GCA Takes Over in Nashville’s Public Schools

Nearly 600 custodians returned to work in Nashville’s public schools Thursday, but with lower pay and a new boss. Many who were not rehired warmed seats in the unemployment office.

The Metro School Board chose to outsource custodial work in order to cut more than $5 million from the city’s budget.

Melvin Covington, who was the head custodian at Gateway Elementary, expected to have first dibs on his job when outsourcing began. Covington reapplied for his job, but never heard from the contractor.

“One of the representatives came out and told me that I wasn’t hired for the company. And that was it, no explanation of why…no nothing.”

Former head custodian at Carter Lawrence Elementary, Preston Birdsong, chose to take retirement instead of a pay cut.

Most of Birdsong’s staff who reapplied with GCA got rehired. Birdsong says those that weren’t may not have deserved to keep their jobs.

“I know that there were one or two that couldn’t work for me because of their work habits. If I was running a business, there’s a couple of them that I would not hire back because of the problems that I had with them on the job site.”

Of the roughly 70 employees who have not been rehired some, like Birdsong, qualified for retirement. Metro Schools Director Jesse Register says the others either failed a background check or were not recommended by their principal.