Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Councilors press schools and DPW on work‑order notifications; managers weigh SchoolDude vs. 3‑1‑1 integration
Summary
Council discussed the SchoolDude facilities work‑order process after teachers and staff raised concerns that requesters do not always receive electronic closure notices; DPW and school staff said SchoolDude can send confirmations and the city will consider a 3‑1‑1 tab for school requests but cautioned about duplicate tickets.
Councilors pressed city and school staff to improve the SchoolDude facilities work‑order workflow so teachers and other school employees receive timely electronic updates when requests are closed.
Assistant superintendent Derek Pinto briefed council earlier on procurement improvements for the school department; later in the meeting councilors and the DPW director discussed SchoolDude, the software the schools use to submit facilities requests. A councilor said some teachers report they ask a custodian to enter a SchoolDude request but then receive no follow‑up; the councilor suggested that teachers be able to submit requests from their desks and receive automated closure notifications similar to the city’s 3‑1‑1 system.
DPW Director Saint Cyr and other staff said there is a senior custodian in every school who coordinates access and consolidates requests to avoid hundreds of duplicate tickets and to facilitate efficient technician scheduling. Saint Cyr said when technicians close a ticket they record hours, materials and notes, and SchoolDude issues a notification to the original requester; he also said the system now is much cleaner after a backlog of old duplicate tickets was closed.
Councilors asked the city manager and the schools to consider whether a SchoolDude‑to‑3‑1‑1 workflow or a dedicated school tab in 3‑1‑1 would help; the manager said staff are evaluating a 3‑1‑1 module but cautioned it is a different module and requires vetting to avoid duplicate work. The council requested an updated report on SchoolDude performance metrics and recent clean‑up efforts.
Clarifying details: managers said SchoolDude currently sends a notification to the original requester when a technician completes and closes a ticket; city staff closed an older backlog of tickets and described the database as "fairly clean." Council asked for a report and, if feasible, an approach to provide better visibility to teachers and staff about their requests.
