HR0178 LRB094 11393 HSS 42278 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, There are approximately 18,000 individuals
3 employed by public school districts across Illinois as school
4 support staff who provide quality services such as custodial,
5 food services, and transportation; and
 
6     WHEREAS, These non-privatized jobs pay fair salaries and
7 benefits which prevent high turnover of staff and create
8 continuity of service, safety and care for our children; and
 
9     WHEREAS, These non-privatized jobs currently allow
10 employees to earn a living wage, health insurance, and pension
11 benefits for themselves and their families; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Many school districts are currently considering
13 privatization of school support staff as a way to solve their
14 budget problems; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Privatization of these services and jobs causes
16 severe hardship to the workers and their families who lose good
17 jobs that pay a decent salary and health and pension benefits;
18 and
 
19     WHEREAS, The newly privatized jobs most often pay low wages
20 with few, if any, benefits; and
 
21     WHEREAS, Those who argue that contracting out is less
22 expensive than in-house service delivery often ignore the
23 hidden costs of privatization, such as expenditures for
24 contract monitoring and administration, conversion costs,
25 charges for "extra" work, and the contractor's use of public
26 equipment and facilities; and
 
27     WHEREAS, Advocates of privatization argue the profit
28 motive provides an incentive for efficiency, but all too often

 

 

HR0178 - 2 - LRB094 11393 HSS 42278 r

1 it is actually an incentive to "cut corners" by skimping on the
2 quality of the work performed; and
 
3     WHEREAS, Privatization creates opportunities for
4 corruption, such as bid rigging, bribery, and kickbacks; and
 
5     WHEREAS, The great majority of educational support workers
6 live in the school district where they are employed, and they
7 feel responsible to their neighbors for the quality of their
8 work; therefore, be it
 
9     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
10 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
11 we believe that non-privatized school support services deliver
12 better and safer services than privatized services, create more
13 stability and continuity for students and create better jobs
14 for employees than privatized school support services; and be
15 it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That privatization of school support staff
17 positions in any and all Illinois School Districts is strongly
18 discouraged by the Illinois House of Representatives.