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Whitnall staff propose six-month trial of autonomous floor scrubber to offset custodial workload
Summary
Facilities staff described a proposed six-month trial purchase of an autonomous floor scrubber (vendor NASCO) for the high school, estimated at about $50,000 per unit, intended to free custodial time for other tasks and to help manage increased square footage from referendum projects; board members asked questions but took no formal vote.
A facilities staff member told the Whitnall School District Board of Education they are seeking permission to test an autonomous floor scrubber at Whitnall High School for six months and, if satisfied, purchase additional units for other buildings. The staff member said the vendor is NASCO and estimated the autonomous unit at roughly $50,000; by contrast, a new conventional riding scrubber was presented at about $32,750.
"It cleans on its own. It's like a self driving car. It has 32 sensors that guide it through the cleaning map that we establish," the facilities staff member said, summarizing a recent demonstration at the high school and at a custodial conference. Staff described features including onboard mapping, a docking station that fills the machine with cleaning solution, automated dirty-water disposal and charging, and the ability to learn more efficient routes over time.
Why it matters: District officials said the scrubber would not be used to eliminate positions but to offset custodial time…
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