Steve Bergholm
Anonymous
Forum Replies Created
-
In reply to: Air conditioning in schools
In reply to: Covid Isolation room
We had actually started that process prior to the guidance coming out last week. We have taken over conference rooms and offices that are adjacent to the nurses’ offices and will use those for non-covid illnesses and injuries and put suspected covid cases into the existing sick rooms in the nurses office areas. We are also adding sinks in those spaces that we are taking over as well as pulling out carpet and installing tile.
Steve Bergholm, Newburyport Schools
In reply to: Custodial Schedules
In reply to: Custodial Schedules
Here is what we are doing in Newburyport:
-Continue with current schedule through the week of 5/4. Each custodian works one 5 hour shift per week, so each of our buildings is open from 7:30 to 12:30 M-F
-For two weeks starting on 5/11 we will have 1st shift custodians work 7am to 11am and 2nd shift 11am to 3pm. During these two weeks teachers will be allowed to come in to clean out their classrooms on a schedule designed to limit the number of people in the building at any given time. Student lockers and desks will be cleaned out with all of the items put into bags for a curbside pickup.
-Starting 5.26 we shift back to full time and into summer cleaning mode.
I am getting some questions from one school about whether or not we should have teachers coming in prior to the expiration of the governors new stay at home order on 5.18.
Good Luck to Everyone!
Steve Bergholm, Director of Facilities, Newburyport Public Schools
- Is your organization still paying staff to mostly stay home (essentially paid furlough)? Yes
- Do you have any staff that are on unpaid furlough? No
- Have you had to layoff anyone? No
- Have your City/Town/School officials raised the possibility of layoffs or furloughs with you? No
Steve Bergholm, Newburyport Schools
In reply to: DLS update for Cease and Desist. Please read!
In Newburyport we have one custodian working a 5 hour shift each morning in each of our three buildings to support and clean-up after administrative staff and the food distribution program and do building checks. It works that each custodian in the district works one 5 hour shift per week, so in order to be equitable our maintenance staff are also each working one 5 hour shift per week checking mechanical equipment and taking care of security issues, etc. Based on this I may have to rethink what I am allowing our grounds guy to be doing. Everyone is being paid their normal pay whether they are home or working. They have all been told that they can let me know anytime that they don’t feel comfortable coming in if they are in any of the higher risk categories, and should absolutely stay home if they are not feeling well in any way. None have missed a shift since we started this schedule a couple of weeks ago. I am mostly working from home, but go in once or twice a week to take care of necessary tasks that I cannot do remotely.
Steve Bergholm, Director of Facilities
In reply to: Reporting Structure for Custodial Staff
Technically the custodians report to both the Principals and me. In practice I supervise the custodians, but they are expected to be responsive to requests from the building Principals. We have Lead Custodians at each of the buildings with whom I communicate most of the time for normal day to day needs, but I will also deal directly with specific custodians if the need arises. Most of the time the Principals don’t want to be bothered with most custodial issues.
Steve Bergholm, Director of Facilities, Newburyport Public Schools
Looking into this a little more it appears this is still just a bill that has not been voted on yet. https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/H565
Steve Bergholm, Newburyport Schools
Our Nurse Leader just sent me a link to a new law that says schools serving grade 6 and above are required to provide feminine hygiene products free of charge in the girl’s restrooms effective next August. Anyone else hearing this. I cannot tell from the link if this is a done deal or proposed legislation. https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/H565/House/Bill/Text
Steve Bergholm, Newburyport Schools
In reply to: Custodial OT Pay
In Newburyport anything over 8/day or 40/week is paid at time and a half. No difference for Sundays or holidays. Custodians, Lead Custodian and Maintenance Techs are all part of the same union. On snow days, if offices are also closed (and they usually are) they get paid time and a half on top of their regular pay.
In reply to: Consolidation of Schools and Town
In Newburyport we (the schools) are completely separate from the city with regard to custodial and most maintenance services. The DPS does mow some lawn areas around a couple of our schools, handles some major infrastructure projects (i.e. paving) and we work together to plow the school parking lots. Other than that, we take care of everything else.
Steve Bergholm, Director of Facilities
Newburyport Public Schools
In reply to: Facilities Staff Vacation, Sick, Persone;
In Newburyport vacation time is allotted each year on July 1st: two weeks after one year of service, three after five years, four after 10 years and five after 15 years. Technically sick time accrues at 1.5 days per month for a total of 18 days per year, but in practice it is also allotted on July 1st unless a specific employee has a severely bad attendance record. Four personal days are also allotted on July 1st.
Facilities staff are not allowed to take more than two weeks of vacation between July 1st and September 1st, and no vacation time is allowed during the five days before the opening day of school.
Steve Bergholm, Newburyport Public Schools
In reply to: Bleeding Kits – Anyone Installed These Yet?
In reply to: Uniform Program
We purchase 5 polo shirts for each custodian and maintenance worker annually. They are required to wear those anytime they are on duty. Plus they have a $250 clothing allowance with which they are expected to purchase “appropriate clothing and footwear”. They submit a request for reimbursement along with receipts so I can review and approve (or not). We tried having a dedicated vendor with an approved list of clothing and footwear options but ran into problems with limited options, some sizes/styles not readily available and items back ordered for months.
Steve Bergholm, Newburyport Schools
