Detroit Schools To Outsource Maintenance, Engineering
DETROIT (WWJ) District officials says it's a huge money-saving move for the Detroit Public Schools. DPS expects to save $75 million by outsourcing school maintenance and engineering services Maryland-based Sodexo Inc. and seven local companies.
In making the announcement, Thursday, DPS Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb said the plan will eliminate 823 budgeted positions, in a five-year contract that begins late next month.
Bobb says it will also generate nearly $150,000 and greatly reduce pension costs.
"This is about reinventing Detroit Public Schools and redirecting resources to the classroom," said Bobb.
"At the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves, 'What is our core mission?' Is our core mission cleaning schools? We need clean and well-kept facilities. However, our core mission is educating students," he said.
"This agreement will allow DPS to focus on our primary mission - educating students to perform at high academic levels - while achieving significant savings by turning support functions such as cleaning, maintenance, and grounds upkeep over to professional managers whose expertise falls in that area," Bobb said.
Bobb's decision to privatize those services will affect nearly 700 current employees.
"As I told the union leadership, not everyone's happy, obviously. They have to do what they have to do... I have to do what I have to do," Bobb said.
"Can there be legal challenges? Obviously, yes. Are we prepared to meet those legal challenges? Very definitely, yes," he said.
This move is just part of part Bobb's deficit elimination plan that also calls for closing schools and increasing class sizes. Officials say these and other measures are needed to deal with the districts $327 million budget deficit.
You can follow Detroit Public Schools on Twitter at www.twitter.com/detroitk12.
Stay with WWJ for more on this story.
