Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
Memphis school board members doubled down on their decision to not offer a custodian contract to ABM Industries on Monday, leaving around 35 schools without cleaning services starting Jan. 1.
After a 25-minute discussion that wasn’t open to the public, five Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members voted against the contract. Board Chair Natalie McKinney and member Amber Huett-Garcia voted in favor, and Stephanie Love abstained. The board didn’t discuss other options to fill service gaps.
The current contract, which manages cleaning services for Northwest regional buildings, expires Dec. 31. There are no other board meetings scheduled before then, and MSCS adjourns for winter break starting next week.
Earlier this month, board members expressed concern about hiring ABM Industries due to district complaints filed against the company over a decade ago. But district leaders said the company was chosen from a pool of vendors after earning the highest score on a rubric used to vet MSCS partnerships.
MSCS currently splits custodial services regionally among four different companies. Board members renewed next year’s contracts for three of the current companies on Dec. 2. The board is expected to begin working on new four-year contracts for all regions in May or June.
The district first started outsourcing custodial services in 2013 to save money after the Memphis City and Shelby County school system merger. That raised concerns about worker pay and cleaning quality at the time, and that debate is still playing out in school districts nationwide.
Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.
