Outsourcing May Help Metro Schools Avoid Past Mistakes

In order to save five million dollars in this tight budget year, Metro Nashville Schools is proposing cutting their more than 600 janitors and maintenance workers, and outsourcing all that work. The district did this same cost-cutting move unsuccessfully in the early 1990s, so they are trying to go about it a different way.

From 1991 to 1994 Metro Schools outsourced their night custodial work to several different contractors. Janitors on the day shift remained under the management of the district. This approach caused problems. Training, equipment, and expectations were not consistent. Joe Edgens, who has overseen maintenance for two decades, says it was hard to hold workers accountable when work wasn’t up to par.

“A lot of times you had finger-pointing if something wasn’t done. It was your people, it was our people, it was the contracted people, no it was this people, so there was a little bit of confusion there.”

Edgens says to avoid issues this time around the district is going to hire one large, established company to take over all maintenance and custodial work.

The district is finalizing its request for proposals now. In it, they’re requesting current employees get first dibs at the contracted jobs. The district is asking 401k and health benefits be provided.