Under threat of exclusion, Germantown jumps on board with all shared school services

May 15--Germantown Municipal School Board members on Wednesday voted unanimously to go all-in on shared services with other suburban school districts, amending the budget after the board voted 3-2 to approve it last week without all shared services.

The vote was in a special called meeting to make decisions on health insurance and to amend the budget.

Supt. Jason Manuel said after the board voted last week to pick and choose which services to share, and to bring nutrition, purchasing and employee benefits fully in-house, the other municipal superintendents told him they were not happy with Germantown's decision. He said they told him there was a chance Germantown could be left out of all shared services.

Manuel said after Wednesday's meeting that he has known for weeks, and conveyed to board members individually, that the expectation was for Germantown to go all-in, both as a financial savings and a show of cooperation. He said that after those conversations, he thought board members understood that Germantown needed to be fully on board, even if there was no specific threat of consequences.

"That's why I brought the budget on Monday with all Tier-1 shared services," Manuel said. "Tier 1" refers to the most inclusive group of shared services, and includes nutrition, transportation, planning, benefits, purchasing, information technology, and the software systems for student administration and payroll.

Board members Ken Hoover and Mark Dely, who originally voted along with Natalie Williams against sharing all services, said they felt like Wednesday's vote was answering a different question, and therefore not a reversal of a decision.

"It's only in the last week that the other districts have established the criteria that if you're going to be a part of it, you have to share them all," Hoover said.

During the meeting, Bartlett Municipal School Board president Jeff Norris tweeted, "picking and choosing Tier I services was never an option. G'town board is the only board that seems to have that recollection."

Manuel stressed Wednesday that the risk of the other districts excluding Germantown from all shared services was too great.

"There isn't an option," Manuel said. "We would have trouble opening the doors if we don't go all-in."

Board president Lisa Parker said after the meeting that in hindsight, board members should have met with other districts' board members in addition to the superintendents to discuss shared services. "It was just a communication break-down," she said.

Board member Natalie Williams said her original vote against doing all shared services was due to a concern that the agreements for these shared positions were not yet finalized, and she didn't want to agree to a contract she hadn't read. In balancing that risk against being able to open school on Aug. 4, Williams said she understood the need to be fully on board with shared services.

"We've worked way too hard for the past three years," Williams said. "My kids are walking in those doors August 4th."

The school board also elected to go with a self-funded health insurance plan and approved contracts for custodial and maintenance services.

The district will have a one-year contract with GCA Services for both custodial and maintenance. Director of Operations Josh Cathey said the company is the same one used by Shelby County Schools, but it wouldn't be a shared service because Germantown would have its own contract with the company.

Board member Linda Fisher said she has heard concerns from the schools about the quality of the company's work. GCA representatives at the meeting said they have dealt with employee issues on an individual basis and are committed to earning a longer contract with the district.

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