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- Custodian Paul Kohler cleans a classroom Thursday.
by Amanda Hills
Starting at the return from Winter Break, the custodians adopted a new cleaning procedure to allow for optimal efficiency and cleanliness, according to facilities operations manager Paul Anastasi.
This new method is called Team Cleaning. It was developed for this school by the M.D. Stetson Company.
Anastasi explained that rather than each custodian being responsible for all cleaning duties in a specific area, each custodian will perform one task throughout the building. A custodian’s role might be emptying all classrooms’ trash and recycling bins, or using the back pack vacuum on every classroom’s floor. Anastasi expects the cleanliness of the building to improve as a result of this new system.
Anastasi said that this change was prompted by an ineffective method of custodial services, and the new technique will “maximize efficiency.”
“Soon we will see a more consistently clean building, which includes areas like stairwells and glass,” he said.
Anastasi said that Team Cleaning has proven beneficial in other facilities such as hospitals and office buildings, and is only just starting to be introduced to schools across the country.
However, Anastasi pointed out some possible weaknesses of the system, at least at the start of its use. “It will take time to tweak and streamline the assignments, so every task may not be fully accomplished at the early stages of rolling out the system.”
The new system is being reevaluated weekly by Anastasi, the custodians and a representative from Stetson.