Standing Up to Contracting-Out in Our Schools
Protecting Students' Health and Safety, Keeping Services Local
Preston School Bus Drivers Chapter Bargaining Team Members Pearl Potter, Charlotte Fenton, Becky Boenig, and Sherry Guertin at a Town Meeting on Outsourcing in April
All our members who drive students to and from school, keep classrooms clean and safe, and prepare healthy meals in the cafeteria are committed to provide a quality experience to the children they serve. Those who are employed by local school districts and regional education service centers understand that the best way to preserve the services they provide is to keep them under the close eye of local elected officials, and not to entrust them to unaccountable corporate contractors.
Some school districts' superintendents and even some members of local boards of education have responded to the economic crisis facing all our communities by proposing that these vital services be contracted-out to private, for-profit food vendors. We believe it is irresponsible to balance a school district's budget at the expense of the health or safety of our community's children and local working families who are struggling in this difficult economy.
When we learned of a scheme to outsource food services in Windham
Public Schools in 2009, our members began mobilizing public pressure to
move education officials to reject it. The "lunch ladies" spoke out at
school board meetings, shared their concerns with the local news media,
organized support among parents and ultimately beat back a proposal to
contract-out the cafeteria services in the district.
When the Preston Board of Education voted to conduct a study into
contracting-out their district's school bus services earlier this year,
our members who carry the community's most precious cargo mobilized.
Parents and advocates understand the value of a community-based
approach to preserving vital services, too, and are joining our members
in opposing a scheme that puts the reliability of Preston's student
transportation in the hands of an outside, profit-driven company that
may not have their best interests in mind.
Members have since launched a petition drive to gather signatures from
residents who believe Preston's school bus services should remain
local. They delivered hundreds to the Board of Education and moved school officials to table the proposal to contract-out local bus services -- for now.
Then, after community allies forced school officials to reveal that outsourcing would actually cost taxpayers more that keeping bus services local, the board voted to give up plans for privatization. Their decision puts the issue to rest and allows our members to focus on maintaining quality student transportation for the community.
Blog entry on news coverage of members' success in keeping Preston school bus services local
"I Support Local School Bus Services in Preston" petition form (print on legal-size paper)
ReminderNews Article on members speaking-out at a Preston Town Meeting
Preston May 10 school board meeting notice and action alert leaflet
Blog entry on efforts to keep Preston school bus services safe, reliable, and local
Blog entry on our members' victory in defeating the Windham schools' privatization proposal
Entry at SEIU Blog on campaign to keep Windham food services local
"Help Keep Windham Schools' Food Services Local" leaflet
