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A Letter to the Metro School Board

SEIU Proposes A Solution Which Saves Jobs

The following letter was sent to members of the Metro Nashville Public Schools board of education regarding Dr. Jesse Register's proposed budget for MNPS.

Dear Board Member,

SEIU Local 205 wants to be part of the solution in addressing the serious problems with Dr. Register’s budget proposal, which as you know proposes outsourcing custodians and groundskeepers as well as a reduction in hours for bus drivers.

We fully support and recommend the following actions:
  1. Adjustments where necessary to correspond with comparative school districts throughout the state with administrative staff-to-student ratios; not just in the central office, but throughout the school system.
  2. Evaluate all contracted services currently proposed in the draft budget (approximately $17 million, not including the outsourcing proposal for custodians and groundskeepers) to find cost savings either through eliminating non-essential services or through using existing MNPS staff to do the work.
  3. Submit a revised budget that reflects those needs with full time workers employed by the school system
  4. Promote and support the Mayor and Metro Council in setting an amount within the voter approved tax referendum that meets the needs of a revised budget. As we understand the resolution in relation to the current tax collections, Metro can still raise approximately $100 million without going to a referendum vote with a minor adjustment.
  5. Last but not least, support the Mayor and the council’s efforts to restructure the BEP formula that would generate approximately $79.5 million dollars in additional revenues for Davidson County Schools.


A budget should not just be a spreadsheet. It should reflect our community’s values and I firmly believe that with this five-step approach, our children can get a quality education without putting some of our city’s lowest-paid workers into an even worse economic situation than they are in already.

As always, you may reach me any time to discuss these and other matters.

Sincerely,
Doug Collier
President, SEIU Local 205