Hillsboro schools awarding custodial contract to SBM

HILLSBORO -- The Hillsboro School District plans to outsource most of its custodial work to SBM Site Services Inc., a California-based company that also contracts with Portland State University and Intel.

The school board gave approval Tuesday evening to start contract negotiations with the company's Hillsboro corporate office. The district decided earlier this month to outsource.

District officials said the decision is intended to save money and redirect funds to help lower Hillsboro's class sizes, which are among the highest in the Portland area. Business manager Diane Van Blaricom estimates that the district will save about $400,000 this year, about $600,000 next year and about $1 million the third year.

In the coming weeks, 54 Hillsboro school employees will lose their jobs but be given the choice to work for SBM, said the district's executive director of personnel, Mike Scott.

The company, which has 4,000 employees nationwide, has tentatively agreed to hire the workers at the same pay rate.

"The people that are currently employees of the school district, they understand the environment," said John Garrett, SBM's vice president.

Area school districts have been outsourcing work to save money for years. Portland Public Schools began contracting its custodial work in 2002, and the Forest Grove School District did so in 1999.

The Hillsboro district received bids from four other companies in August. Each was evaluated in categories including cost, leadership and experience.

SBM, with 500 employees in the metro area, was rated at the top in every category except experience, where it ranked second to Sodexho, a food-supplying and facilities maintenance company.

The school district and SBM will negotiate the contract in the next month, and the SBM-contracted custodians should start working for the district in early March, Van Blaricom said.

Sophia Tareen: 503-294-5956; sophiatareen@news.oregonian.com