Campbell explained that over the last few years the metro Austin area has struggled to keep up with the demand for custodial staff due to rapid growth and the increase in housing cost in the Central Texas area.
"Georgetown ISD has not been immune to the staffing shortages not only in custodial services but in many other support roles," Campbell said.
Campbell reminded the board that GISD entered an agreement with Goodwill in 2020 to help supply custodial staff in order reduce vacancy. However, it was short-lived and produced less than eight total staff members.
Campbell also said that the GISD custodial staff was at an an all-time low during the 2021-22 school year, with some elementary schools only having one custodian available a day.
"To cover the shortages, campus staff helped in the daily cleaning process, and the district has tried several other staffing tactics, including the mid-school year pay raises," Campbell said.
Campbell reported that a request for proposal, or RFP, for elementary school custodial services was submitted in time for the 2022-23 school year. The RFP includes staffing, supplies and equipment.
According to Campbell, seven proposals ranging from $1.8 million-$2.7 million were submitted.
"The district’s current cost of custodial services for all 10 elementary schools when staffed is $2.25 million per year," Campbell said. "The advantages that these
professional cleaning companies have over single district-run operations is synergy of operating many school districts. These companies also have a larger staffing support of other school districts to be able to shift staff around when needed."
GISD will review the proposals in order to make a recommendation to the GISD board at a future meeting.
