Chicago Public Schools Celebrates National Custodian Appreciation Day

CHICAGO—On National Custodian Appreciation Day, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) officials recognize the District’s 2,500 custodians for their dedication and efforts to keep schools clean. The District’s custodian teams are responsible for preparing facilities before the first day of school and maintaining them throughout the school year. Research shows that clean buildings are linked to better health and educational outcomes. The custodial staff allows CPS to maintain a facility portfolio that includes 522 campuses and 803 buildings that are, on average, 84 years old.

"Our custodian teams are crucial to the success of our schools by ensuring that learning spaces are clean, healthy, and conducive to learning," said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. "These essential team members keep our schools clean and protect our students' health every day. We are grateful for their service.”

The Fiscal Year 2025 capital plan includes new projects and the implementation of a new custodial operations model. The custodial model brings several functions in-house, including team management, absenteeism management, and purchasing and management of equipment and other supplies.

“The new custodial model aims to provide the District with better oversight of our school environments,” said CPS Chief Facilities Officer Ivan Hansen. “We work consistently to ensure that our schools are comfortable and clean so that our staff and students can focus on teaching and learning.”

The CPS FY25 capital budget totals $611.1 million. This budget prioritizes facility needs at neighborhood schools, mechanical systems for indoor environment and air quality control, school building envelope improvements for roofing systems, restroom modernizations, student recreation and athletic improvements, site improvements, and continued expansion of technology upgrades and other academic priorities. Additionally and importantly, the District continues to invest in ADA upgrades to improve accessibility at more CPS campuses.

“I echo CEO Martinez’s sentiments and celebrate the role our custodians continue to play in keeping our schools healthy,” said President Dian Palmer, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 73. “Our custodial teams are often the first ones in our school facilities each day and the last ones out, ensuring that students and staff are in comfortable environments.”

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