additional $30,000 in fees per month, its still a savings of a new car every month for we the tax payers. Will our taxes go down much, probably not since they will spending the "savings" else where, but money is fungible, until we look at everything we will cut nothing but the taxpayers' budgets.
The increases are subject to competitive bid, the increases in salary are automatic, and health care insurance costs continue to skyrocket. The custodians in Fair Lawn had their chance, they didn't want to give back the $34,600 over payment per person on average, they should enjoy 100% of $0. If they really wanted their jobs they should have had their friends and family at the BoE supporting their plan to concede the same (or most of the) $450,000 Aramark is going to save us. Instead they demanded the plunder continue.
Allan E. Fineberg
6:17 pm on Thursday, May 10, 2012
Joe M: "oh and lots of Mexicans that don't belong here;" nice work, Joe, throwing in a touch of jingoism once in while. Just keep on trolling.
johnlex@aol.com
5:32 pm on Thursday, May 31, 2012
Why not get rid of some HIGH PAID FAT AT THE TOP! Usually any normal board would cut from the top down. Why not have the town adiministrator take over for the BOE. Why not let the town DPW take over buildings and grounds. Can any bodies be chopped from Admin? Did the district consider outsourcing any of the child study team.....the county does this.what about the nursing staff......The powers to be as the superintendent what about all his fat perks...did he give back............nope only the taxpaying homegrown custodians....A COMPLETE SHAME...STRANGERS WITH OUR CHILDREN.IS IT WORTH THESAVINGS.I RECENTLY READ ABOUT A PERVERT WORKING FOR ONE OF THESE COMPANIES.ARE KIDS ARE WORTH MORE!
Had Enough
1:51 am on Friday, June 1, 2012
The patch reported a BOE employee in Tomsriver was charged with child porn. Let's cut where it hurts least first. The top is next, by law the super position will lose 50k in comp when the term is up.