Custodians and community push back as board considers outsourcing amid budget crunch

Dozens of staff, parents and union members on April 9 spoke at length urging the East Brunswick Board of Education not to privatize daytime custodial positions, arguing that the district’s custodians provide safety, continuity and community knowledge that outside contractors cannot replicate.

Speakers described decades of service and daily responsibilities — early-morning work clearing snow, responding to building emergencies, preparing rooms for events and supporting students and staff — and said the proposed outsourcing would sever relationships that trustees and teachers said are central to school operations.

“We need to keep our custodians. They are not replaceable,” said Michelle Moore, a teacher who described custodians as “the eyes and ears of our schools” and the staff who notice small issues before they become emergencies.

What was said and requested

- Staff testimony: Multiple custodians and teachers recounted concrete examples of custodial staff preventing hazards, responding to urgent maintenance and being present for students. Several custodians read statements summarizing long tenures (some 20–40 years) and pledging commitment to their schools.

- Community voices: Members of the public and parents echoed teachers’ concerns and urged the board to preserve institutional knowledge and continuity for events, testing days and extracurriculars.

- Union/legal context: A union representative and board officials reiterated that state law requires written notice and impact bargaining before outsourcing moves advance. Board materials and the union representative on the record said the union received notice in January and that impact-bargaining sessions were scheduled; the union intends to present alternatives.

Board response and next steps

Board and administration members repeatedly noted the painful nature of the choices facing the district and said no final outsourcing contract was approved during the meeting. Administration said notices required under public-labor statutes had been provided; the board committed to impact bargaining with union representatives and said the union’s input would be considered as alternatives are explored.

What remains unresolved

Speakers asked the board for assurances that privatization would not be rushed and pressed for full cost-benefit and service-quality comparisons; administrators said impact bargaining and procurement rules must be followed and that the board is open to union proposals to close budget gaps without outsourcing.

Reporting note: the accounts and quotations in this article are drawn from public comment and board statements recorded in the April 9 meeting transcript. Where specific numerical proposals for outsourcing were not presented publicly at this meeting, this article does not assert a finalized number of positions to be outsourced beyond the claims made by speakers during public comment.