Gilmer County to Privatize Custodial Services/Current Concerns

Mr. Dorsey refined the picture of the arrangement:

“They (the new company) would attrition out some (employees) and they’d cut rates. So at some point, we could potentially be saving between 4 and $500,000.”

Gilmer County is set to privatize custodial services for Gilmer County School District.

At the Board of Education meeting in April, Superintendent Dorsey said he was contacted by a company interested in providing custodial services for Gilmer County Schools. Presently, the county provides its own custodial services with a staff of about 40 workers county-wide. In April, the Board was told the county would explore the option of outsourcing custodial services.
Following the April meeting, with the decision to privatize custodial services, the county advertised a proposal for the contract. As such, five companies responded, submitting bids for the proposal. One company, however, withdrew its bid and, according to Mr. Greg Wingo, Director of Secondary Curriculum, Gifted Education, Parent Involvement, and Facilities/Maintenance, the bids have been narrowed down to two companies. The four initial bidders were, Aramark, Facilico, Rite Way, and Southern Management. After reviewing the bids, touring facilities that use the bidders’ services, and getting feedback from the bidders’ employees, the bids have been narrowed down to Rite Way and Southern Management. Messrs. Dorsey and Wingo have scheduled meetings with both companies to give board members more information at this Tuesday night’s BOE meeting.
Several concerns were voiced on this issue at last Thursday’s workshop. First, how much will the privatization of custodial services save for the county? When asked about the savings of such an arrangement, Mr. Dorsey said,

“Conservatively, $300,000 annually in savings for having our schools cleaned.”

Later, though, when Board Chairperson Kathy W. Jones asked if custodial employees will still have their jobs when the new company assumes management, Mr. Dorsey refined the picture of the arrangement:

“They (the new company) would attrition out some (employees) and they’d cut rates. So at some point, we could potentially be saving between 4 and $500,000.”

This brings up another concern: will the current custodial employees keep their jobs when the new company begins to provide services for the county? Dorsey’s comment came on the heels of a statement revealing the bidders’ business assessment of Gilmer County’s current custodial situation:

“In both companies’ minds,” he said, “we are overstaffed.”

The Superintendent reassured board members, though, that from his observations, when he toured facilities who use the services of the companies in question, that the employees said they were satisfied with their employers. Further research of the companies is still required.

“We think the two companies we’ve narrowed it down to are so similar,” Dorsey said, “we have asked to meet with the management teams, so that we can ask some more questions and get a feel for the people that we’ll be working with.”

With the prospect of privatizing custodial services for Gilmer County Schools, can the county save more money by privatizing other areas?
The Board will further discuss the privatization of custodial services and other issues at the Board of Education Meeting at 6pm tonight at Gilmer County Department of Education, 467 Bobcat Trail in Ellijay.

Mr. Wingo Presents Privatization of Custodial Services at 6-9-11 BOE Workshop from Fetch on Vimeo.