High School Students Are Temporary Solution to Custodian Shortage

Students at a Minnesota high school are earning extra money and helping with the labor shortage by staying in the building when classes end to clean, The Kansas City Star reports.

The biggest school district in the state of Minnesota, the Anoka-Hennepin School District needs 220 custodians to keep its buildings clean, but it was short 18 workers. Desperate to fill the empty positions, a school administrator came up with the idea of hiring high school students. The district launched a pilot program hiring students to clean for two to four hours after school. The district pays the students the same amount it pays substitute custodians—US$15.30 an hour.

Students must be at least 16 years old to apply for the cleaning jobs and they are not responsible for cleaning restrooms, locker rooms, or the kitchen or handling potentially dangerous chemicals. However, they can sweep, vacuum, and collect trash. When they are finished with their jobs, the school activity bus takes them home.

The students take pride in earning some money while helping their school district.

“It makes me feel kinda good because I’m helping out the community,” said high school senior Ivan Belousav. “I’m making everything look clean, making everything look nice for my fellow students.”