Sunday, March 08, 2009

Outsourcing and expectations

Grounds workers for the Seminole County School Board may have to start looking for new jobs if the school board in this northeast Florida county goes through with its plan to outsource its grounds maintenance, reports the Orlando Sentinel the other day.

Not unexpectedly, these same 26 grounds workers aren’t very happy, and have appealed to their union for help.

The school board says it’s facing a $64-million cut in state funding. It reportedly spends $867,000 annually on the salaries and benefits of the grounds workers who maintain 70 sites within the school district.

The school board is accepting bids for grounds maintenance until the end of March. Thirty-six companies had expressed interest by the end of the first week of March.

It will be interesting to see how much the school board can save by outsourcing grounds maintenance. Or, what kind of service it can get if it goes the low-bid route. — Ron Hall

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