AR Handbook – 97
7. Contract irregularities –
These include: no competitive
bidding among “price-fixing”
contractors, provisions allowing
for automatic adjustment or
renegotiation of costs, and
lack of performance bond
requirement. (Even if a bond is
required, the contractor must
make up for this expense in its
charge for services).
8. Less accountability and
flexibility – Because the
services performed by private
firms are governed only by
specific terms in the contract,
the average citizen will have
little or no impact in registering
complaints or making
suggestions on how to alter
services. School districts will
be unable to make a contractor
respond to public needs, except
through costly renegotiation.
Steps to combat
privatization threats
I. Contact UniServ Office
A. Privatization is a real threat. It
must be taken seriously.
B. NJEA staff and consultants
have been trained to help and
advise locals on how to combat
privatization.
II. Board Watch – Association
should monitor Board
meetings.
A. Know your Board members.
(Who will support us? – Who
won’t?)
B. Know your school budget.
(What are the real facts?)
III. Data gathering – Your
local district statistical
information
A. Form a committee to gather
local statistics on each work-role
category. (UniServ office can
help you with forms and data
gathering methods.)
B. Analyze specifications (specs)
and compare local info against
specifications to recognize cuts
in services.
C. See Employee Data Form.
IV. Form steering committee
to develop organizing plan
against privatization.
A. Internal – reach out to all
members.
B. External – reach out to residents
and parents.
V. Develop strong
communications system.
Communicate with each of
your audiences:
A. Audience 1 – members affected
by privatization threat.
B. Audience 2 – other members
in district not immediately
threatened.
C. Audience 3 – parents, residents,
merchants, and other concerned
citizens.
Privatization?
Some questions to ask
1. What expertise does the private
sector offer not now found in
our schools?
2. What specific academic gains
will be achieved as a result of
privatizing?
3. How much specific, day to
day control of the privatized
operation will the district
relinquish to the private sector?
4. What specific problem(s) will be
solved by the private sector?
5. Has the Board tried to solve
these specific problems?
6. What results came from these
attempts at problem solution?
7. What other districts have used
the private contractor and now
no longer do?
8. What are the reasons for this?
9. What district goals have already
been set that the private sector
will help achieve?
10. What precisely do you want the
private sector to do?
11. How will you know that you
have achieved your goals?
12. What guarantee will the private
sector give that its lower costs
will result in high or higher
levels of service?
13. Will you visit other public
schools where the private
contractors are doing business
and ask tough questions?
14. What well defined private sector
contractual agreements have
been developed and are on
hand in the district, that will
guarantee the services you are
looking for?
15. What district plans exist to
monitor private sector services?
16. What district plans exist to
evaluate private sector services?
17. Who will do these evaluations?
18. Will the private sector contract
have built in accountability or
penalties for failure to perform?
19. What is the private contractor’s
employee turnover rate in
similar public schools?
20. If service improvement is the
goal, what has the district done
to date to implement programs
that manage, train, and equip
current school employees more
effectively and efficiently?
School Communities “Right to
Know.” Questions from “Private
Options for Public Schools,”
published by the National School
Board Association