Volusia County School Board Unhappy with Custodial Contract; Looking to Reinstate In-House Custodial Service.

Written by Kristen Schmutz

 ABM Industries, the current contract holder of the Custodial Services Contract is in big trouble with the Volusia County School Board.

The new Superintendent Scott Fritz is unhappy with their services and claims classrooms have been labeled ‘Disgusting” by Fritz and other Board members. The current Contract with ABM is good until 2023, but the Superintendent has asked members of his staff to create a presentation to be shown at the April School Board Meeting to explore other options including reinstating In-House Custodial Service to schools in the county.

By going in-house, the school board wouldn’t need to pay the $14.2 Million contract per year, as ABM has not met their end of the agreement. Based on inspections done back in December, nine schools in the county did not meet the minimum requirement of 85% passing. Rate. The lowest score being held at New Smyrna Middle with a 79% and a district average of 88%.

These ratings come from various school board members who saw unclean floors, unemptied trash cans, dust covering most surfaces, and other cleanliness issues that were reported.

Based on the reports from the school board after exploring other options in April a vote will be made to see about utilizing a different vendor or return to in-house services.