Custodians in short supply amid school staffing crunch

Waterloo region schools aren't just scrambling to backfill educators these days — they're also dealing with shortages of school custodians, according to the unions that represent them. 

"We are lying to the community that the schools are safe and they are clean, when there are schools that have not been [properly] cleaned for weeks," said Sergio Pochon, vice-president of the Custodial and Maintenance Association, which represents custodial staff at the Waterloo Region District School Board.  

Pochon said the board has had a staffing problem for years. The region's population has grown and schools have gotten bigger without a commensurate increase in custodians, he said. 

Recruiting new custodians is difficult, he added, as mediocre pay and working conditions push would-be custodians to seek better jobs elsewhere. 

In recent months, the problem has gotten worse as the board struggles to backfill workers that are off sick or in isolation with COVID-19, Pochon said. Oftentimes, he said that means pulling a custodian from one school to fill in at another — meaning neither school gets a deep clean. 

"Sometimes … we are short in three elementary schools at night, so they send somebody for two hours in each school to do eight hours of schedule," said Pochon, who is also a custodian at MacGregor Public School.

He said custodians continue to prioritize sanitation of high-touch surfaces and other COVID-19 measures — but the overall workload can leave little time for anything but the basics. 

"The people only have time to go grab the garbage, quick sweep and close the windows and go."

No one from the Waterloo Region District School Board was made available Wednesday for an interview. In a statement, a spokesperson said the board is aware of "some of" the issues the union has raised, and that they are working closely together to solve them. 

The board said it is actively recruiting custodians, and that the health of staff, students and families is its "utmost priority."

Catholic board also shortstaffed

The sixth wave of the pandemic has also led to a custodian shortage at the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, according to Unifor Local 302 representative Rusty Sproul. 

Right now, Sproul said about 30 to 40 custodial staff are off every day with COVID-19, which means a lot of extra work for those who can come in. 

Custodians will often arrive at work and be asked to stay an extra four hours, he said. 

"They're all getting very tired," said Sproul, whose union represents workers at the Catholic board. 

Jason Connolly, the Catholic board's superintendent of human resources, said the pandemic has led to shortages of all kinds of workers — from custodians to educational assistants to childcare staff — and the board is continuously hiring for all positions. 

Rates between $16-$21/hr

Right now, both school board websites have job postings up for custodians. 

The Waterloo Region District School Board is hiring part-time custodians at a rate of between $15.68 an hour to $18.48 an hour. Another posting, for custodial maintenance helpers — a temporary position — lists the pay at $20.54 an hour. 

At that rate, Pochon said the job isn't very attractive, especially for part-time or temporary workers who might have to drive from Kitchener to Elmira for a few hours of work. 

Supply custodians at the Waterloo Catholic District School Board can expect to make a bit more, with a posting on that board's website listing the base rate as $22.24 per hour.

Still, Sproul said the pay at that board isn't high enough, either. 

Both unions' collective agreements are set to expire at the end of August — and Pochon hopes that bargaining will lead to a better deal in the long run.