Board approves outsourced grounds contracts, district says no current custodians will lose hours or jobs

The Cumberland County Board of Education approved contracts with professional landscaping firms to perform grounds maintenance across the district and described a staffing plan intended to protect the hours and positions of current custodial staff.

The board voted to award multi-year grounds contracts covering the remaining attendance areas after a 2023 pilot in two attendance zones, citing improved curb appeal and principal satisfaction with the pilot program. Mario Caesar, head of custodial services, said the contractors “provided services throughout the 2024–25 growing season” and that principals gave “really positive comments.”

Why it matters: the change reallocates routine exterior maintenance from school custodial staffs to contractors and is intended to free custodians to focus on indoor cleaning and building upkeep. The district said it will repurpose funds tied to 25 current custodial vacancies to pay the contracts and will use attrition—rather than layoffs—to reach the new staffing allotments.

District assurances and staffing details Mario Caesar told the committee that central staff “went back this month and eliminate[d] that altogether” and emphasized that “no custodians will lose their jobs and no custodians will be asked to transfer to another school as part of our plan today.” He said current employees’ hours will not be cut; instead, the district will implement a hiring freeze on 25 vacancy slots and repurpose those funds to pay contractors. As employees leave, replacements will be hired under the new, smaller allotments.

Caesar also described the contractor schedule and scope: services are seasonal, increasing during growing months; the contract provides multiple cuts per month (it starts at two cuts per month in March and ramps up during peak season) and covers common site needs including pine-straw/litter and limb pickup. He said the district will maintain a central grounds crew to respond to major storm cleanup and provide support when needed.

Board questions and vendor vetting Board members pressed staff about job security, cost-effectiveness and vendor vetting. Caesar said the district solicited proposals, checked references and contacted referees by phone. When asked whether the contractors had any connections with Cumberland County Schools, staff answered, “No, ma’am.”

Implementation and oversight Caesar and other staff said principals will receive contractor schedules and are expected to give feedback; the district plans to monitor contractor performance closely and to address problems quickly. The proposed contract start date presented to the committee was April 8. Staff said they would encourage principals to offer feedback and that custodial supervisors will coordinate with contractors on scheduling and quality issues.

Board action A motion to approve the grounds maintenance contracts carried in committee; the committee recorded the motion and a second before voting in favor.

What’s next Staff will finalize contracts for the April start date, brief principals about schedules, and publish a mechanism for principals to report concerns. The hiring freeze and allotment changes will be implemented through attrition, not by removing current employees or cutting their hours.