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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Thirteen community colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology have been removed from Gov. Bill Haslam's plan for the massive privatization of the management and operation of nearly all state-owned buildings, including college campuses.
In a letter obtained Monday by the Knoxville News Sentinel and The Commercial Appeal, outgoing Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan said that an internal analysis showed that each campus' spending on facilities management fell well below the industry benchmarks identified by the state.
He also presented the Haslam administration with a list of concerns about the outsourcing plan. Some of the concerns include unforeseen costs and employee protection. He said the jobs of existing college and university employees would be outsourced to private building management companies.
Morgan also asked that the governor's team running the outsourcing initiative work directly with the six universities to determine if it's in their best interests to participate.
Morgan announced last Thursday that he will retire early by Jan. 31 in protest of the governor's plan. He said existing staff must adapt to the possibility of a new governance system in higher education.
Haslam said colleges would be free to opt in or out of the outsourcing plan, which has not been finalized.
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