Board reviews three‑year Aramark custodial contract; staff says it remains cost‑effective

Conewago Valley staff presented a proposed three‑year extension of the district’s custodial contract with Aramark covering 2026–2029 and flagged an additional cost of just over $100,000 compared with last year’s contract. Dr. Perry said the agreement includes annual CPI adjustments (staff cited roughly 2.8% last year) and that the contract remains a net savings versus hiring district custodial personnel once salary, benefits and overhead are counted.

Administrators said Aramark provides day and night custodial coverage across buildings and that a local Aramark account manager in Upper Adams supports the district. Board members asked about Aramark’s performance and responsiveness; staff said the vendor has been responsive to corrective actions, with typical turnarounds of 24–48 hours for reported issues during weekdays.

The presentation did not include a precise current headcount per building but noted that some facilities (e.g., CTE) retain on‑site staffing carried over from before contracting. The administration said it would provide more detailed staffing counts if the board wished to review them prior to final action.

Next steps: item included for board consideration on the consent/finance agenda; staff said they believe the contract remains cost‑effective compared with creating similar in‑house staffing capacity.