PHOENIX — Finances were once again the focus of the Isaac Elementary School District Governing Board meeting on Thursday. The district, just weeks ago, was unable to pay debts and staff, reportedly in the hole over $25 million. A lease agreement with the Tolleson Union High School District acted as a life preserver.
"This has been an issue that has been ongoing for a number of years, so it wasn't just something that happened," said Board Member Harry Garewal Jr. at the meeting.
Isaac recently canceled their before and after school learning club and just this week sold land to the City of Phoenix. At the meeting Thursday, the board decided to outsource some district positions like cafeteria workers.
The board was told the new food service company would take over on March 1. It was said previous district employees may be able to work for the new vendor, Chartwells. The board was told, however, that the district would not have a say in that process and currently the district was considered overstaffed in that area.
The board also agreed to outsource some custodian positions. At the meeting, it was said those employees would be offered positions with the district's newly chosen company.
There was also a company selected for landscaping, though it's unclear if any Isaac staff will be impacted by that decision. But, with each new contract, it was anticipated to save the district hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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ABC15 asked the Board President Patricia Jimenez about the decision to outsource.
"The current vendors that we have now apparently they're more expensive," said Jimenez. "So they are looking into every avenue, any way for us to make sure that we are saving our money."
Some parents were left still questioning the district's leadership and upset about the outsourcing decisions.
"I feel disappointed because these people have been faithful to this district for years," said Bertha Chavez.
"They are upset," said Andrea Valencia, president of the Isaac District Education Association. "They are all upset. It's the privatization of our cafeteria and our custodial."
After the meeting, employees gathered together, some with tears in their eyes. Many didn't want to go on camera, but described their frustration and a feeling of "betrayal".
"These are our community, our grandmas, our brothers, our sisters," said Valencia. "They are an essential part of our district, having them being outsourced is just wrong."
The board president called the decisions "very hard" and told ABC15 they are working with the state-assigned receiver who is controlling the district's financing and operations.
She said the plan right now is to pay off the debt in three years.
"We have some properties, so I talked to him today before the meeting," said Jimenez. "So we sold the land. So we are going to get money for that, and then we have a couple of more lands."
Retirement is also a concern after the board's outsourcing decision. ABC15 has sent follow-up questions to the district, including the exact number of employees impacted.
