Update on latest negotiation session

School Board President Ritchie Webb released the following comments earlier today concerning last night's negotiation meeting with the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers (NFT):

"The board and NFT met last night [June 3, 2010] for approximately two hours. We had some positive dialog and managed to set another meeting June 30th. The Board provided the NFT with an update of our previous proposal with no changes. There was no counter proposal given to the board by NFT."

Fact Finder's report

Below is the Fact Finder's report followed by an analysis of the financial savings it represents. As you can see, the net savings in the first year is less than $536,000, and the three year savings is slightly more than $3 million.

Board President Comments on Fact Finder Recommendation

Neshaminy School Board President Ritchie Webb today issued a statement on the recent recommendation filed by the Fact Finder concerning the negotiations with the Support Staff union (NESPA).

Webb said that the entire Board appreciated the efforts of the Fact Finder but has “no choice but to continue exploring other options or else face painful cuts to student programs.” He added that the Board is in the midst of closing a $5.6 million gap in next year’s budget and determined that the Fact Finder’s report would yield a savings of only $535,815 in 2010-2011.

“The three-year savings of the report would only net our district a savings of slightly more than $3 million,” Webb continued, “and we can do, and must do, far better than that.”

Webb indicated that negotiations with NESPA will continue but time is of the essence. “We have only a few weeks left before adopting a final budget,” Webb said, “and our hope is that the Support Staff will step up to the plate in helping the district do what is necessary to continue providing our students with second-to-none, affordable public education.”

The Neshaminy School Board will officially vote on the Fact Finder’s recommendation at the May 19th public meeting.

New bid tabulations received

Below are two (2) of the latest outsourcing bid tabulations received in response to District RFP's. The first is a bid for Grounds Keeping Services, and the second is for Food Services.

The most favorable bid for Grounds Keeping came from a vendor named Townscapes Inc, who offered Neshaminy a first year savings of $273,641. As the savings grows each year, the projected 5-year total savings if this support service is outsourced will exceed $1.5 million.

Unlike the other services being considered for outsourcing, Food Services is cost-neutral to the District since it is subsidized through the revenue it generates. However, the most attractive vendor for this service, Metz & Associates, has guaranteed Neshaminy $55,000 annual revenue which can be used to offset other operational costs within the District.

The Board will continue to negotiate in good faith with NESPA while it accumulates comparative data regarding relative costs of support staff functions.

RFP Tabulation - Grounds Keeping 01142010

Bid Tabulation Food Services 01192010

NESPA Talks Continue

*** UPDATED February 12th ***
Due to inclement weather, this week's meeting with NESPA and the State-appointed Fact Finder was cancelled. Another meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 25th.

Board President Addresses Concerns over Outsourcing

The following letter from Ritchie Webb appeared in the Courier Times:

Recently there have been a number of letters published in the Courier Times that have criticized the Neshaminy School Board for considering outsourcing of support staff functions, saying that we show no concern for our employees or our students. I want to assure the public that this is simply not true.

Our Board conducts business with two guiding principles in mind:
1) Provide our students with quality education that will prepare them for adult life
2) Provide that education with respect to our community’s ability to fund it

The excessive nature of Neshaminy’s labor costs has been well documented and I don’t need to restate the obvious. So let’s just skip to the bottom line – as of this moment we are faced with a $7 million deficit for the 2010/2011 school year, which is well in excess of the State-mandated Act 1 inflationary limit and is far more than what our tax payers can afford. This leaves us with two alternatives:
A. Reduce our operating expenses
B. Cut educational programs

The problem with option B is that it goes against the guiding principles previously noted. Our school district exists for the purpose of educating and nurturing and preparing our children. Depriving these young people of programs that educate them or enhance their learning experience is not an option this board is willing to consider. And so that leaves us with only one choice – reduce operating expenses.

It is the sincerest wish of the Neshaminy School Board that we resolve the impasses with our teachers and support staff employees soon, however we cannot – we must not – shirk our responsibilities to Neshaminy’s students. Time is running out, and soon we will be faced with very difficult decisions if we cannot restructure our labor agreements. It is not a situation that any school board wants to find itself in but it is one that this Board is committed to addressing.

I cannot predict what will happen in the next few months but I can promise you this – Whatever we as a Board decide to do, it will be done with the best interests of our students in mind. After all, they are the reason we are here.

If any Neshaminy resident has questions or comments regarding this matter, please contact me at rwebb@neshaminy.k12.pa.us.

Ritchie Webb
President, Neshaminy School Board of Directors

Meetings continue; Outsourcing update

1. NFT – The Board’s Negotiating Team met with representatives from the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers on Monday, January 11th. The newest members of the Board’s team were introduced as negotiations continued. Although both sides remain far apart over key issues, we did agree to another negotiation session in the near future (date tbd).

2. NESPA – The Board has requested for a state-appointed fact finder to review the facts surrounding negotiations with the District’s Support Worker’s union. Meetings with the fact finder will take place on February 11th and February 25th, and we anticipate they will render their findings in late March 2010.

3. Outsourcing – Below are two (2) bid tabulations. The first is an amended bid for Custodial Services which was expanded from three years to five years in response to public concern that cost savings of outsourcing would only last for the first three years. As the bid tabulation below shows, the 5-year savings is projected to be nearly $14.4 million.

The second bid tabulation is for Transportation Services. The most favorable bid came from FIRST STUDENT, which offers Neshaminy a potential savings of $16 million over five (5) years. FIRST STUDENT is a reputable company with excellent references and financial status. They have the largest market share (larger than the next 10 competitors combined) in the US and Canada for the Student Transportation marketplace. They operate over 60,000 buses daily transporting 4 million students in 1500 districts in 40 States and 8 Canadian provinces, including 70 PA School Districts. All drivers are required to take drug and alcohol tests, and also required to pass FBI fingerprinting test, PA State Police check for criminal record, and PA child abuse checks.

As part of the proposal, FIRST STUDENT would purchase Neshaminy's bus fleet and rent the district's garage and office space. Additionally, more than 90 percent of Neshaminy's existing staff would be retained at their same pay rate - about $21 an hour for bus drivers.

The Board will continue to negotiate in good faith with NESPA while it accumulates comparative data regarding relative costs of support staff functions.

Bid Tabulation All Custodial Services 5 Year 01142010

Bid Tabulation Transportation 01142010