School savings: Without concessions, outsourcing an option

A consultant's analysis of Clark County School District spending has laid bare one of the system's greatest inefficiencies: It is overpaying some support staff by nearly $18 million per year.

Texas consultant Greg Gibson, charged with recommending how to improve student achievement at the lowest possible cost to taxpayers, has suggested that the school district outsource about 1,500 custodian positions and about 1,300 transportation jobs. During a Monday meeting of the School Board, Mr. Gibson reiterated that his recommendation was a "last resort" if support staff wouldn't agree to salary and benefit reductions in new contract talks.

The Education Support Employees Association, which represents custodians, bus drivers, food service workers and other non-instructional staff, doesn't have a contract in place for this school year or next year. It has firmly resisted district demands for contract concessions, even though the valley's collapsed economy can't produce enough tax revenue to sustain the district's current payroll.

New Superintendent Dwight Jones has insisted that classroom instruction be the overriding priority of the school district. It's a righteous position. School district administrators, trustees and educators can't complain about a lack of funding for critical educational needs when private-sector workers can, starting tomorrow, do the jobs of roughly 2,800 district workers for so much less.

It begs the question of why the school district was willing to overpay for these services for so long, and why it never considered outsourcing sooner.

The district would save about $10.4 million outsourcing custodian jobs and $7.2 million on bus drivers, managers and supervisors. That money could be used to bolster remedial or advanced placement classes -- whatever Mr. Jones and principals decide will do the most good.

The primary argument against outsourcing, made by the union and its allies, holds that profit-motivated businesses can't be trusted to vet applicants who might pose safety risks to students. But Mr. Gibson pointed out that contracts with private companies could require the same background checks the district currently conducts for its work force.

Besides, the school district has nothing approaching a perfect hiring record. Several school district employees, both teachers and support staff, have been convicted of sex crimes against students over the past decade-plus. And any business that lands such a lucrative contract knows that hiring even a single thief, drunk or child molester would almost certainly cost them the deal.

Mr. Jones currently has the authority to outsource these jobs without the School Board's authorization. Trustees on Monday discussed changing district policy to require their input, as well as input from the public, in such a decision. The board appears to support Mr. Jones, but never underestimate the influence organized labor can exert.

But if the union is smart, it will return to the bargaining table and agree to significant concessions as soon as possible.