District 158 may see custodial cuts

Looking to sweep away their budget worries, officials in Huntley Unit District 158 may seek to cut the district's custodial costs by 40 percent.

The District 158 school board on Thursday gave tentative approval for administrators to renegotiate the district's contract with RJB Properties, a move that could save the district as much as $700,000, officials said.

That savings won't come without a cost. Officials acknowledged the bulk of the savings would come from reduced service, raising questions about sustainability.

"I'm also concerned about the quality of the cleaning," board Secretary Kim Skaja said. "If you reduce it that much more, how much are you going to have to spend down the road?"

The possible custodial savings were outlined in the district's initial draft of its 2010-11 budget. While the budget spares staff and programs in favor of deferrals and cost freezes, top administrators have questioned how long they can maintain that approach.

The district's three-year contract with RJB Properties expires in 2011, but the district can tear up the deal with 90-day notice, officials said.

Director of Operations and Maintenance Doug Renkosik said his team would have to start negotiating soon to have a new contract in place by July 1, the start of the fiscal year. RJB is willing to renegotiate, Renkosik said.

The board voted to privatize its custodial contract in 2005 in hopes of saving - coincidentally - $700,000. Board President Shawn Green, who was on the board when the contract was privatized, said Thursday that five years down the road, the move hasn't met expectations.

"We didn't save as much money as we were supposed to," Green said.

Green asked whether the district might save money by bringing custodians back in-house, but Renkosik said that would double the district's costs - pointing out that the least-senior custodians are now making close to minimum wage.