Cleanlink News March 11 2010
School Cleaning Suffers
When Des Moines voters more than 10 years ago approved increasing the sales tax to update schools, officials pledged the facilities would be well-maintained. But proposed budget cuts call for a reduction in 41 custodial positions next year, which means fewer people maintaining the school district's buildings.
"We're going to be looking for more efficient ways of cleaning," said Bill Good, chief operations officer for the district.
That could mean decreasing the frequency buildings are cleaned, he said. While germ-ridden areas, such as bathrooms, would continue to have thorough daily cleaning, unused classrooms or meeting spaces could go to every other day cleaning. The practice is being explored in several school districts in light of tight budgets, Good said.
"Not every room or every classroom would necessarily be cleaned every day," he said.
Building maintenance remains a high priority for the district, Superintendent Nancy Sebring said. The district will continue with planned building improvements with the help of the statewide penny sales tax and continue to make systems more efficient, she said.
While the cuts can be managed this year, Good said he worries about the future. The district is already exploring possible partnerships with the city and other school districts and researching outsourcing opportunities.
"The outlook isn't very good," he said.
As seen on DesMoinesRegister.com.
