After much discussion, the Warren County R-III School Board could not come to a unanimous decision to solve a shortage of custodial staff.With five members of the district’s custodial crew having retired at the conclusion of last school year, Maintenance Director John Chandler went in search of candidates. During the monthly board meeting Aug. 9, Chandler reported the challenges he has faced in filling those vacated positions.His proposal was to use an outside service to alleviate the burden.“We’re experiencing a custodial shortage,” said Chandler. “I’m asking the board to go out for bid to help fill these spots. These would be the nighttime cleaning crews at that building.”The board passed the proposal 6-1, with Board President John Clinger expressing concern over hiring outside of the district.Chandler says the staff is being asked to take on a lot of additional responsibilities, and he is fearful those demands may drive more loyal employees away.“They pushed hard and got it done,” said Chandler of the workload over the summer. “I don’t want to lose what I’ve got. I’m not trying to replace everybody.”He reported that his postings for the open positions yielded 47 hits, with 12 applications filled out over the past 60 days.“We spent hours screening applicants,” said Chandler.Six candidates were offered jobs, but five of those declined the offers or quit for various reasons. Chandler says the evening crews are left without leadership if an issue arises. In many instances, he steps in after hours.“Right now the crews there at night don’t really answer to anybody,” said Chandler. “If they need extra support they don’t have anybody.”The intent is to use an outside contractor to help ease the burden on current staff until more local applicants come forward to take on those roles permanently. Chandler says it’s also a cost-efficient way to manage the positions, at least in the interim.“If we were to hire someone, the man hours put into that process, as well as in training them, is around $3,000,” said Chandler.By using the outside contractor, the district would also not be responsible for benefits packages, because those employees would be part time and managed externally.“I’d be OK with trying it short term, but I still believe when we invest in people from the district it’s a win for us,” said member Ginger Schenck. “But I realize it’s not happening in this particular situation.”Superintendent Dr. Gregg Klinginsmith says the move is also in line with board goals, given that it would improve the work environment and demands placed upon current staff.“When we go back to our board goals of developing a culture of success, this could help to take the workload off our current employees,” said Klinginsmith. “It could also address our financial future.”Warren County R-III School District logo