Introduction

After eliminating more than 640 custodial positions in 2009-10 due to budget reductions, the District was faced with cutting an additional 537 custodial positions in December 2010. These reductions created a need to restructure the custodial service model to enable the delivery of safe and clean schools with significantly less resources.

As a result, the Facilities Services Division initiated the Safe and Clean Schools Initiative and adopted the Team Cleaning concept.

What is Team Cleaning

In a typical Team Cleaning system, custodial staff works as a team with individual assignments that perform specialty roles much like an assembly line process. For example:

• Utility Specialists will rove between classrooms to complete specifically-assigned cleaning tasks such as pick-up of large paper and debris, emptying trash cans, cleaning sinks, and spot mopping.
• Floor Specialists will follow the Utility Specialists to complete other specialized tasks in scheduled classrooms such as vacuuming and dusting floors, vents, chalk trays, and other horizontal services.
• Restroom Specialists will focus solely on restroom cleaning.
• Project Specialists (generally the Plant Manager) participate in the daily cleaning tasks, as well as completing non-routine and special cleaning requests. They also plan and coordinate event set-ups and conduct other necessary projects. The Plant Manager also supervises and trains the Team, inspects their work, orders supplies, places services calls, coordinates with the Principals, etc.
• The Team members work in close geographic proximity while on a campus.

Each Team is responsible for servicing 2-4 schools, or .Pod., each night. Each school will continue to have a full-time Building & Grounds Worker on site during the day shift and will receive services from a 4-person roving cleaning team during the evening. The 4-person roving team consists of a Plant Manager and usually three Building & Grounds Workers.

Team Cleaning has many benefits over the traditional zone cleaning model and can result in efficiency improvements of 30% or more. It has been successfully implemented by numerous other school districts, public agencies, and private industry around the country. Task specialization has proven to be more productive and requires less equipment and supplies. There is also better supervision since the Plant Manager is part of the cleaning team instead of working a different shift from the employees he/she supervises.

Implementation Schedule

On December 1, 2010, the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Branch of the Facilities Services Division implemented Team Cleaning.

462 sites with custodial allotment hours of 32 hours or less were targeted to be in the program. Of the 462, M&O received 16 sites that opted out and another 15 who funded and upgrade their daytime BGW to a Plant Manager. The deadline for either opting out or buying back a Plant Manager was October 15, 2010, but was subsequently extended until December 1, 2010. Due to declining budget resources and the need for night time Plant Manager supervision, request for opting out or buying back a Plant Manager are no longer being considered.

As of March 1, 2011, 155 Pods are actively Team Cleaning (consisting of 454 sites). The total amount of Pods established will be 158 encompassing 461sites.