FLINT, Michigan — Spencer Ballard's 25 years swinging a hammer for the Flint School District will come to an end if the board moves forward on its most sweeping outsourcing plans ever.

With the ability to retire, instead of work for less for a private contractor, Ballard considers himself “one of the fortunate.”

“It’s not the best of times to lose your job ... it could be devastating,” the 56-year-old carpenter said of his 122 co-workers who patch the holes, cut the grass and drive the buses for the schools.

School officials say bids from private companies show the district could save $3.8 million next year by going with private contractors for virtually all non-instructional services in the district, except custodial work.

The district remains in negotiations with employee unions and has not made a final decision.

Privatization is increasingly becoming the norm in Genesee County and across the state.

It marks another significant shift for an area that once was a national model for organized labor but has spent decades hemorrhaging good-paying jobs.

As of last year, 12 of the county’s 21 districts outsourced at least one of three major non-instructional services: custodial work, transportation and food services, according to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, which since 2001 has surveyed the state’s public schools on their private contract use.

And, Flint’s not the only one studying the issue now: Linden also is in the midst of considering a contract that would hand over custodial work to a Flint Township company.

With outside companies handling services like emptying the trash or serving the lunches, the jobs often pay several dollars per hour less and often don’t provide benefits — and often come with the promise of lower costs for school districts.

Despite its history as a union stronghold, Genesee County has been right in step with the statewide privatization trend, the Mackinac Center data shows.

In both the state and county, privatization has been increasing at about 10 percent a year, according to the data. The Mackinac Center is a conservative think tank that advocates for free-market policy and small government. It is a vocal advocate for school outsourcing.

With school officials expecting another year of cuts from Lansing and rising expenses, the trend shows no signs of slowing.

“I’ve heard a lot of arguments saying most of the districts where privatization would make sense have already done it,” said James Hohman, a fiscal policy analyst for the Mackinac Center. “That really hasn’t come out of the data yet.”

Although lawmakers have pushed for legislation that would mandate outsourcing, it all comes down to costs, said Don Wotruba, deputy director of the Michigan Association of School Boards.

“I don’t think it’s legislative-driven. I think it’s costs driven,” Wotruba said.

And those cost savings can be significant.

The Bentley School District initially saved $120,000, or about 50 percent, by outsourcing custodial and grounds work in the 2009-10 school year, said Superintendent John Schantz.

The school has had a level of privatization in all non-instructional services since 2006, when it started replacing staffers with a private company through attrition.

Shantz said the private contractor’s service has been “as good or better” than when the district didn’t outsource.

“Obviously the people we hire pay a lot less and the benefits aren’t there,” Shantz said. “But they’re people who are right from the community here ... they take a lot of pride in their work.”

Although private companies are able to offer millions in savings, it doesn’t prevent fears from unions and parents who worry outside companies would bring in low-wage workers without ties to the community.

“It’s about people who are dedicated to our students and not a company,” said Doug Pratt, spokesman for the Michigan Education Association.

Linda Campbell, who’s son is a sophomore at Flint’s Classical Academy, said she’s “concerned about union jobs” leaving the area and outsourcing should be avoided if possible, especially for services that work directly with students.

“I think it depends on what they’re privatizing,” she said.

If any outsourcing is necessary, it should be studied carefully, she added.

So far, the Fenton district doesn’t outsource its major non-instructional services. If that changes by the time 3-year-old Thomas Salgado starts school, his mother hopes the school thoroughly vets any new employees, a practice schools that outsource pledge they do.

“It’s important, because these people have contact with our kids,” Marisa Salgado said. “We have to know who’s working in the building.”

Flint schools previously privatized busing, using the Mass Transportation Authority to transport students for 10 years before switching back to their own buses in 2002.

A flood of complaints about MTA services — including timely pickups and dropoffs — led to the decision, despite costing an extra $890,000 a year.

Former school board President Christopher Martin led the charge to oust MTA and have Service Employees International Union workers bus children.

“I would never support the MTA doing anything in this district again, period,” Martin said at the time.

Martin, who left the school board in 2005 and now works for the school district, declined to comment on the issue.

Administration officials stressed it is continuing to negotiate with its unions, but last week approved going into negotiations with those private, low bidders.

Union leaders speculate that collecting bids and starting talks with outside companies — while union contracts are still on the table — is a scare tactic, designed to wave low wages in front of workers and force deep concessions.

“School districts do that all the time,” Pratt said. “It’s basically a legalized form of union busting.”

Superintendent Linda Thompson said the move simply represents a last resort to deliver a balanced budget by June 1.

“The administration does not want to do this,” she said.

Ballard, the district-employed carpenter, worries those low bids don’t represent the amount of employees or services the schools are used to, and added costs would follow or poor service like the district experienced with privatized busing.

“They’re not comparing apples to apples.”

Deb Pruitt spent years as a Flint School District PTA president and Band Boosters president when her two kids were in the Flint School District.

Pruitt, 52, said the district should save money by privatizing and its focus its efforts on educating students, not employing familiar faces.

“If that friendly janitor’s doing more socializing than working, hey, take it out,” she said.