District and ABM report mixed results in custodial contract rollout; staffing and inspections emphasized
Loading...
Summary
The district presented an update on the new ABM custodial contract: estimated annual savings of roughly $3 million, a new custodial concern form and quality-control processes, but continued staffing shortfalls (56 current custodians, about 9–10 needed) and higher absenteeism that have driven some site complaints.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District’s facilities management staff and ABM, the contracted custodial services provider, gave the school board an update Oct. 21 on the transition from in-house custodial services to the outsourced contract.
District staff reported an estimated annual savings of about $3 million from contracting custodial services and said they have established new oversight including a frequency list of required daily/weekly/annual tasks, a custodial concern form for staff, a custodial site inspection template and key performance indicators aimed at maintaining a 90% average inspection score and resolving 95% of service requests within 24 hours.
Jay Carrion, facilities management director, said the district is tracking complaints and performance through a new verification process: day custodians conduct random inspections and coordinators verify deficiencies before the district routes items to ABM for reperformance. Carrion said complaints registered on the district form accounted for roughly 2% of the schools’ service incidents through the end of September, with Lathrop High School showing a higher concentration of complaints.
ABM representatives described efforts to increase hiring and training and to add substitute "rover" staff for coverage. Dean Fuchs, ABM vice president of operations, said ABM is investing in staffing, equipment and quality-control tools and that the company ‘‘stands behind our commitment.’’ He added, “you have something very special,” praising the district’s community and staff.
ABM reported 56 hourly employees currently assigned to the contract and said it expects to recruit an additional roughly 9–10 people to provide sufficient coverage for shifts and expected call-outs; ABM and district staff described absenteeism as a significant contributor to shortfalls. The district and ABM also committed to a proactive corrective-action plan and to provide the board a written staffing and improvement plan in coming weeks.
Board members pressed for clearer, regular principal and staff reporting and asked that the district reconcile data streams: the district’s new custodial concern form and a union (ESSA) form had both been used early in the transition. Administration said it has granted union access to the district form and asked staff to use the district-managed portal to ensure complaints are tracked centrally.
District staff said they will provide recurring reports to the board on custodial site inspection results, complaint trends and corrective actions. ABM said it will complete a districtwide quality-control rollout and share their staffing plan with the board.
