Remember this back on November 3, 2011 when five Knox County School Board Members voted to protect the Knox County School custodians from being outsourced. (now Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon, Cindy Buttry, Kim Sepesi now Kim Severance and Knox Schools Partners in Education Director, Pam Trainor and Mike McMillan all voting for the custodians and against outsourcing the custodial service) Then School Board Members Gloria Deathridge, Thomas Deakins, Karen Carson and Lynn Fugate, now City Councilwoman Fugate voted with the proposal of former Superintendent and then Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett to outsource custodial services. Burchett at the time saying they should outsource anything the private sector could do.
On the agenda for next weeks Knox County School Board Meeting is a proposal dated yesterday (November 29, 2022) from a Knoxville Company Duncan and Sons to outsource custodial services to 11 schools, Farragut Primary, Farragut Intermediate, Farragut Middle, Farragut High, Hardin Valley Elementary, Hardin Valley Middle, Hardin Valley Academy, Karns Elementary, Karns Middle, Karns High, Karns Elementary Annex. The proposal provides custodians from 3:15 pm to 11:45 pm five days a week. Hours when no students are there during instruction time.
This contract is for six months from January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023 it provides:
3 full-time custodians to Farragut Primary at a cost of $12,909.14 a month, a total of $77,454.84 for six months
3 full-time custodians to Farragut Intermediate at a cost of $11,857.25 a month, a total of $71,143.50 for six months.
4 full-time custodians to Farragut Middle at a cost of $18,692.81 a month, a total of $112,156.86 for six months.
6 full-time custodians to Farragut High at a cost of $25, 192.02 a month, a total of $151,152.12 for six months.
4 full-time custodians to Hardin Valley Elementary at a cost of $16,735.28 a month, a total of $100,411.68 for six months.
5 full-time custodians to Hardin Valley Middle at a cost of $19,259.26 a month, a total of $115,555.56 for six months.
7 full-time custodians to Hardin Valley Academy at a cost of $29,181.29 a month, a total of $175,087.74 for six months.
5 full-time custodians to Karns Elementary at a cost of $20,494.12 a month, a total of $122,964.72 for six months.
5 full-time custodians to Karns Middle at a cost of $18,769.28 a month, a total of $112,615.68 for six months.
8 full-time custodians to Karns High at a cost of $31,576.12 a month, a total of $189,456.72 for six months.
1 full time and 1 part time custodian to Karns Elementary Annex at a cost of $7,023.97 a month, a total of $42,143.82 for six month.
Knox County Schools is piggy backing into this “Cooperative Purchasing Agreement from Maryville City Schools for its procurement and resulting Contract Agreement”
It is contingent on the execution of extensions by Maryville City Schools. The Maryville City Schools contract dated March 10, 2022.
This contract signed by Knox County Deputy Law Director Gary Dupler on November 29, 2022 Approved as to Legal Form, on page three of the contract, number 19 A. Contractor’s Proposal submitted November 29, 2023 and attached documents. You can not make this up that an Attorney could approve this.
NOW, let’s examine a couple facts, items for the December 2022 Knox County Commission agenda had to be submitted on November 28, 2022, the day before the proposal was allegedly submitted to Knox County by Duncan and Son’s. Also the day before Deputy Law Director Dupler approved it to legal form. In the packet, Duncan and Son’s acknowledges making 11 site visits.
Let’s see if the public outrage in support of the support staff of Knox County Schools from 2011 is there in 2022.
