With a districtwide expansion and renovation project nearing completion that will add nearly 100,000 square feet of new space in four buildings, Chartiers Valley school directors last week considered proposals to take care of all that additional room.
Giving them a new look at the maintenance issue was John Frombach, retired Baldwin-Whitehall business manager and former president of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, who now has his own consulting firm.
Based on national standards, Mr. Frombach 10 years ago developed a model for effectively operating a maintenance support staff. What gives his model a personal touch is that Mr. Frombach has done such tasks as mopping floors, emptying trash and cleaning chalkboards to test the required times and workloads. For the CV study, he personally visited and measured all district sites, and studied the district's labor contracts and scheduling.
To meet national health and safety standards, "You should be able to do a classroom in 21 to 22 minutes," he told school officials.
The district now has the equivalent of 38.55 custodians working on three shifts including six "floaters." But Mr. Frombach believes 36 employees would be adequate. Under his proposal, the floaters could become regulars and any staff reductions could be done through attrition.
His suggestions included moving the head custodian from the first shift to the second shift at the intermediate and primary schools when 75 percent of the personnel are working, while retaining the head custodian on the early shift at the middle/high school because of its size.
He also recommended putting third-shift custodians at the primary and middle schools to take care of the well-used gyms, as well as locking up facilities and checking on building equipment like boilers.
Because of the district's extensive athletic facilities, Mr. Frombach recommended reducing the skilled groundskeeper position and creating six new positions with specific skills such as plumbing, electric, HVAC and carpentry.
Further, he suggested creating part-time custodians who would work 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. shifts, thus eliminating two full-time positions at the elementary level. These persons would be specially trained in cafeteria operation.
Besides these personnel shifts, which would require changes to the district's collective bargaining agreement with the custodial/maintenance staff, Mr. Frombach proposed the elimination of paper time sheets in favor of electronic timekeeping that uses biometric technology; providing uniforms to add visibility and professionalism, and identifying all entrances by number to increase efficiency, security and safety.
He assured directors that his suggestions are doable and that "no one will drop dead or not have time to talk."
Director Jeff Hilty was skeptical, saying, "I don't like messing with things that aren't broke."
But Director Patti Frey was quick to respond, "I'm not so sure they're not broke. Our schools aren't clean."
Superintendent Anthony Skender urged the board to look carefully at Mr. Frombach's study, and board President Beth McIntyre assured the few custodians in the audience that officials would hear their side, too.
"There's no need to panic," she said.
Director Mary Lou Petronsky explained the basis for the study. "We want to know what we're doing right and what we're doing wrong."
First Published: July 19, 2007, 10:00 a.m.