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Board renews SSC custodial contract; district says wage increase helped staffing
Summary
The board approved year 3 of a five-year custodial services agreement with SSC; a midyear wage increase to $15 an hour helped the district reach full staffing, and the renewal adds recently opened spaces to the contract for a total amount of $7,773,117.
The Bentonville School District Board of Education approved the third-year renewal of its custodial services contract with SSC, a vote that district staff said supports continued staffing stability and higher performance standards.
Dr. Schwannhauser told the board the district is in year two of a five-year, annually renewable contract with SSC. He said a midyear contract increase approved in 2024 added $444,000 to the contract and allowed the district and SSC to raise starting wages from $12.50 to $15 per hour; the result was the district became "fully staffed" for custodial positions for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Another great benefit to this change was that we are able to implement higher performance expectations for our custodial staff," Dr. Schwannhauser said. He asked the board to approve renewal year 3 for a total contract amount of $7,773,117, which includes added spaces that have opened since the contract was last sized.
Board members asked about the district's bid practices and oversight. Staff said the district used TIPS for a past renewal bid and had previously gone out to bid directly in an earlier renewal; the district also evaluates performance and financials annually. "Financially, I look at it annually. In terms of performance... we look and see if we're satisfied with the performance that we're getting from our current company," Dr. Schwannhauser said.
The motion to approve the renewal was made by Willie and seconded by Joel; the vote was recorded as unanimous. The board expressed support for being fully staffed and noted improved service delivery as a result of the wage increase.
