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A Memphis schools custodial company identified as the biggest source of potential spending abuse by a state-issued forensic audit this summer will continue to serve more than half of the district’s schools next year.
The MSCS board voted unanimously Tuesday to award ServiceMaster Clean a year-long contract for more than $16.3 million starting in January 2027 to cover schools in the Northeast and Southwest regions. But ServiceMaster Clean has been at the center of complaints and controversy for the district since 2022, when it was awarded a single contract to manage cleaning services across all school buildings.
The 2022 ServiceMaster Clean contract sparked a district and federal investigation after a whistleblower said it included “kickbacks” to a member of MSCS leadership, according to a July audit report from CliftonLarsenAllen. The firm identified $48 million in potential spending abuse related to that contract.
During Tuesday’s meeting, board member Towanna Murphy confirmed that ServiceMaster Clean was the same company identified in the state’s forensic audit, and asked if the contract process was completed fairly.
“We have to make sure that we are following up on these custodial companies cleaning our schools because we say that our schools are clean, but they are not clean,” she said. “So if we say we’re evaluating them, please evaluate them the correct way.”
Superintendent Roderick Richmond said the approval process was “as fair and reasonable as a human being can say it was.” Board member Michelle McKissack pushed back on questions about the contract, saying MSCS leaders acted with the “utmost level of integrity.”
MSCS investigated ServiceMaster Clean in 2023 and cancelled the contract after less than a year due to parent and staff complaints that schools weren’t being properly cleaned. Since then, MSCS has split district custodial services into four different regional contracts.
ServiceMaster Clean took over an emergency contract in early 2025 after MSCS suddenly fired former vendor Fresh Start for delayed worker payments and contract violations. The company also received a contract along with three other providers last December to cover the 2026 calendar year.
Starting in January 2027, ServiceMaster Clean and HES Facilities will split the district in two to save over $3.5 million annually, Chief of Business Operations Tito Langston said Tuesday. That would total $14 million in savings over the next four years if the two contracts are renewed.
Custodial controversy also arose last year, leaving nearly 35 MSCS schools without janitorial services for the entire month of January. The board delayed voting on one proposed company for weeks due to ethical and performance concerns raised by MSCS staff over a decade ago.
Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.
