Subcontracting reform bill signed into law

After months of intense member advocacy, lawmakers approved major subcontracting protections as part of the state budget package signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf.

The legislative changes are aimed at making subcontracting attempts more transparent and open to public scrutiny, and are based on bills introduced by Sen. John Blake, D-Lackawanna/ Luzerne/Monroe, and Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Luzerne – bills that PSEA strongly supported.

“This is a huge win for education support professionals,” said Dawn Bandle, ESP Region president. “We know all about the downsides of outsourcing – and we’re very happy that lawmakers are recognizing the threat that outsourcing poses to support professionals and the school districts where they work.”

Similar to the bills introduced by Sen. Blake and Rep. Kaufer, the changes approved by the General Assembly would require school entities to solicit bids from providers that include three-year cost projections and information about employees’ criminal and disciplinary histories and would also require school entities to hold a public hearing to receive public input on the proposals. It also guarantees that school employees be given employment consideration, including an interview, by the subcontractor.

 “Education support professionals are hardworking employees whose passion for their school districts can’t be duplicated by outside hires,’’ Bandle said. “This new law will go a long way to making the subcontracting process more transparent and to protecting our members’ jobs.

“I am so pleased that the General Assembly listened to us and took action. This will make a real difference.”

Subcontracting is a major threat to education support professionals’ jobs.

It’s also a bad move for residents of a school district. Subcontracting to private companies rarely saves money, it negatively impacts the quality of support service to public schools, and it harms communities since the vast majority of ESPs live in the school districts that they serve.