Providence school cleaning service agrees to do a better job
Linda Borg Journal Staff Writer @lborgprojocom
Aug 8, 2019 at 11:12 AM Aug 8, 2019 at 7:34 PM
PROVIDENCE — Providence school board President Nicholas Hemond said it is his understanding that Aramark will move every school building to the next highest level of cleanliness. ,.
At a state Board of Education meeting Thursday, education Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green said she has asked Aramark to bump up the level of service it provides to the city's 41 school buildings, adding that a new plan should be in place soon.
According to Infante-Green, there are five levels of cleanliness set by the professional organization that defines standards of housekeeping for schools and colleges. Aramark, she said, provides the third level of care, called "casual inattention," which is described as a "lowering of expectations." Floors are swept, but there are still spots on the floor, matted carpets, and noticeable dirt, dust and smudges on all vertical and horizontal services.
Hemond said Friday that the tiers of cleanliness depend on the age of the building. Because most of the district's buildings are at least 50 years old, and a few are nearly 100 years old, it is difficult to get them to level 1, defined as "orderly spotlessness." The newest buildings, the career and technical high school and E-Cubed, are held to a higher standard, he said.
"It doesn't mean we allow mold," Hemond said. "It means that you have more water stains and paint chips in buildings that are almost 100 years old."
The Providence School Board hasn't been happy with Aramark's performance for some time, Hemond said, but the company was the lowest bidder, so the board's hands are tied. Most companies can't accommodate a district as large as Providence.
"I've been critical of Aramark since day one," Hemond said. "They've never been happy with me and I've never been happy with them."
Many of the issues that teachers are calling out this summer are due to decades of deferred maintenance, which the city is beginning to address this year, with $20 million worth of substantial repairs. In addition, voters last year approved a $250-million bond that will invest in major repairs.
"We've advocated on this issue," he said. "The problem is, we don't have the bonding authority. All we can do is shake a can."