Officials criticize custodial services
The Daniel Boone Area School Board and administration are not happy with the private contractor hired to handle custodial and maintenance duties in district schools.
Superintendent James Harris informed the school board March 26 he issued new protocol guidelines to Michael Burns, a manager at GCA Services Group, in Media, for its “sub-par” school building cleanliness and maintenance issues.
“There needs to be a good relationship between principals and the head custodian (of each building), so administrators can relay their expectations,” Harris said he told Burns.
“They should be joined at the hip — and if the head custodians aren’t meeting with principals at least once a day, that is wrong, and if administrators are
only sending photos, that is wrong. Sit down with building administrators and determine expectations,” said Harris, adding that staffing levels have to be appropriate.
“If they’re not, these expectations can’t be achieved,” he said.
GCA’s communication with building principals and administrators has been through emailed monthly “report cards,” said Burns.
He noted one good response in January — “from the Middle School — a favorable report.”
“In December, we received a very negative report card that went to our vice president” said Burns, indicating that there were three Fs, a C, and a D rating.
He said GCA addressed all the issues over the winter break, and that he walked the building with administrators in January before students had returned to school.
“I think we progressed to a C?”
“You’ve been failing for 12 months, what are you going to do about it?” asked board
Vice President Jeff Scott. “Getting one back doesn’t change the fact that buildings are dirty and we’ve gotten the same reaction by students, parents, teachers, and staff.”
High School Assistant Principal Aaron Sborz said he sent a six-page list of complaints and uncompleted cleaning and maintenance issues to GCA in January.
That was separate from the one-page “report card.”
Burns said he works on the “quality” of the complaint, and said each person’s definition of clean is different.
“Now, it is not good, but I think our response time has improved,” Burns said. “I’m working on fixing this. I can see improvement. I am the last GCA manager you will see.”
“Yes, you are the last GCA manager we will see,” said Harris.
Burns said GCA has hired a new night manager, but two additional employees are needed to handle the district’s needs.
“We should then be able to meet all the other time requirements in the contract,” said Burns, adding, “My priority from the beginning was staffing. I see
some improvement, but realize it’s not where you want us to be.”
“You’re getting paid to do a job,” said member Aaron Durso. “Do it or we’ll find someone else.”
GCA was hired in May 2016 to do custodial, building maintenance, groundskeeping, and snow plow removal services after the board furloughed 35 of its custodial employees.
The board in 2016 estimated that the district would save $430,000 by outsourcing these services.
In other business, the school board unanimously approved a new middle school bus for this year at a cost of $15,000.
Transportation Coordinator Jeff Belford said the bus will be added in Birdsboro. It will alleviate overcrowding and resulting misbehavior issues on seven buses.
The bus is one of the two new middle school buses approved by the board at its March 12 Committee of the Whole meeting for the 2018-19 school year. Total cost in the 2018-19 budget is $88,000.
Belford said the decision to add a bus now resulted from complaints from parents about the overcrowding.