POWHATAN – The Powhatan County School Board sent a strong message that it would be watching when it recently hired a new company to handle the cleaning of all school buildings beginning Jan. 1, 2021.
During its meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10, the school board unanimously voted to approve signing a contract with HES Facilities, LLC for the cleaning and sanitation of all five schools, the joint transportation facility, and the Pocahontas Landmark Center. The annual contract is for $872,356.
The board members took their time with this decision at the meeting and made it clear to the new contractor that it is essential for the health and safety of staff and students that the company’s workers do their job well.
Even before the pandemic made cleanliness such a hot topic in spring 2020, school board members were taking issue with the cleaning job being done by SSC Service Solutions in the schools. In particular, problems keeping enough staff members to fulfill the terms of the contract was an ongoing issue.
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Kim Hymel, who represents District 5, repeatedly kept the issue in the forefront as she passed on complaints she had received from staff members about classrooms, bathrooms, and other areas not being cleaned to the standard that was promised. So it was no surprise at the Nov. 10 meeting when she repeatedly hammered home how important the issue was and how the schools weren’t looking to be burned again.
“We are not happy, and we haven’t been happy. And when I say we, I am talking about our teachers, our students, parents, the board,” she said. “We are not happy with what has happened, and we are expecting to pay you if you do the job and if you don’t there is going to be the door. I hate to be so blunt with you at the beginning here, but you need to understand that this county, this community is tired of having dirty schools. We have great education going on here and we need to have great clean schools as well.”
While this is the company’s first contract in Virginia, HES Facilities has over 20 school systems, small and large, that it serves in five states, according to representative Russell Leboff. He described the relationship the company will have with the school division as a partnership where they will work together for the goals they want to achieve.
“What I would like for you to understand is we are your partner in education. We are not going to be a company that says that is not a part of our job description. We are going to say how can we help you get this achieved,” Leboff pledged.
Some of the topics the board covered with this issue included HES committing to hiring existing SSC Service Solutions staff for positions; worries about getting good service if when the contract for HES is lower than the previous company; making sure salaries for staff are competitive; the fact the company will start the contract with all new equipment; the importance of good managers in creating a happier workforce; and what penalties are in place if the company falls short.