When school boards and administrators start talking about improving “efficiency,” custodians should pay close attention. For one thing, custodial operations are often one of the first areas administrators like to tinker with. For another thing, such proposals are often about everything but efficiency.

In Austin, Texas, the word “privatization” didn’t explicitly come up, but to the AFT affiliate there, a set of proposals to change custodial practices and work hours looked a lot like a process that might lead to contracting out. The initial proposals were harmful enough that, in less than two weeks earlier this year, the local mounted a huge effort that ended with the school board voting 5-4 to reject the changes.

District officials wanted to move to a “zone” system in which custodians would be supervised by regional coordinators rather than building-level administrators. That was combined with a proposal to move most custodians to a 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift, with the district arguing that it was more efficient to clean when students weren’t around. Needless to say, the proposed change in hours would have been a disaster for custodians with young children, those working other jobs and those who rely on public transit that stops running before their shifts would end.

“The district should not be forcing our custodians to give up any semblance of a personal life,” says Bruce Banner, vice president of classified employees for Education Austin.