Fair Grove Deals With Janitor Shortage

Janitors are essential workers at Fair Grove and the current shortage of workers is currently affecting the district. There are only five janitors at this time. Five janitors between the high school, middle school, and elementary combined. Numbers are low, and the school is currently hiring to fill janitorial openings. Students that are 18 years or older can be hired on. 

Matt Cockroft (12), a high school student at Fair Grove, has taken advantage of this opportunity. He stated, “I was hired in November… Martha asked if I was eighteen and looking for a job, and I said yes.” Cockroft is the only high school student currently working as a janitor. Though many others are eligible no one has taken the plunge. 

Cockroft works evenings and weekends. The shortage allows him to work often. He explained, “I work as often as I can with the majority of hours a week being 10-15 hours a week. My job is to help where I can, so basically to take care of all the things that the full time janitors can’t get to.” 

Mike Counterman, who has worked at Fair Grove two and a half years, is not typically a janitor. However, he has had to fill in when others need leave. His new duties give him insight to how the janitor shortage is affecting Fair Grove. He shared, “Normally, I am outside maintenance and work on the ball fields…It takes away from my normal duties I have to do outside.” 

However, he has not had increased hours or pay with his janitor position. His time of work and duties include Monday through Friday; 7:00 am to 3:30 pm. “Most time is spent in the kitchen cleaning up after the lunches. For the evening janitors their time is spent concentrating on classrooms, hallways, and the gym,” Counterman concluded. 

The janitor shortage has made all their lives more difficult. When the workload cannot be divided by several people, it places more responsibilities on the few. Zella Line, a janitor at Fair Grove for two years, stated, “It has made it really difficult to get everything we need done, and all of us are exhausted.” This is not sustainable indefinitely especially considering life events and time off. 

High school students who want to reduce this burden and earn a little extra cash should consider applying. The process is simple and quick. There are many benefits to be gained for those who are interested. Cockroft stated, “My favorite thing is that I can listen to music (by myself mostly) and work.” For those who do not want to work closely with others and deal with bosses that micromanage, a janitor job could be extremely pleasing. 

It is evident that work ethic and discipline come hand in hand with being a janitor. Stella Faucett, a janitor who has been at Fair Grove seven years, expressed, “People don’t like doing our job, but our job is a hard and demanding job and we have to have to work together for the best results, and if that means working overtime and making sure we are ready for the next day then that’s our job.” 

Line said, “Imagine if no one was there to clean anything, imagine what the building would look like. People should know that what we do is very important, and that they should pick up after themselves instead of throwing their trash on the floor.” The janitor shortage affects all of us even if we are oblivious at the beginning. 

“I want the students of Fair Grove to have the best environment that they can have,” Counterman expressed. This is something all of us want for our buildings. This is our school, and when it needs us to remain a clean, healthy environment, helping out could make all the difference.