Greater Clark approves company for custodial, maintenance outsourcing

Mar. 10—CLARK COUNTY — Greater Clark County Schools is moving forward with several items outlined in its recent cost-reduction plan, including the outsourcing of custodial and maintenance services.

The board voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a proposal from the Louisville-based Perfection Group to partner with Greater Clark for facility management services.

The Greater Clark administration also announced the new boundaries for Jeffersonville elementary schools with the upcoming closure of Bridgepoint Elementary.

The board approved a cost-reduction plan in January to cut about $5.5 million from the budget. The plan includes the closing of Bridgepoint Elementary and Corden Porter in Jeffersonville at the end of May, along with the outsourcing of facility management.

The partnership with Perfection includes a $6.7 million contract, guaranteed cost savings of $320,433 and plans for future cost-savings measures.

The board will vote on the contract with Perfection on April 13, according to Laura Hubinger, chief financial officer for Greater Clark.

The district also considered proposals from Aramark, ATS and ABM.

Greater Clark Superintendent Mark Laughner said Perfection will give current staff in the district "every opportunity to come onboard and honor their service in terms of years."

According to Perfection's proposal, "all [hourly] incumbent staff will be reassured that they will be offered a position" as long as they meet hiring standards.

Incumbent leadership will be offered positions if "supervisors and higher management are a good cultural and quality fit for our team."

"As far as benefits and things of that nature, they're going to offer that just like any company would, so we feel like they are a great company," Laughner said. "We researched their history, and we feel like they are a great company that will be a good partner for us."

Laura Hubinger, chief financial officer at Greater Clark, said the administration put together a request for proposal focused on cleanliness and safety of buildings, as well as maintenance services for both indoor facilities and landscaping.

She described the company as an "all-in team."

"I'm so honored that [Perfection wanted] to come to Greater Clark County, that they wanted to work with us," Hubinger said. "They are very serious about the partnership, they're very committed to our students and they're committed to making sure that we save money as a district to make us No. 1 in the state of Indiana."

Hubinger said Perfection has an 8-week transition plan to work with current employees in the district to transition them to their team.

John Buckwalter, Greater Clark board president, said he has communicated with employees such as custodial staff in the district, and he notes that there will be room for staff to grow and undergo training with Perfection.

"When I first talked to some of those folks on the phone, I said, if it doesn't benefit you or put you in the same place that you are, I will not vote for it," he said.

REDISTRICTING MOVES

At Tuesday's meeting, the administration announced the redistricting plans for students who live in Bridgepoint's district.

Current Bridgepoint elementary students will be sent to Franklin Square, Northaven or Riverside elementary schools.

The redistricting will go into effect in the 2021-22 school year.

Chad Schenck, chief operating officer for Greater Clark, said Franklin Square Elementary was built for 550 students, and with the redistricting, there will be an estimated 487 students for the 2021-22 school year.

Northaven Elementary is predicted to have 566 students in 2021-22, and "no students will be seated in hallways," he said.

"We have adequate space for all students at Northaven for the upcoming school year," Schenck said.

At Riverside Elementary, there will be a total of 547, which is "well in line with their current capabilities," he said.

Schenck said no current Bridgepoint bus stops will be eliminated or moved, but 67 current Bridgepoint students who now reside in a "no transportation zone" will now be offered transportation in the upcoming school year.

Laughner said Greater Clark will be able to serve students well at any of those schools, and he feels the district is prepared to accommodate growth in Jeffersonville.

"We have a pretty solid plan of what to do in Jeffersonville," Laughner said. "We understand that we will need some classrooms on probably at Riverside, we will need to add some classrooms on eventually at Northaven."

The district will also begin working on classroom additions at Utica Elementary in a couple of months.

"If we do those [additions to schools] over the next couple years, that will open up about 600 seats," Laughner said. "We have room right now as is, but we want to make sure we have room for the future too. "