An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
When Reality Snaps It’s Fingers
Angry crowd berates Nashville school salary cuts
Custodians, bus drivers face loss of jobs, fewer hours in 2010-11 budget
Police officers guarded the Metro Nashville Public Schools boardroom Thursday as hundreds of angry bus drivers and custodians showed up with their families to protest salary cuts in the district’s 2010-11 budget.
I don’t live in Nashville, thankfully, so there wasn’t much involved here that should have peaked my interest. Why would it matter to me if Nashville has to cut back in their city budget? Probably the same reason it should concern us all, taxes. I don’t pay Nashville taxes, except when we go to pay a ‘visit’.
One crowd member could be heard saying, “That’s so wrong,” in support of what custodian Charles Glenn had to say.
Glenn began by telling board members that his daughter was getting ready to graduate from high school this year. His voice cracked with emotion as he spoke.
“She came up to us and said she was going to forgo college for a year and get a job so she could help us out,” Glenn said. “I’ll give you my home number so you can call her and tell her why her daddy’s getting laid off.”
Things become more clear. The emotional side of budget cuts. Actual people. The sad thing is, emotions can’t pay the bills of such a large city.
Metro Schools wants to contract custodial and landscaping services with a private company, cut hours for bus drivers and eliminate 24 central office positions to save money and fund other projects next school year.
Let me ask the obvious. Will the city save money if they go with private contractors? Is it in the best interest of the taxpayers of Nashville to cut jobs from the local government run? Are these the ever ‘popular’ union jobs that cost the people more than private company jobs?
Schools Director Jesse Register said the district will save on benefits by outsourcing the custodial jobs, and existing employees will be given hiring preference once the contractor is selected. The shift to a private provider may result in more staff and cleaner schools, he said.
Wow. Now there’s a serious slap down of the current custodial staff, isn’t it. I’d think this ‘staff’ would be embarrassed as hell, hang their heads in shame, and ask for pay cuts to save their jobs. They’ve been demanding their paychecks for doing a crappy job of keeping the schools clean? I thought EVERYTHING was “for the chillrrrrrrruuuuuuuns” these days. Reckon not.
Metro Schools also plans to eliminate one hour of pay for bus drivers, resulting in seven-hour days instead of eight. The move will save MNPS $2.5 million.
Just how much do these bus drivers get paid that a one hour cut in time and wage would make such a huge impact?
Now, HERE, is where it gets interesting:
Officials from the NAACP, the Harpeth Institute for Social Peace, the Middle Tennessee Veterans for Peace and the Nashville Peace and Justice Center called for the board to scrap the current budget and draft a new one. They promised to support those affected by salary cuts.
We all know about the NAACP. But when I did a little snooping via Google, the Harpeth Institute for Social Peace, and the Middle Tennessee Veterans for Peace both popped as being an associate with the Nashville Peace and Justice Center. Checking out their website, I wasn’t really all that surprised to find the keywords: social justice.
Pretty much taking from those who earn and giving to those who don’t. You know those folks who actually get an education (actual institutions of higher learning), become doctors, lawyers, etc.; and the entrepreneurs, educated in the school of hard knocks, aka life, and giving it to those who can’t be bothered to look to their own future, and that of their children, putting an emphasis of “let someone else take care of me”, rather than I can work hard and make something of myself.
Love this little tidbit from the NPJC’s mission and history page:
We have built new community partnerships and coalitions across lines of race and class through work on campaigns such as health care, homeless rights, immigrant rights, and environmental justice.
Dear Lord in Heaven! So, I guess it doesn’t matter that there are serious issues that need to be addressed. Cities can’t keep squeezing green backs from the taxpayers, who are hurting too, and expect to continue paying the salaries of people who are not doing their jobs to the best of their ability.
