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Parents, teachers and staff urge Pascack Valley board to reconsider outsourcing custodial workers
Summary
During public comment at the Pascack Valley Regional High School District board meeting, multiple teachers, parents and longtime district employees urged the board not to outsource custodial staff, arguing privatization would reduce quality, weaken community ties and pose safety risks; the board completed routine consent business and adjourned with no decision recorded on outsourcing.
Public commenters pressed the Pascack Valley Regional High School District Board of Education on the potential outsourcing of custodial staff at the board’s year‑end meeting, arguing the change would harm school operations, safety and community cohesion.
Sharon Kenicho, a Hillsdale resident who said she worked in the district for 37 years and last served as buildings and grounds coordinator, told the board that custodians work unusual hours and handle event setup, snow removal and emergency cleanups. “They’re in at 4:00 in the morning for snow,” she said, listing tasks from setting up graduation chairs to cleaning up illness and maintaining the building for voting. Kenicho urged the board to remember the breadth of custodial responsibilities before changing staffing arrangements.
Rob Ortiz, a Rivervale resident and youth wrestling program leader, warned outsourcing would likely lower the quality of maintenance for facilities and athletic fields and impair vetting and familiarity with students. “Privatizing the custodial staff is a bad idea,” Ortiz said, adding that the district’s custodial employees are important community stakeholders who help maintain safety and institutional knowledge.
Union and teacher representatives reinforced those concerns. Lori Morurell, president of the Montail Education Association and a BCEA delegate, said outsourced workers are not “family” and urged the board to find alternative budget savings. “The outsourced custodians are not our family,” she said. “Please try to come up with another way to save money.”
Several teachers described day‑to‑day examples of custodians helping students and staff. Kaitlyn Mafy, a social studies teacher at Pasc Hills, said custodial staff respond instantly when things break, help set up events and contribute to a positive school culture. “Privatizing our custodial staff may seem like a solution on paper, but it would come at a significant cost to our school community,” Mafy said. Debbie Horn, a 26‑year teacher, and Nick Skerbo, a coach and teacher, made similar appeals to preserve the district’s community ties and low staff turnover.
The board did not take a formal vote or make a public action on outsourcing during the meeting. Trustees completed a number of routine consent items and approved the minutes from May 18 and multiple consent agendas for policy, education, human resources and finance during roll‑call votes; the minutes approval recorded at least one abstention. The meeting concluded shortly after public comment with the board adjourning for the summer schedule. Interim Superintendent Dirk Phillips reminded the audience that next steps for personnel searches and policy rollouts will occur at upcoming meetings; he also said the district expects Department of Education guidance on a cell‑phone pilot by the end of the month.
The board did not announce a timetable or further public process for any outsourcing decision during this meeting. The district’s next board meeting was scheduled for July 15, when the board expects to receive a recommendation on the Hills principal search and continues to implement a revised schedule that places executive sessions at 7:00 p.m. before public sessions.
