A bunch of companies

 Attention Tennessean proofreaders! Which is it? 15 or 16 companies vying for MNPS custodial contracts? Since the Tennessean doesn't bother to actually LIST the 15/16 companies we can't just do the kindergarten counting ourselves AND we cannot help the BOE vet these companies either. HUGE lack of actual news reporting here. Maybe the winning company can start by cleaning up after the proofreaders.

The district's staff custodians and groundskeepers have objected to the plan. They could face pay cuts and significant changes in their retirement and health insurance benefits.

Yeah, I'd object too if my job were on the line but *could* does not equal would or cuts. There are going to be changes but most workers realize that there are trade offs. Maybe less pay but more scheduling freedom. Maybe less health benefits but maybe I was paying for a plan that didn't fit me and now I'll get one that does. Maybe a different supervisor---bonus!

Life in the competitive market can be tough, but changes do not have to equal all bad.

For MNPS upsides will include being able to hold the winning bidder responsible for doing background checks and the contract winner having to foot the liability bill if something does go wrong with those background checks or are they are proven to be negligent in maintenance. MNPS, as we've recently read, is burning through its self-insured liability account at a record pace. Taxpayers will benefit by those awards coming out of someone else's deep pockets. (This assumes that the BOE will actually include these protections in the contract and it won't be a replication of former Superintendent Pedro Garcia's 'Get Out of Jail Free' contract.)

Then maybe MNPS can focus on EDUCATION and not these side issues.