COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. - Collier County's School District is looking to make cuts in several areas. Those areas include single employee health benefits and even cutting 22 substitute teacher positions, but it's the proposed privatization of the school's custodial services drawing the most heated debate.

Under the Collier County School administration's proposed plan, about 250 custodians would lose their jobs, and a private company would take over their duties. Its an option that the district says could save them about $3 million dollars at a time when budget cuts are desperately needed, but its also a decision that some school board members are weary of.

Randy Pines represents the custodians union. He says what the district is doing isn't right, and he wants more time. He says, "This plan is being rushed through! This is not the time to rush through. These are people's lives not numbers on a page!"

Pines also wants to see a study done on what the effects of laying off the current workers and hiring an outside company may be. He says, "we cannot just dismiss 250 plus custodians, even if they get a job with the new company, they'll lose their retirement, the Florida retirement system, their health care... These are serious times."

School board members are also using caution on this decision and have many questions of their own about how these private companies wanting the districts business are being treated. Pines says, "we're they treated the same way? Was it done fairly? I understand there were tours given, were all the companies given tours or not? IF they weren't I have a big problem with that."

No official decisions will be made on the privatization issue until at least June. The district is in the process of collecting proposals; those are due May 30th, and will be passed on to a committee for revue.