Custodial contract reviewed

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Northwest Herald - Local News and Video for McHenry County, Illinois - Custodial contract reviewed

Custodial contract reviewed

By TOM MUSICK - tmusick@nwherald.com

HUNTLEY – District 158 officials will do more homework before deciding whether to renew a $2 million custodial contract or seek a lower bidder.

Board President Shawn Green also asked administrators to research whether the contract could require some or all custodians to be proficient in English.

The district signed a three-year contract with GCA Services in 2005, with options for one-year extensions in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Administrators asked school board members to renew the contract, which would cost the district about $168,000 a month.

“We wouldn’t bring them to you and recommend them if we didn’t think they were good to keep,” Chief Operations Officer Glen Stewart said.

Board member Aileen Seedorf said she wanted to open the custodial contract to competitive bidding. Others agreed that they needed more information regarding the difference in bids when the district last signed on with GCA.

Board member Kevin Gentry said he would be interested in a bidding process only if it could save the district significant money.

“If the upside is immaterial, I wouldn’t be interested in bidding,” Gentry said.

Stewart questioned whether any potential savings from a bidding process would be worth the time and resources that it would require from administrators.

He also said the district benefited from renewing with GCA because it would not have to train new workers or risk being saddled with a lower bidder that lacked GCA’s proven reliability. Meanwhile, Green asked Stewart to determine whether the district had or could add an English proficiency requirement in the contract.

Green said he had heard complaints from teachers whose “Do not clean” notes on dry-erase boards went ignored or who found instructions written in other languages.

Stewart said he believed that the lead custodian for each day and night was required to be proficient in English.

Gentry questioned whether the language issue made a tangible difference in the district’s custodial services.

“If it’s really impacting the quality and execution of work, then it’s something to think about,” Gentry said.

Board members plan to revisit the custodial contract discussions at their next building committee meeting Jan. 10.

[MMI Enterprises 289]

They want good work they might want to make sure they got none of that bs going on where they favor minority owned company and basically discriminate wrongly... What the word I looking for?..sounds like apartide/descrimination..oh yea it just popped in my had..AFFIRMATIVE ACTION.. YUK YUK! :)

[David O'Connell Jr. 14]

I hear ya

[FCPWLLC 233]

Also, stop awarding to lowest bidder.

[One Tough Pressure 580]

"We wouldn’t bring them to you and recommend them if we didn’t think they were good to keep,” Chief Operations Officer Glen Stewart said."

Famous last words, it is probably the relative of somebody. So the question is who is getting rich this time?

[MMI Enterprises 289]

yup Alan..that about it.

My famous last words to competitor would be "Hows yer girlfriend doing Randy? "

[Integrity Curb Appeal 64]

I wonder if they thought very deeply about the "English" requirement. There may not be a custodial company within a 3 state radius that can meet a "everyone speaks English" clause, at least of the size of cmpany required.

[Tmrrptr 164]

Also, stop awarding to lowest bidder.

Yep!

I heard of one company??? that tossed the highest, and lowest bids, then selected from the two closest to the median.

Can't recall where I heard it, but it sounds reasonable to me, absent any other factor that may really be the consideration.

[Tmrrptr 164]

A couple years back, working at the rear of a new home, one of our amigos came flying over a fence and ran up asking tiene un trapo???

Jose was pretty excited but I had to say no sabe.

I didn't know that word. and he pulled at his shirt

I said camisa? No No and he ran off to their truck parked a distance away.

Pretty much had to learn minimal spanish, because you never know what will come up.

A spray man at the front of the house to paint the door had the tip come loose on the gun and blew a quick blast of paint all over the front porch and the helper kid was running to find rags.

I think it important that ALL workers, and not only the supervisor speak English.

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Learn a foreign language??

Nah.. part of my gig is to entertain the Indians..Not knowing what they saying can make for some fun times albeit usually at my expense.. :)

For instance I had an Indian teach me how to say "I want to get with yer sister" ...you know to be able to play around with some the guys at other locales that enjoy shootin the breeze in true guy fashion. Some them like crude humour.

So this guy teaches me something sounding like 'mary bonda morrow' and I head out into the world all proud and armed with another addition to my small repertoire of Punjab/Hinde slang. Come to find out monthes later that all the while I thinking I been dis'en them about their sisters I really been telling them I want to bend male men over and have at them in a frisco sort of way. Is no wonder many were choking on their kava(sp?) drinks and about falling off their stools in laughter.

...

I'll stick with English cause that is the official American language isn't it?

[Integrity Curb Appeal 64]

Learn a foreign language??

Nah.. part of my gig is to entertain the Indians..Not knowing what they saying can make for some fun times albeit usually at my expense.. :)

For instance I had an Indian teach me how to say "I want to get with yer sister" ...you know to be able to play around with some the guys at other locales that enjoy shootin the breeze in true guy fashion. Some them like crude humour.

So this guy teaches me something sounding like 'mary bonda morrow' and I head out into the world all proud and armed with another addition to my small repertoire of Punjab/Hinde slang. Come to find out monthes later that all the while I thinking I been dis'en them about their sisters I really been telling them I want to bend male men over and have at them in a frisco sort of way. Is no wonder many were choking on their kava(sp?) drinks and about falling off their stools in laughter.

...

I'll stick with English cause that is the official American language isn't it?

DUDE, that is hilarious. Probably the funniest thing I have read in a while.