Whyte: We need a director of facilities to conduct a pilot.
While New Haven’s school board approved spending $900,000 on snow and ice removal contracts for this school year, Board of Education member Andrea Downer urged the district to conduct a small pilot program of in-house facilities staff in an effort to improve performance and cut costs.
Some of her fellow board members expressed their support for the idea of a pilot, as did school district leaders.
Still, the school board voted 4-2, with Downer and Board of Education Secretary Edward Joyner voting no, at Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting at King Robinson School where five snow removal contracts were up for approval.
Downer called for a pilot, where one or two schools are cleared of snow by the district’s facilities department rather than by contractors.
“Tonight, make no mistake, I understand the need for this contract. But I am asking this board to do more than approve another contract. I am asking us to approve a path forward,” Downer said during Tuesday’s meeting.
The district’s 44 buildings are split into five zones for snow removal. This year, New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) increased its budget for snow and ice treatment and removal services from $150,000 per zone to $180,000 per zone.
Tuesday’s vote approved contractors Concrete Creations LLC, Cheapscapes, and Cariati Developers, Inc. to conduct this year’s snow services. Concrete Creations and Cheapscapes were also contracted by NHPS last year. This year Concrete Creations would be assigned three zones, meaning its total earnings will be $540,000. Cheapscapes and Cariati each have one zone paying $180,000 each.
Downer noted during the meeting that snow removal services are necessary to keep schools safe, accessible, and operational for students and staff, but she questioned why she has “become somewhat of a broken record” in her pleas for the district to pilot in-house snow services since she joined the Board of Education three years ago.
Downer said Tuesday what she has spoken about about in previous board discussions — that wants to see more of an investment in the school district’s facilities team, rather than have that money go to costly outside contractors.
“I believe we are continuing down a path that is financially and operationally unsustainable,” she said.
She called on her board colleagues to take seriously their responsibility to “look beyond this winter” and ask what the district’s longterm strategy is.
On Tuesday, Downer proposed the district organize a pilot program at one or two schools for snow removal to help determine if a hybridmodel is feasible, which would see contractors and in-house staff jointly complete the job.
She suggested the pilot utilize existing staff, seasonal staff, workforce development opportunities, and educational and community partnerships. A pilot would also provide the district with data, she said, as it explores new approaches.
She suggested partnerships with Gateway Community College, Southern Connecticut State University, University of New Haven, Albertus Magnus, and University of Connecticut to establish workforce pipelines, internships, and facilities-related career pathways for seasonal employment opportunities for local residents and recent NHPS graduates.
A board’s role is to do more than approve contracts, Downer said. She spoke with about the district facing workforce challenges with its facilities department, which is in need of carpenters, HVAC technicians, and plumbers. She shared the example that NHPS has one painter to service the entire school district.
“At the same time, we continue to spend increasing amounts on contracted services for grounds, maintenance, landscape and snow removal, and ice mitigation,” she added, while also pointing to the increase in facilities change orders from contractors.
Now is the time for the district to decide whether “simply paying more every year is a sustainable strategy,” Downer said.
Included with the Tuesday contractor agreements was a memo from Chief of School Operations Paul Whyte, stating that the school district is interested in an in-house pilot program but that it first needs a director of facilities. (The last NHPS director of facilities left the job in August after holding the position for two days.)
“Although we are committed to experimenting with a pilot model that includes in-house staffing for a zone or partial zone, we have a major transition underway with in-house management of facilities and a variety of critical positions that are in the process of being filled,” Whyte’s memo states.
“A Director of Facilities is critical to accomplishing this pilot and, investigating the actual cost of renting equipment necessary to complete it as well as, overtime and other budget expenses associated with it. This year, once staffing has been resolved we will explore a pilot plan to incorporate snow removal services in house.”
Board members Daniel Juarez, Joyner, Abie Benitez, and Matt Wilcox all expressed their support for a snow services pilot. Benitez suggested a task force be created to work on making the pilot happen.
“If we believe rising maintenance and contracted services costs are a concern, then it is our responsibility to direct the conversation and explore alternatives. If we believe workforce development matters then it is our responsibility to encourage solutions. If we believe sustainability matters then it is our responsibility to move beyond the discussion and into action,” Downer concluded on Tuesday. “Leadership starts with us … I am asking us to stop merely monitoring the problem and start addressing it. Not next year. Not someday. Now.”