Custodians —
Building a Quality Workforce

Building a quality workforce requires attention and focus by employers and employees alike. It is an ongoing, school building and school district "state of readiness."

The custodian quality workforce that exists in our public schools does not occur by accident. This workforce comes together when school custodians are made aware of and are included in the school district's effort to enhance student achievement.

This effort must include professional development and new employee orientation programs, ongoing in-service training programs, and career-enhancing professional development programs for custodians.

This booklet highlights some of the challenges school custodians face as they endeavor to build a custodian quality workforce:

Who We Really Are and What We Really Do

Your Job Description

Custodians are essential school employees who interact daily with students, teachers, parents and the community in their daily job function. Custodians provide a unique link between jobs that are done in the school environment every day, and students' ability to learn and thrive. The obvious importance of the fact and function of custodians is clear to everyone. What is not yet clear — to administrations and communities alike — is the necessary recognition and then description of the unique and vital results custodians achieve in their daily jobs for the public school community. Some of the actual daily tasks and duties performed by a custodian would probably surprise and even dismay some administrators and school board members. It often does dismay, bewilder and escape the knowledge of supervisors who are responsible for developing job descriptions for school custodians.

A "Custodian's Typical Day" Often Includes:

• Responsibility for all heating, ventilating and air conditioning for the entire school building environment.

• Constant attention to all safety conditions in and around the building, including all doors, windows, and any other entrances or exits.

• Ongoing attention to specific student safety conditions upon arrival and through departure of all individuals (on one occasion the Custodian was responsible for disarming a student with a hand grenade; small weapons are not unusual and the custodian is generally the "disarmer").

• Custodians are often called upon for "escort service" of students, parents, and other visitors or strangers, and also faculty and staff when necessary.

• Personal service is often required for: changing tires, jump starting cars, dealing with overheated cars and vehicles, parking lot assistance when faculty or student cars are stuck in snow or mud in school areas, assistance when keys are lost or locked in cars, and numerous other assistance which occurs when someone says, "Call the custodian for help!"

• Custodians always get called when a "Bug Issue" arises. Using "instant extermination" chemicals is always a risk left to the custodian.

• Custodians often are the "lunch period messenger." Delivering or picking up items needed by faculty or administrators is pretty standard. Trips to Home Depot, Office Depot, banks, vehicle parts distributors, lawn and garden suppliers, heating and AC suppliers, grocery stores and caterers, rented furniture suppliers, gymnastic equipment suppliers, medical equipment suppliers, flower shops, etc., are fairly common. A particular example occurred in a school in Texas when the custodian was sent to select, purchase, and pick up the new refrigerator for the faculty room. Custodians often participate in site-based decisions about the physical school building.

• When students become disruptive or violent, it often falls to the custodian to "manage" the situation until the proper authority arrives on scene. In many school districts, the custodian is considered the "Master at Arms" of the school building. It is common for the custodian to act as extra security during events like basketball games, wrestling matches, etc. He or she must therefore be available for any and all sports events and activities.

• During weather-related emergencies, the custodian is responsible when problems occur, such as: getting the school building open, getting the buses rolling, getting the parking lot open for faculty and students, digging out the Superintendent's car, dealing with flooding problems from spring rains, removing the bus that was struck by lightning in the parking lot, picking up faculty members who cannot drive due to weather — the list goes on. Very often the custodian sleeps overnight in the school building in serious weather conditions in order to be available in the early morning to deal with emergencies. The custodian is usually the "first line of defense" for the faculty as to whether the school opens in weather emergencies. It should also be noted that during tornadoes, the custodian is called upon for major responsibilities to shelter the students and faculty.

• When supplies are missing in individual classrooms, the custodian is often asked to "go and pick up what is needed." An interesting example of this occurred in a New Jersey school when the biology teacher discovered that all the frogs had died over the weekend. The custodian was sent to the local pet store to get more frogs for the biology lab that day!

• This list could be infinite. The variety and scope of the "special" things the custodian is called upon to address are many and surprising. They are not however, unusual. Quite the contrary, most custodians encounter these kinds of tasks on a daily basis. They meet these challenges with competence and personal attention. The custodian in our public schools is an invaluable individual who endeavors daily to contribute to, and participate in, the public school environment in order to promote and enhance student achievement in our schools.

The need to accurately and comprehensively describe what a custodian really does on a daily basis is of vital importance. Your written Job Description matters a great deal! To the administration, "Your Job Description is Your Work Identity." It should describe who you really are and what you really do in a school district and as part of a Custodian Quality Workforce.

To Section 2: Federal and State Statutes