NEA-Alaska and AFL-CIO Alaska Joint Statement on Custodial Outsourcing

A Joint Statement from NEA-Alaska President Tom Klaameyer and Alaska AFL-CIO President Joelle Hall on the Fairbanks North Star Borough School Board's decision to outsource custodial jobs.

The decision by the Fairbanks North Star Borough School Board to outsource custodial jobs is deeply disappointing, especially given the troubling reversal by members Meredith Maple and Morgan Dulian. In their responses to the local NEA-Alaska affiliate's political endorsement questionnaire, they assured us they opposed such measures. This decision represents a blatant betrayal of our hardworking employees and a reckless move that will have long-lasting negative consequences on the quality of services and the culture of Fairbanks schools. To make matters worse, it is unlikely to save the district any money in the long run.

School Board members should serve as stalwarts in the protection of our public schools, not as agents of their demise. Outsourcing these essential roles undermines the stability of our schools and the communities they serve. This decision disregards the contributions of valued employees, some of whom have dedicated decades of their lives to the district, and instead embraces a failed strategy of privatization that has proven detrimental in other districts.

At best, this decision is premature. The legislature has yet to convene and debate school funding. NEA-Alaska remains hopeful that a substantial increase in the Base Student Allocation (BSA) will be approved early in the session, enabling the Board to reverse this unforced error by its four misguided members.

Our combined 60,000 members across the state of Alaska will not stand for the dismantling of public education through shortsighted decisions like this. Our schools—and the dedicated employees who make them thrive—deserve better.