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Chicago Public Schools will cut 480 custodian jobs, end all private custodial contracts, and directly oversee the work of keeping schools clean.
The move, which comes as the district is working to close a $734 million deficit, sparked an immediate rebuke and demand for reconsideration from the two unions representing school custodians.
Starting Sept. 30, CPS will oversee 2,100 full-time custodians and end seven contracts with private custodial companies. The change will mean cutting about 1,250 private custodians and ending a longstanding practice of contracting with private companies to help clean schools.
CPS officials said the move is not only about cutting costs, but also part of the district’s goal to bring 25% of privatized positions back under direct district oversight, as outlined in the five-year strategic plan. Last year, CPS ended its agreement with Aramark, the Philadelphia-based company that oversaw management of all privately-employed and CPS custodians.
When Aramark took over management of custodians in 2014, the district also laid off 480 janitors and many schools complained of dirty conditions for many years. The cost of outsourcing went millions over budget. A decade later, unions and school principals cheered the end of the Aramark deal.
Now, some are also raising concerns about school cleanliness with these staffing reductions two weeks before the school year is set to begin on Aug. 18.
“You can’t eliminate 1,200 custodians just two weeks before school starts without any real plan for how these buildings will be cleaned and ready,” said Genie Kastrup, president of Service Employees International Union Local 1, the union representing privately-employed custodians. “Our kids deserve a safe and healthy learning environment on day one.”
Charles Mayfield, the district’s chief operating officer said Monday he believes more CPS oversight will help ensure cleanliness at schools, even with fewer custodians. That includes improved staff training, better monitoring of cleaning supplies, and a mobile app that allows custodians to upload information about rooms they’ve cleaned, giving the district “visibility” on the work at schools, he said.
Custodians with the private companies have received a text message and email about the change and instructions on how to apply for 750 full-time custodial roles inside CPS. They’re being asked to fill out an interest form by Aug. 22 and apply.
In a letter sent to elected officials Friday, Mayfield wrote that the district’s budget challenges made it “necessary to consolidate custodial services to ensure greater efficiency and long-term sustainability.”
CPS said the custodial changes will save about $40 million, which is part of the $165 million in savings that district officials already announced earlier this summer through layoffs and cutting down on some school-based services, such as hot meals and health services.
The seven private custodial contracts now set to end were expected to cost a total $222 million over the next two school years, according to a summary of the contracts that the Board of Education approved last February. CPS has the right to terminate those contracts with at least 30 days notice, according to district records.
Mayfield also wrote that the district is “mindful” that many of the private custodians losing their jobs have served CPS “loyally for years.”
“While CPS is proactively inviting all privately-employed custodians working within CPS schools to seek employment directly with CPS, unfortunately, due to budget constraints, not all positions will be retained,” he wrote.
The district says the changes will also “streamline” custodial operations and improve oversight and quality.
One South Side principal said she supports the shift to having CPS directly oversee custodians, but she’s concerned about the transition. However, she said it may be difficult for schools to manage with fewer positions and worries about schedule changes.
SEIU sharply denounced the change, raising concerns about job losses and the district’s ability to keep schools clean. The union demanded the district rethink the number of positions it is cutting, provide custodians with the most years of seniority the right of first refusal for new in-house jobs, and ensure that any worker who takes an in-house custodian role represented by SEIU’s Local 73 — which represents CPS-managed custodial workers — can keep the current rate of pay and minimum benefits.
CPS officials did not directly comment on those demands.
In SEIU’s press release, Maria Avila, Local 1 vice president, said she’s worked in CPS schools for more than 15 years, but the change feels like CPS is “throwing us away like we don’t matter.”
Reema Amin is a reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.
