Bids being accepted to privatize school care

Schools say no action planned at this time on before and after care program

Friday, Sept. 5, 2008

Sella works for both the Calvert Education Association — the teachers union — and the Calvert Association of Educational Support Staff. CAESS represents all employees of the Calvert County public school system except teachers and administrators.

In a meeting at Calvert High School Thursday, Sept. 3, Sella and members of the CAESS staff spoke to before and after care providers about privatizing — contracting to another source — the before and after care program and what that could mean for current employees.

Sella told participants at the meeting that he first caught word of the situation through the grapevine last week. He and president of CAESS, Stephen Brooks, then sat down with Robin Welsh, Calvert County public school’s assistant superintendent of administrative and legal services.

At that time, according to Sella, the idea to privatize was in the information gathering stages. However, he was able to obtain a draft of a request for proposal. A request for proposal is an invitation for suppliers to submit a proposal on a service. This is often done as a bid.

Sella said the proposal, to him, is more than just information gathering.

Since 2004, employees of the before and after care program had been receiving benefits and salaries from the school system. This agreement was part of a controversial contract negotiation period between the school system and both unions.

During the last contract negotiation period in 2007 both sides of negotiations agreed that communications were fair and both the school system and unions for teachers and support staff were looking out for the best interest of employees.

Sella said he is now disturbed that the school system has not been more forthcoming about the before and after care program.

According to Welsh, even with the review of proposal out to various bidders, the topic is still purely a discussion.

Welsh said the idea to consider privatizing came up in a board conversation and the school system staff had too little information on the process to give board members, so the review proposals went out on the premises that based on the responses, questions from the board would be answered such as how this change would look and specifically how it would play out.

Calvert County Board of Education President Frank Parish said that currently the option to privatize the program is only a study.

Board member Eugene Karol said that while he had been on vacation for the past two weeks, he was of the understanding that this matter was just in the discussion phases and that no decision was being made at this time. Karol said the board is looking at options, but that was all.

‘‘Someone would have to do a lot of convincing to me,” he said of changing the way the program is operating now.

While Karol admitted that he was not very close to the program he said he is under the impression that ‘‘the program is working very well.”

According to Sella, the possibility of contracting out the program is a threat to the jobs of the current before and after care providers.

Sella said he sees the care providers as people who ‘‘nurture [children], help them with homework and provide them with someplace safe.”

To Elizabeth Harris, a parent at St. Leonard Elementary School with a son in the before care program, it would be an ‘‘injustice.”

Harris said after the meeting Thursday that if the program is contracted out, ‘‘people who are unfamiliar with our children will be taking care of our children.” Harris’ son, Kaleb, 9, said he has known his day care providers for a long time and likes them.

Before and after care providers were noticeably upset Thursday at the thought of not only losing their jobs but losing the relationships they have made with children and parents at their respective schools.

Phyllis Lyles has been a care provider at Mt. Harmony Elementary School for 15 years.

‘‘I am out of my bed every morning at 4 a.m. It’s not for the money, it is for the children,” she said.

Lyles said she loves the children in her care and she loves the parents at her location and doesn’t understand how the school system could ‘‘just take our jobs from under us like that.”

Welsh said that she completely understands the concerns Sella has, as well as those of parents and employees. She said the school system is putting all of its energy into the best interest of student learning and looking at many areas of school system operations. She said at this time the request for proposal means nothing more than a means to gather information.

Sella said the board would review the bids at its meeting on Sept. 11, though Welsh said this would not happen.

Welsh said while the request for proposal has a bid closing date, the board would not be making any decision and wouldn’t even have had the opportunity to collect the data gathered in the proposals.

She said a bid closing date had to be put on the proposal because ‘‘requests for proposals have to be specific.”

Sella recommended that employees and parents speak out against this action via calls and e-mails to the board.