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Study finds Lodi Unified maintains 709 acres with understaffed grounds; board hears call for irrigation specialists
Summary
A district consultant reported Lodi Unified maintains ~709 acres but effectively has roughly 19.6 FTE working on grounds; the study recommends adding staff (including irrigation specialists), equipment and phased implementation to reach satisfactory standards.
A consultant presenting a grounds and staffing study told the Lodi Unified School Board on Feb. 17 that the district maintains about 709 acres of grounds and roughly 81 building acres but currently has the equivalent of about 19.6 full‑time employees who can be deployed to grounds maintenance. The study found the district’s current level equates to a ‘‘needs improvement’’ rating and recommended a phased approach that includes additional grounds staff, at least one irrigation‑specialist classification, and new equipment.
Why it matters: Board members and staff said poorly maintained fields pose safety risks for student athletics and outdoor activities, and public speakers described dead fields, broken sprinklers and repeated maintenance requests. The consultant noted using an established grounds‑standards table (for example, San Bernardino Unified’s) could give the district clear targets and explained that reaching a satisfactory ‘‘level 3’’ standard would require additional hires and equipment investments.
Key findings and numbers: The consultant reported about 12 dedicated groundskeepers plus other partially assigned staff, yielding a 19.6 equivalent FTE. Applying common formulas produced a range of staffing needs: a modest increase of six FTE would move the district toward a satisfactory level 3 in some calculations; other formulas showed much larger staffing requirements (dozens of positions) to reach higher service standards. The consultant emphasized the need for an irrigation specialist and for planning equipment, trucks and possible electric equipment transition.
Board and public response: Board members asked for specifics, including how automation or route optimization might improve productivity and what the near‑term budgetary implications would be. CSEA and school staff asked that the district include classified employees in future flowcharts for the restructuring and said irrigation expertise is a pressing need.
Next steps: Consultant and staff said they will return with staged, actionable recommendations and cost estimates and will include grounds staff in follow‑up conversations.
Representative quote: "The total acreage maintained by the district is 709 acres ... we come up with 37.6 full time equivalent groundskeepers which is a pretty big jump from where we're at now," the consultant said, while also recommending an interim approach to add 6 FTE to improve standards.
The board did not approve new positions during the Feb. 17 meeting but accepted the report and asked staff to return with phased recommendations and budget implications.
