[Paul]

Hi All,

I am working as interim in Northbridge and our high school is the largest building being a four person building so I am putting together a plan to start summer cleaning with two person crews. Start date to be determined. Everyone must be masked and gloved. I will assign each crew opposite floors or even wings, adjust their started time so they don’t come in or leave at the same time, make their break rooms break and lunch time apart. Instruct them not even to work together as a two man crew other than moving teachers desk or large items. I have started my grounds crew of two this week, one works Tuesday and one Thursday.

I still have a few hurdles to jump, like getting approval of the superintendent and possibly school committee and of course the union. Another will be getting teachers safely in and out of the building before I start the cleaning process because I am sure they have item to secure or take home before we take their rooms apart. I am thinking , with principals coordination, we assign teachers a day and time slot using the locations of the classrooms to keep them apart.

I am sure the BIGGEST hurdle will be breaking the custodians of the “Pack” mentality. They do like to gather and socialize.

Please feel free to shoot holes in my dream before I present it to the powers above. I value your input.

Paul Anastasi

Interim Facilities Director

Northbridge Public Schools

(less retired than ever)

[Paul]

John,

In Newton we used SchoolDude Facilities Scheduling, we would first book the school programs, then the non-profits and then opened it to the public. People could go to our website and login and request a space. I also did auto invoicing. The request would start with the user the automatically route to the custodian in the building and they would add the overtime THEY thought was needed then it would route to me and I would edit the overtime usually reducing it to a reasonable request and approving the rental, at that point the user was notified via email that it was approved. It seems like a long process but it moved rather quick, the toughest part was for me to find time to approve 1600 permits a year. We also had a .5 assistant to do all the coordination, invoicing, money chasing and answering any questions. We had 3 levels of charges depending on the user (school/non-profit/off the street) and different custodial charges for different days of the week and times.

We would rent any space in the district at any time, no space was off limits. We would bring in $300K to the district with our rentals. An assistant and SchoolDude are big expenses but if the program is built up enough they can easily be funded by the income.

You Can’t Make This Up: I gave the order “no one enters the building without a permit!” My guys locked out Steve Burton (Channel 4 Sportscaster) and his bball team. I was OK with that BUT they also would not let the Mayor in to use the bathroom one Saturday. Can’t make it up!

Paul Anastasi

Newton (retired)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Paul]

No School Snow Days is regular pay. I would let them come in anytime no matter what shift they are assigned. They would start their 8 hr shift when they arrive. I would also have the plows cut at least one lane into each parking lot to get the custodians cars off the street.

 

Paul Anastasi

Newton (retired)

[Paul]

Steve, When I left Newton it was as follows:

Vacation: After 11 mos you get 10 days, After that you get 15 days until 10 yrs of service then you get 20 days, on your 21st year you get 21 days and another day for each year after that.

Holidays: 13 regular holidays and one floating holiday to be used anytime during the school year. Plus 2 days if the Jewish holidays fall in the work week.

Sick Days: 15/yr that accumulate, no payout at the end of service of any type. If you have use 0 days in a year you get 4 days pay as a bonus, use 1 day and get 3 days pay and so on.

Personal Days:  5 total, 2 for any urgent business and 3 for approved business.

For those people scoring at home after the first year that is approximately 20% of the available work days in a non leap year calendar, if you take them all and I had some that were at 0 at the end of every year.

Hope this helps.

Paul Anastasi

Newton (retired)

[Paul]

Jon,

I assume your regulars will know that you don’t do “cold calls”. I would have anyone new go through my administrative assistant and book an appointment. You shouldn’t feel that you are putting your admin in an uncomfortable position, she is your shield or filter, that is a big part of her job. At times I was in the same room when someone new asked for me and my admin would give them the company line ” Sorry Mr. Anastasi does not take cold calls but he would be happy to meet with you if you make an appointment. I can help you with that” and she would never lead on that I was even in the room.

There is something about giving someone access to my calendar? I know it’s secure and you have to approve it but I think the human factor will keep them from taking advantage of the access. But that’s probably just because I am old!

Good Luck,

Paul Anastasi

Newton (retired)

 

[Paul]

Steve,

In Newton we gave them a uniform allowance in two checks one in July (in time for summer vacation) and one in Christmas (in time to do Christmas shopping). That is what they negotiated and they got taxed on it that way???

In Watertown I did the Work-n-gear thing and it worked out well, a bit cumbersome, but they got the full amount in clothing. I just had to review the invoices because every now and then I would see a charge for nurses uniforms???

Paul Anastasi

Newton Public Schools (retired)

[Paul]

Wow, for a new guy you sure know how to get a response on this message board?

As you can see you are not alone.

Here is my story: When I left Watertown (5 schools 15 staff) after 10 years and went to Newton (23 schools 90 staff) I would find myself sitting in the  bathroom stall, head in my hands saying “what the f#%k did I do” !! Late one day I went into my bosses office, making sure no one was around to see my state, I was totally flustered and I told him I felt I was failing because I was leaving at least 25% of my work unfinished each day. He said “if you are leaving 25% on the table I am leaving 35% , this job is a juggling act and we have to try and keep the balls in the air, some days we will drop one and when we do we “own it” and that’s OK”.

As wise old MFAA member (Dana Cotto) told me early on, “put all of the MFAA events in your calendar and book yourself out for the rest of the day, even if the meeting gets over at 1pm don’t go back, go shopping or sit by the river and watch the fish jump”, they can live without you for a day or three. If they really need you they will call your cell. Many members have told me the MFAA is their therapy, it lets you know there are many people in the same boat. Just look at the responses you got with this post.

You are not alone!

Look forward to seeing you in Danvers next month.

Paul Anastasi

Newton Public Schools (retired)

 

[Paul]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Denise,</p>
 

In Newton I had a take home (Taurus) as the director. 2 craftsman had work trucks for use at work only.
<p style=”text-align: center;”>On the city side all the maintenance force had truck they could take home.</p>
Paul Anastasi

Newton (retired)

[Paul]

We installed many bottle fillers in Newton but we jumped out the filter because they become a real “time suck” when you are getting calls that the bottle filler is not working again! There is nothing in any reg’s that says we have to give people filtered water, or chilled for that matter.

Paul Anastasi

 

[Paul]

Last Friday as my last official act for the Newton Public Schools I ordered building checks Saturday, Sunday and Monday in the afternoon/evening. My guys (past tense) have a checklist of items to check to prevent “walk by’s”. In the past my guys even did “drive by’s” where they would drive to the building and keep going if there was exhaust coming out of the chimney. A check of the building alarm report stopped that practice.

Paul Anastasi
Newton Public Schools (past tense)

[Paul]

We have had mixed reviews. They put it in my South High cafeteria, waxed it and we hate it 8 years later. I have it here in my administration building on the 2nd floor it is waxed and it’s “so-so” on the 3rd floor we did not wax it and I love it. I have put the 12×12 marmoleum tiles unwaxed in the last three recently built elementary schools and have received rave reviews. No strip, no wax, EcH20 cleaning (no chemicals) has reduced my labor and chemical purchase three fold and it is greener, the Newtonite’s really love that part.

Good Luck,
Paul Anastasi

[Paul]

In Newton we use a lever set with a key on the outside and a thumb turn on the inside. We know that our teachers will not always have their key with them but will always have their thumbs.

Paul Anastasi

[Paul]

Bob,

We had back belts here but the guys did not use them. They thought they wanted them until they got them and then said never mind.

There is research that shows they do not work for prevention only for re-hab. Check out this article: http://ergo-plus.com/back-belts-to-prevent-low-back-injuries/

Good Luck,
Paul

[Paul]

Joe,

I think we used Cochrane Ventilation when we had a problem. If they didn’t do the work themselves they brought someone in.
Cochrane 978-658-4341.

Paul Anastasi

[Paul]

George,

We have four buildings with full coverage and several with coverage at problem areas. Some cover grounds but only play structures that are very close to the building with the same for parking lots.
No one monitors them we only look ‘back’ after an event has happened.

Paul Anastasi
Newton Public Schools