Privatization Problems Make News
The problems associated with the privatization of support services in school districts (and other levels of government, for that matter) have been reported for years. The following is a sampling of stories found in local newspapers that illustrate some of the problems that school districts have had with contracted services:
Contractor’s neglect leads to increased costs
“With more Palm Beach County parents and teachers complaining about air quality in the classrooms each year, and more air- conditioning equipment needing untimely replacement, school board members said they're ready to spend up to $2 million a year on preventive maintenance.
About $1.1 million will pay for more than 10 senior air- conditioning technicians and a dozen building mechanics, helping to restore a school maintenance department that a private management company stripped in the late 1990s.
That company, ServiceMaster, promised to save millions of dollars by cutting more than 100 jobs. Regularly changing air filters, cleaning coils and fixing exhaust fans are tasks that improve air quality and ensure a long, useful life for the equipment. But they also are the kind of work that the district's slimmed-down maintenance staff has let slide, school officials said.
‘If it weren't for some maintenance workers who basically ignored the (ServiceMaster) company and went out to do the work on their own, we'd be even further behind,’ said… the school district's environmental control officer. ServiceMaster lasted 18 months with the school district before it was fired in February 2000. The school board took that action after rising complaints from principals and parents that school maintenance was declining.” (Palm Beach Post, 02/27/2003)
'Service' situation worsens
In an effort to alleviate a mold crisis, District 303 in Illinois hired ServiceMaster to oversee its maintenance operations, signing a 5-year agreement at nearly $500,000 per year.
According to a local columnist, a little over a year after the company was hired, "the list of complaints is long and growing longer…The biggest complaint is the schools are not being cleaned properly – if at all. Teachers and principals report contending with unswept and unwashed floors, uncollected trash and garbage and unanswered requests for maintenance.
"Concerns and complaints are also being voiced by the district’s permanent employees, who report they are being forced to perform duties that contractually are ServiceMaster’s responsibility…
"Finally, there is the question of maintenance supplies…It is also an area that ServiceMaster has exploited fully for their benefit. Unlike previous years where supplies came from a variety of sources, most of the maintenance and cleaning products now used in District 303 come from ServiceMaster or their subsidiaries.
"In addition, to ensure only their products are used, ServiceMaster employs interesting techniques, such as changing towel and toilet tissue dispensers so the only paper goods that fit are their own brands.
"Getting rid of ServiceMaster will not be easy; they have over three years left on a five-year agreement and breaking the contract will be costly. However, the price of ridding the district of them may prove to be money well spent and a savings in the long run." (Kane County Chronicle, 1/14/03)
District severs cleaning contract
Citing "ongoing performance issues," the Appleton Board of Education on Monday cancelled its custodial cleaning services contract with Aramark Facilities. The cancellation comes on the heels of an incident in which an Aramark employee was charged with indecent exposure at (an) elementary school on Nov. 15.
Aramark initially said (the employee) had no criminal record, but a further check showed he had an extensive criminal history. Although (the employee) was fired, (the superintendent) declared the oversight "too big of a mistake." (Appleton Post-Crescent, 12/11/2001)
Board pays $1.5 million to get out of agreement
"A 10-year contract for maintenance and custodial services may have sounded great six years ago, but the Dayton Board of Education was so unhappy with the deal that it agreed Thursday to pay ServiceMaster $1.5 million to go away…
"(The) district's head of business operations who spearheaded the effort to spike the deal… said dumping ServiceMaster will save Dayton schools $1 million a year. The contract annually costs about $2.4 million and had more than three years remaining. The vote to end the deal was unanimous…
"ServiceMaster employed five people in Dayton -- two supervisors, an engineer, a trainer, and a secretary. Sullivan said he will replace them with two people -- a facilities manager to handle daily operations and an engineer to manage construction projects…
"Under the deal, ServiceMaster also supplied cleaning supplies and equipment at no extra cost. But there were problems in those areas, too. The district frequently complained that ServiceMaster withheld maintenance on equipment to save money and sent fewer cleaning supplies every year." (Dayton Daily News, 09/28/2001)
Williamson County students return to 'filthy' schools
"Williamson County students returned to dirty schools. Filthy is the adjective used by several county school board members. And the school board is giving its new janitorial contractor, Service Master, until October 1 to clean up or ship out.
"The board… [sent] a letter to Service Master citing them in default of the $2.2 million annual contract signed last spring to clear the way for booting the firm if the schools are not cleaned according to contract specifications…
"[A] board member… called the schools a 'disgrace' and demanded [that the company executive] come up with a timetable to correct the deficiencies. The harried Service Master executive, who is in charge of a three-state mid-south area for the national company…apologized to the school board for the cleaning problems. He blamed those problems on difficulty finding and retaining a labor force." (Review-Appeal, Franklin, TN 08/23/2000)
Drivers fired after kids are left on buses
"Two incidents involving a child being left aboard a school bus at the end of a route occurred last month in Hillside, and in both cases the driver was fired (by Laidlaw Education Services, the district's school bus operator...
"(The) School Superintendent... has apologized to the parents of the... students, one of whom was a 6-year-old special education student left on a bus parked in neighboring Irvington for several hours until being noticed by a passer-by who called police.
"However, the firings of the drivers, and an aide, may have only exacerbated the busing problem in the school district amid a shortage of qualified bus drivers.
"The shortage of drivers impacts service delivery, and the problem means sometimes there is a shortage of buses for us,’ (the district's business manager) said. 'I talked to Laidlaw about gaps in our service. The service has been marginal, and at times very problematic and unacceptable...'
"(A School) Board member...said, 'It's a difficult situation because bus drivers are hard to find. It's a low-paying job, and the pay is not an incentive for them to pay good attention to what they're doing.'
...The situation is different in the neighboring Union Township School District, which operates its own bus service. Largely because the district offers employee benefits, and private carriers do not, there is no shortage of bus operators.
"(The) Union Township Assistant Superintendent...said there have been no problems in the school district related to children left on buses or in finding enough qualified drivers. 'It works for us,' he said of the district providing busing. 'It... works well and it's cost-effective, that's why we do it.'" (The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), 10/9/2003)
School bus contract canceled
"Bibb County school officials have canceled their contract with Laidlaw school bus company, citing concerns about the overall management of the school busing system. 'We have had problems with the buses that are well known in this community,' said (the) Superintendent... 'We just don't believe that Laidlaw has effectively managed the busing system, and problems have recently gotten worse.'
"The main gripe of school officials has been Laidlaw's lack of consistency, contending that too much turnover in its management team has led to many problems, including sinking morale among school bus drivers, who are employed by the school system.
"In addition, more than a month into the school year, many children continue to arrive at school late and are dropped off at bus stops hours after school has ended, (the superintendent) said. 'When these kids are late and not getting to school on time, it affects the overall climate across the district,' said (the Superintendent), who is among several administrators who have been swamped with calls from irate parents and teachers about the busing delays." ( MaconTelegraph.com (Macon, GA), 09/19/2003)
Bus drivers go public with concerns
"Some school buses carrying students in a northwest Valley school district have had ongoing safety problems, including broken latches on emergency exits and broken stop arms, according to inspection records and bus drivers.
"State law says that buses with such defects should not be on the road. At least three bus drivers say they are willing to risk their jobs with Laidlaw Education Services, a private company that runs the district's buses, to make their concerns public…
"Documents from August 2002 through April show unsafe conditions on at least seven of the buses in the Dysart Unified School District. The fast-growing district has 9,200 students, more than half of them traveling on school buses.
"'We're a group of people who want to let the community know what is going on,' said… a three-year bus driver and former driver trainer. 'Some of these buses shouldn't be on the road.'…
The drivers waited five hours Tuesday night to speak to Dysart School Board members about having to drive buses without radios to communicate with dispatchers, being forced to continue on routes with unsafe buses and the lack of oversight that allows some drivers, including trainers, to get away with not inspecting buses….
"(The) Laidlaw district manager… offered to pay an outside investigator to inspect buses to appease board members. They took him up on the offer. Several problems noted in the inspection records include exit windows that are hard to open, audible air leaks under gas and brake pedals, inoperative horns, broken or ripped bumpers and broken windows…
"Other problems shown in the records are considered minor defects, such as broken gauges and inoperative latches on windows, and must be fixed within 15 working days. The records show that both major and minor safety complaints were noted for several weeks at a time, but buses continued on their usual routes…
"Drivers said they have been talking to local management, but their concerns are simply brushed off. (One driver), now a bus driver for the Alhambra School District, said he was fired last month from Laidlaw because he refused to take out an unsafe bus.
"'The oil and power steering fluids were not registering on the sticks,' (he) said… 'I told them, 'I will not put kids on this bus and I will not drive it. When you find me a bus that is fit to transport these kids, you call me.''…
"(The Laidlaw) Branch Manager fired (that driver). She wrote in an April 14 letter that he was being fired because he had been argumentative about route issues, the condition of equipment and...refusal to operate an assigned spare bus…
"(A Laidlaw trainer) said she stepped down as a trainer because she was being asked to sign off on training forms for drivers she had not trained without proof that they had completed the required tests. 'Local management has not done their job,' (she) said…
"In October, a DPS audit found Laidlaw driver training 'files were very disorganized and poorly kept ... most of the driver evaluation sheets were missing. Those that were available were usually not filled out correctly and/or completely.'"(Arizona Republic, 05/15/2003)
Bus service headaches arise
"Parent and staff complaints about student bus service at both Niles West and Niles North high schools are up by about 50 percent this fall, with a new bus company providing the service.
"District 219 hired Alltown Bus Company to replace prior contractor Durham Bus School Services because of service complaints last year. But parents and staff report even more problems with Alltown since the start of this school year, officials say.
"Troubles include buses missing stops and leaving students stranded, drivers not knowing routes, and students riding on the floor of overcrowded buses. Both schools 'are not satisfied with the current operation,' said...(the) district transportation director.
"'It has been embarrassing to handle calls from parents and our own staff to explain the problems we're experiencing...'(A memo by the transportation director to the school board) says buses have passed up students waiting at corners, not followed designated routes and been late.
"Parents have complained about buses not arriving to pick up their children. The schools have experienced lengthy delays in waiting for extra buses to arrive, and telephone communication with the company has been poor." (Lincolnwood Review, Lincolnwood, IL, 9/26/2002)
Busing snafus mar schools’ start
"Late-running school buses have been leaving children waiting at bus stops as long as an hour, according to Waltham parents and school officials. Revamped bus routes and an influx of new drivers have resulted in some drivers making erroneous stops and running behind schedule, said officials from the schools and Laidlaw Education Services, which supplies the buses...
"School officials said occasional transportation snafus are expected at the beginning of each school year, but not to this extreme.
"'We've never had this kind of problem before,' said (the superintendent). 'Every year we have some problems with new drivers, but never of this magnitude.'...
"(One parent) said his two children, ages 5 and 7, were picked up more than an hour late one morning last week. 'Every day there is a different driver in the morning, a different [one] in the afternoon. Every day [the school bus driver] comes a different time and a different way,' said (the parent)." (Boston Globe, 9/19/2002)
District demands new manager for its bus company
"The Oregon Trail School District superintendent is demanding a new transportation manager from its bus company following a May school bus accident that sent 12 people to hospitals. No one was seriously injured in the crash, but (the superintendent)...said that the way the district's bus company, First Student Inc., and its manager...handled the crash was appalling...
"(The superintendent) said she didn't learn of the details of the crash, including the number of injuries, until a television station reporter called her...
"On June 26, a lawyer for the school district sent a strongly worded letter to...First Student's Pacific Northwest Region senior vice president. The letter asked that Oregon Trail's regional manager...be replaced with 'a qualified individual.'
In the letter, the school board also asked for new procedures to prevent further accidents and communications problems. The letter states that actions surrounding the accident constitute a breach of contract and could lead to cancellation of the bus contract...
"(The superintendent) said that a survey of parents under way at the time of the crash showed that parents have been frustrated with the bus company.
"The district administrators are aware of other issues. Four former Sandy bus drivers filed complaints with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries saying they were treated unfairly by (the First Student regional manager). All four women bus drivers were fired in June 2000 by First Student. All four say they were let go for raising concerns over discrimination and other problems within the Sandy operation of the bus company." (The Oregonian, 7/18/2002)
Martin dumps school bus company
"The Martin County School Board snatched the keys to its school buses away from Laidlaw on Tuesday night, ending its three-year relationship with the beleaguered bus company.
"The school board's unanimous decision not to extend Laidlaw's three-year, $12 million contract came amid heated controversy about the company's operations and hiring practices, particularly during the past month.
The company's tenure in Martin County will end in early June, at which point the school district will resume supervising and operating its roughly 100 school buses...
"Amid recent questions about the company's hiring practices and its reluctance to disclose public information about its operations, school board members said they had lost confidence in the company that the school district welcomed aboard in 1999.
"'It's like they have a cloud over their heads and nothing they do goes right,' (a) board member... said. 'You have to ask if they contributed to that.'
The board voted quickly and without debate after (the) Schools Superintendent...recommended that Laidlaw's contract not be renewed. She said later that she had lost confidence in the company and that it had been violating its own policies and procedures.
"As if to underscore the board members' concerns, a bus driven by a Laidlaw employee ran off the road and tipped over in Palm City Tuesday afternoon, moments after dropping off 51 elementary school students...
"Laidlaw stumbled into the line of fire late last month when it was revealed that a bus driver transported students for more than seven months after being arrested on a felony burglary charge and being accused by middle school students of sexual harassment. A Palm Beach Post investigation also revealed that the company had hired a former drug addict recently out of jail, a supervisor falsified a medical document and officials failed to do complete reference checks before hiring another employee who later crashed a bus." (Palm Beach Post, 5/22/2002)
Privatized lunches have students packing meals
"(The food) being served in cafeterias since District 150 privatized its food service has students and School Board members alike turning up their noses...
"(One high school senior) ate pizza the first full day of school. 'It wasn't even all the way cooked,' she reported. The second day, she had a deli sandwich. The third day, she brown-bagged it. 'I think it's really, really bad this year,' (she) said. 'I haven't heard anyone say they like it.'
"In May, District 150 voted to switch from its own food service, which lost about $400,000 last year, to a $2.4 million contract with Aramark, headquartered in Philadelphia, after the company promised a 20 percent increase in meals served...
"The School Board initially voted against switching to Aramark, but then the company gave its written guarantee about how many meals it would serve.
(The superintendent said) she hadn't heard any complaints about the lunches, but (the) board president... said he's heard plenty, including small hamburgers and marinara sauce being counted as a vegetable.
"'I know that at least three of the high schools and some of the middle schools, the organization is not there,' (he) said. 'The people I've talked to said they're not going to eat. This is not what this was intended to do,' he said...
"(Another board member ate lunch) with his first-grade son...The entree was chicken nuggets or a pretzel. 'It was pretty much a mess when I went there,' (he) said. 'The last kids got through 20 minutes after they got in line...It was very chaotic. Maybe it was growing pains, but we really need to address these before parents and students decide it's not worth it.'" (Peoria Journal-Star, 9/3/2003)
District in the kitchen again: School lunchroom shake-up
"Sodexho Marriott -- the private company that had managed food service for Leon County schools since 1998 -- is gone, ending the school district's first large-scale foray into privatization. This means the district has again assumed the responsibilities and problems of feeding breakfast and lunch to thousands of kids…
"(The company) decided to bow out of its relationship with Leon County last fall. The company had failed a state audit four times because of poor bookkeeping before passing it in the fall…
"'My expectations were not fulfilled in this particular venture,' (the) Superintendent…said. 'So we parted ways.'…
"(The) executive director for food and transportation services…said Sodexho Marriott's bookkeeping problems were related mainly to the number of free and reduced lunches the district claims for federal reimbursement.
"For instance, he said the district once underclaimed 37 meals at Ruediger Elementary because of a computer glitch. 'It's just simply making sure that your numbers match,' he said. 'It comes down to counting. It's as simple as that.'
"Sodexho Marriott finally passed the Florida Department of Education audit this past fall while under temporary contract with the district. (The food service director) and (a spokesperson for the company) said food service employees for both the district and Sodexho Marriott worked long hours to ensure success.
"But both said the previous failures were not because of a lack of effort by either side. 'We tried our best,' (the company spokesperson) said. 'And we just couldn't work it out for the first four audits. And that's not good.'" (Tallahassee Democrat, 1/18/03)
School lunchroom gets poor report;
students boycotting lunch program
"(A student) said she stopped eating lunch served at Cheney Academy of Math and Science about two weeks ago after she found something in her bread that looked like black and brown mold.
"'I'm paying $2 to get a lunch,' said the 13-year-old (student), who is among dozens students who began boycotting the lunch program at the Willow Run school because of concerns about food quality. 'I should be able to eat the food that I pay for.'
"A report obtained by The Ann Arbor News on Tuesday through a Freedom of Information Act request indicates...students may have had reason for concern. Earlier this month, a county inspection of food service at Cheney, which is provided by Chartwells, an outside vender, found food kept at improper temperatures and food packages that lacked expiration dates.
"The problems were corrected by the time the county made a follow-up visit 10 days later. Following an Oct. 8 visit to Cheney, an inspector with the Washtenaw County Department of Environmental Health wrote: 'A large quantity of turkey and ham sandwiches were being served without cold holding capabilities. Sandwiches were at 68 to 90 degrees, Fahrenheit. Some sandwiches were under a heat light. Also, cold tuna and potato salad served without cold holding capabilities (was found). These items can cause death by listeria contamination and must be held at less than 41 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe.'...
"In addition, the report noted: 'Lunch meats, potato salads (and) salad meats not supplied with seven-day maximum use-by dates.'
"In conclusion, the inspector wrote: 'I am very concerned about food safety...We need to have more accountability of food safety procedures in the elementary schools.'...
"Middle school students at Cheney complained to teachers this month that their cafeteria food tasted bad...The students began researching school food services and writing letters to district and food service officials requesting better food.
"They also instituted the boycott. 'There are only a few people left who are eating the lunch,' said (one) student...She said some of them may be doing so because they participate in the federal free and reduced-price lunch program. 'I think it's a shame that someone has to eat something they don't like because they're hungry,' she said.” (Ann Arbor News, 10/30/2002)
More woe for school cafeteria workers;
Contractor, fired by Wayne, ends benefit
"'Employee treatment' was among the reasons the school board ended its working relationship with Chartwells Educational Food Service Inc., a North Carolina-based company that employs the district's 57 cafeteria workers.
"Employees complained that their paychecks often fell short or were lost by the company, and their employer would take months to correct the mistake. Over holiday breaks, employees had to submit self-addressed envelopes to the company to receive their paycheck.
"And when employees requested kitchen supplies from the company -- such as bleach, oven trays, and pot holders -- they received lame excuses instead.
"'They were a nasty, rotten company,' said (the) president of the Wayne Cafeteria Association. 'I think they took advantage of these women because most of them are foreign and don't speak English well.'
"Now that the school board declined to renew its three-year contract with Chartwells, the food service employer has terminated the cafeteria workers' health benefits. Based on a contract with the Wayne Cafeteria Association -- one that is separate from the contract with the school board -- the food service company is under obligation to provide its employees with health coverage through Aug. 31.
"Last week, however, employees received notification from Aetna, their health insurance provider, that benefits had been terminated June 21, and anyone who required continued coverage should file COBRA paperwork...
"(The Superintendent) said the school board is optimistic that the district's new food service company -- Fine Host Corp. -- will do a better job than its predecessor. 'They seem nice,' (the president of Wayne Cafeteria Association) said. 'But Chartwells was nice in the beginning too.'" (The Record [Bergen County, NJ], 07/26/2002)
Atlanta schools dispute bill for unused food
"The federal government donated 124 tons of turkey and other food to Atlanta schools, but the food was thrown away after sitting unused since January 2000, WAGA-TV in Atlanta reported Wednesday. The state Department of Education said Atlanta public schools should pay $202,074.65 for the food, since it went unused.
"School officials said they expect Aramark, the company that administers Atlanta schools' food services, to pay for the food. (An) Aramark spokesman...said that the company 'is honoring its contractual obligations in this matter,' in an e-mail statement Thursday." (Gwinnett Daily Post [Lawrenceville, GA], 11/16/2001)
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