Weeks before Chicago Public Schools reopened for full-time, in-person learning in August, facilities chief Clarence Carson repeatedly assured Chicago Board of Education members that buildings would be “clean and disinfected the way they should be.”
Carson is now out of a job amid complaints of dirty schools. And at Wednesday’s monthly board meeting, CPS officials once again assured board members that custodial services are a priority, with incidents of filthiness isolated to a few of the district’s 600-plus schools.
“We’re not going to make excuses,” CPS CEO Pedro Martinez told the board. “We will continue … to make progress. We did some deep cleaning on Friday with classes being canceled. We’re going to do more deep cleaning this weekend, during the Thanksgiving holiday. We’re not going to stop, board members.”
Officials promised a “comprehensive” facilities update at next month’s board meeting. In the meantime, CPS said it has held custodial job fairs this week as Martinez blamed grime woes on last-minute janitorial no-shows. CPS capital planning and construction executive director Ivan Hansen was appointed acting chief facilities officer last week, with the district saying it has “reiterated expectations” and emphasized the need for better communication with principals.
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CPS handed school custodial responsibilities to the Philadelphia-based Aramark service firm in 2014. Despite reports of inadequate cleaning of schools, the board in July approved a three-year contract with Aramark for up to $369 million. Outside CPS headquarters Wednesday, members of the Chicago Teachers Union chanted “Aramark has got to go.”
CTU leaders called for spending COVID-19 relief funds to hire more custodians as well as nurses, social workers and substitute teachers.
“We are hearing what we have been experiencing for years. And I want to underscore years, that our buildings are not clean because we are not paying for clean. We are paying for dirty,” CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates said.
CPS custodians rallied last week to decry staffing and supply shortages and demand Aramark and district accountability. Board member Lucino Sotelo acknowledged CPS’ inconsistent track record on facility cleanliness.
“There’s a reason why we have that extra scrutiny, and we need to have that extra scrutiny to make sure that we do not allow for those filthy buildings to continue,” Sotelo said at Wednesday’s meeting.
“When you have a provider that has a responsibility to be there, and they don’t show up, there’s got to be consequences for both the provider and the people that don’t show up. Right? So we need to hold them to account.”