Fairbanks North Star Borough School Custodians concerned over potential cuts

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU) - As the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District (FNSBSD) grapples with a potential $32 million deficit, discussion about the possibility of contracting out custodial services continues.

Custodians are currently hired and directly employed by the school district and are represented by the Education Support Staff Association (ESSA). Since the prospect of outsourcing custodial services came up during the last budget cycle, union members have voiced concerns about potential job losses and the impacts that could follow such a decision.

“I’ve already had... more than one teacher tell me that if they get contractors, that they do not want them in their classrooms,” said Steven Bonfoey, a custodian at North Pole Elementary School. That statement was made in March when the school board was still deciding whether or not to eliminate custodial positions during the last budget cycle.

“There are other things, again, that the contractors will not do,” Bonfoey added. “We’re only supposed to do what we are paid for, but like teachers, there’s always more that we do.”

Similar concerns are being vocalized as discussions of potential outsourcing of custodial work continued as part of the school district’s efforts to manage the current budget deficit.

At a school board work session on Monday, Dec. 9, Andy Degraw, Chief Operations Officer for the FNSBSD, said vacancies are one reason the board is considering this option, as the district started the school year with 30 custodial vacancies. That figure represents a two to three-fold increase compared to the average vacancy rate at the start of the 2024-2025 school year.

Another reason leading to the consideration for outsourcing of custodial services is the financial benefit to the district of not paying benefits and salaries for the custodians, as would be required if the custodians were directly employed by the school district. According to April Johnson, the president of ESSA, the school district claims the move towards outsourcing could save the district about $3 million annually.

Johnson said the district‘s consideration to cut custodial positions has not been taken well by current employees. “They’re really disheartened and demoralized,” Johnson said. There is acknowledgment that employee morale can be impacted by the current number of vacancies as well.

Other concerns related to the potential changes being considered by FNSBSD have included screening and background checks for contracted custodial services. The school district has already said they have plans to continue background checks, according to Johnson.

However, she does have concerns about the impact any such change could have on the larger community. “A lot of what the conversation has centered around is there is this out-migration trend in Fairbanks,” Johnson said. “If you start cutting people who take pride in making sure that our schools are clean and safe and kept in repair and outsource it to a company that has no ownership or loyalty to the school district, you’re not really doing much to create an environment where people want to have their kids come and stay and learn.”

The school board will vote on the matter at the next school board meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

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