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In response to public concerns aired at last Thursday's meeting, the board of education voted to retain 13 members of the district's in-house custodial staff who had been slated for layoffs and put the expansion of the district's custodial outsourcing efforts on hold.
The primary issues raised by the dozens of students, teachers and residents who packed the Edison School gymnasium to protest the planned layoffs were the perceived effects on safety and cleanliness that outsourcing custodians would have on the schools.
"Me and my peers are at school day and night for prom set up, for different meetings, we’re always there – 9 o’clock, 10 o’clock, sometimes even 11 o’clock," high school student Lauren Rosenfeld said, speaking on behalf of the district's custodians. "And when we’re there late at night, we feel comfortable walking around our halls, when it’s pretty much us and the custodians...With new custodians and people that aren’t directly tied to the school, we would not have that feeling."
Teachers' Union president Gene Kuffel followed Rosenfeld's comment by asking the board to consider the parents in the district.
"If that was my daughter and I heard this plea, how do I do that? How do I send her in to a building of strangers?" he asked the board.
Board president Michael Rosenberg responded to the public concern over safety by reiterating that the same security procedures are in place for anyone who enters one of the district's schools, and added that a certificated teacher should always be present with students who stay after school.
"I don’t buy the safety thing," he said. "Because if I have students in the building, they are under the supervision of a certificated teacher. That’s what the certificated teacher gets paid to do. That’s why they get a stipend for doing after-school activities.”
Rosenberg said he was offended by the suggestion that he or any of the board members would jeopardize the safety of district students.
"I take offense that someone could tell me that I am jeopardizing the safety of the kids in this community, because that’s why I’m here. That’s why I sit on this board," he said. "I ran for the board of education because I care about the kids in this community. Kids first. Teachers second. Support staff third.”
Eugene Packer, a teacher and fencing coach at the high school, said he'd heard horror stories about other districts that had outsourced custodians and had the contracted custodians steal equipment from the schools and sometimes even send their unvetted relatives into schools to work in their stead.
He said he trusted the district's current custodians enough to leave his classroom drawers or cabinets unlocked over night.
"I am not making any statement in regard to the potential honesty or dishonesty of the people we are going to hire," Packer said. "I am making a statement, however, about the honesty of the people that we have in our employ at this time...I trust that custodians and other staff at the high school are going to be completely reliable in being just as careful about the safety of those kids as I am."
Multiple teachers also expressed concern about the decrease in cleanliness they said they had witnessed at the middle schools since Aramark custodians took over some shifts there this year.
Rosenberg replied that it was the first time he'd heard any such concerns about the job Aramark was doing and said the board had received nothing but positive reports from the monitoring company the district hired to oversee and evaluate Aramark's performance.
"I asked again today if our principals at the middle schools have gotten any complaints from the teachers about the cleanliness of the buildings," he said. "And the answer is 'no.'"
Both Rosenberg and board member John Mancinelli offered their thanks to the district's custodians but said it was their contention that students and teachers always came before support staff.
"It’s not that I don’t value you, and I don’t think you’re part of the community," Mancinelli said. "But when you’re in a squeeze, you’ve got to think outside the box and you’ve got to think about how do you solve the problem of staying alive and productive. That’s our job.”
Rosenberg said that if custodians are outsourced, they would be able to re-apply for their jobs through Aramark, but that they would not receive preferential hiring status and their pay would likely be at least 50 percent less than their current salaries. He said they would receive health benefits through Aramark, but was not sure how those benefits compared to the benefits unionized employees receive.
What do you think of the custodial outsourcing issue? Would you fear for the safety of Fair Lawn's school children if the schools hired only contracted custodians?
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In This article
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Fair Lawn Borough Board of Education
37-01 Fair Lawn Ave, Fair Lawn, NJ -
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Thomas Edison School
37-01 Fair Lawn Ave, Fair Lawn, NJ
Tommy P
12:45 pm on Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Another textbook reason why we should allow Parental Choice. If parents though the janitors in a given school were not "safe" for their children, they should be allowed to send them to another school.
LENNY
1:16 pm on Wednesday, April 25, 2012
as stated above by our board presdient
kids first
teachers second
support staff third
how about looking at some of the large group of support staff at the top of the pay scale not the lower end.
cut 5 at the top would save a lot more then 13 at the lower end and the schools would run fine as in the real world. also why do you have to pay and outside company to watch and tell you how the schools are being cleaned . does all that high pay staff not get out to the schools. example tonight (supit) I will go the high school and charge each of his huge staff to vist other schools on differnt times to see how things our going and then meet to see how things are running. guess then their is more money for the kids no one lost a job we did more with less.
Mei Won Sum
1:31 pm on Wednesday, April 25, 2012
These are 2010 numbers, but you can imaging they're more now:
Bruce Watson $228,932, Asst Sandy Ferro $87,604, Dr. Judy Moran Not Listed. Retired and came back as contractor making more, Asst Jane Comunale $59,792, Joann Wilson Business Administrator $145,488, Asst BA John DiPaola Not Listed, Director of Human Resources: Lisa M. Panagia $131,054, Secretary to the Director: Carole Fenton $65,248, Typist to the HR Dir. $45,846.
These are just a few. Many more. Never should the public sector ever make more than the private. HR Director for a school system making that much? Go to a BOE meeting and also ask Rosenberg why support staff is third? Maybe you should consider everything as one unit. If one part fails, it all crumbles. Should kids look down upon their teachers because they are a lower priority than them? And we hired a company to monitor another company? Is the staff that works in the school TOO F'N STUPID TO SEE IT MAY BE DIRTY!!!! You wasted our money to hire someone to evaluate some contractors? I'd like to know what ties that company has to anyone in the BOE.
Damocles
1:16 am on Thursday, April 26, 2012
@ Thomas Paine
Do you really not see a way to balance this situation? Does reduction, in your opinion, always have to start at the bottom of a totem pole ? You remind me of a typical technocrat who is blind, deaf and numb to the world surrounding him. Everything in life translates into numbers for you since you, regardless of provenience, are unable to grasp a different point of view or put yourself in the shoes of someone with a different socio-economic backround. And that requires imagination , a quality that, for instance, all psychopaths lack. Empathy is another. Now, try to guess what percentage of american CEO's and other so called decision makers fit that profile. Study results have been published by 2 scientists from Berkley and MIT. If you're able to read between the lines conclusion should be very easy, with the finger of blame pointed in appropiate direction. Ergo, custodians, these hard working people ( granted - maybe not all of them ) are not overpaid and their salary levels should be a norm in a country like USA. I do understand though, that people with similar views would feel a sense of accomplishment if all those custodians were "rewarded" with minimum wage salaries
Tommy P
8:48 am on Thursday, April 26, 2012
If we implemented parental choice, these issues would be moot. Ahead of that, cut the fat everywhere.
Jenne
12:32 pm on Thursday, April 26, 2012
My experience with Aramark is that you get what you pay for, if you're lucky. I'm not worried about my kid's safety, but once Aramark gets a contract their administrators skimp and service goes downhill until the contract is up for bid again. Maximal profit, minimal service, the paradigm of the modern stock-traded firm.
MC61249
9:18 am on Friday, April 27, 2012
For all of you who think having in-house custodians make your kids safe: http://tomsriver.patch.com/articles/elementary-school-custodian-charged-with-child-porn
Not saying ANY of Fair Lawns custodians are like this but your logic is flawed about Aramark..
Tommy P
10:02 am on Friday, April 27, 2012
Stop using common sense! Aramark would fire an employee that was in that position, the "district has suspended the individual from all contact with the organization until the charges are resolved."
In other words, if he gets off on a technicality, he would get his job back.
This example illustrates how these janitors being on our payroll makes our kids less safe then if it were outsourced. Not just more expensive.
people with no clue
7:11 am on Saturday, April 28, 2012
please find out. I believe it is not a full day kindergarten,only for a few. which some schools already have this.
a worker
9:20 am on Sunday, April 7, 2013
Why not ask everyone at Utica Community Schools what they think of outsourced custodians? If you like major turn over in your support staff I say go for the outsourcing. If you like theft within your school buildings I say go for the outsourcing. If you like the new employees soliciting your daughters phone number I say go for the outsourcing. If you like the new employees selling medical marijuana to your children I say go for the outsourcing. If you like your school kitchen and bathrooms left un-sanitized I say go for the outsourcing. If you like having a bunch of clowns walking around inside your buildings I say go for the outsourcing. As I have mentioned in numerous previous postings outsourcing is not what you want if you value safety and security in your children's schools. But hey.... don't waste your time believing what I say. I say go for the outsourcing. that way and that way only you will be able to post message: is exactly like the one I am posting cause then you will know first hand... the truth about outsourcing
a worker
9:35 am on Sunday, April 7, 2013
One last thing (sorry, but I am very passionate about school/student safety). Parents.... if you're School Board decides that it is a good idea to outsource why not ask them this question.... Ask them if they would mind if you brought several of the previous outsourced custodians into the buildings 1 year after outsourcing (to assist you in doing an inspection). If the school board actually believes that an outsourced company will do the job properly why would they not let the inspection take place? Lastly...wouldn't it be a good idea to make all school employee background checks visible to the parents? I do know many custodians who would welcome the idea of having their background check 100 percent visible to anyone that wants to see it Why wouldn't an outsourced company be willing to do the same? Think about it I mean after all it is your children's security at risk. Shouldn't you have the right to know who is around your children?