Here comes the merger suggestion

The second time in a week we've been scooped by Daily Worcesteria on a school item...we'll take it, as they're keeping the focus on schools over there!

As reported over at Daily Worcesteria, this week's City Council agenda has an item asking for the consideration of the merging of the HR departments for city and schools:

10f.

Request City Manager report on the feasibility and costs/savings of merging the school department’s human resources department with the city’s human resources office. (Lukes, Rosen, Rushton, Smith, Germain)

It isn't as if this is a surprise; it was suggested much earlier this spring, and it's been brought up several times since. The citing of "feasibility and costs/savings" is interesting, as the focus on human resources on the school side this spring has largely been about competence and ethics rather than usefulness or cost. Any cuts to be made would largely, it seems to those I've spoken with, be management rather than rank-and-file, as the same number of people are going to be kept track of by human resources, whether it's one department or two.

Interesting list of councilors on the co-sponsorship, here, too.