Building Resources for Schools

Role of the School Custodian 

Your school Custodial Engineer’s primary responsibility is to ensure your school building is ready for occupancy on a daily basis. Custodial Engineers are responsible for day to day custodial & maintenance operations for their schools (HVAC, fire prevention systems, daily cleaning, outside grounds, emergencies, budgets, supplies, supervision of custodial staff).

Since Custodial Engineers report to, and are rated by, school Principals, they should meet on daily basis to discuss building issues & set schedule to tour school building together to ensure cleaning & maintenance standards are met.

Your Deputy Director of Facilities performs managerial oversight at a district level of day-to-day custodial operations including skilled trades/contract work & capital work performed by School Construction Authority (SCA). They are a resource for you in helping maintain a clean and safe school environment.

Custodial Engineer’s Responsibilities

• Order necessary supplies in order to clean and maintain the school properly
• Responsible for the school building(s) at all times and must respond to all emergencies
• Ensure that the entire school environment is safe and clean at all times
• Responsible for assigning a suitable alternate in their absence
• Works under a performance-based contract
• Responsible for minor repairs
• Responsible for creating work order requests based on the needs of the school
• Custodians are responsible for scheduling and entering employee time keeping through ADP Vantage.
• Possible shifts for a Custodial Engineer
  • 6am to 3pm
  • 7am to 4pm
  • 8am to 5pm
  • 9am to 6pm

Custodial Employees 

Custodial Engineers employ a team that reports directly to the school Custodial Engineer.

• School Stationary Engineer
• School Fireperson
• School Handyperson
• School Cleaner 

Custodial Budget 

School Building Allocations are based on square footage

• Custodial budgets are maintained and managed in MyGalaxy. Custodians have a MyGalaxy account to review and manage their budgets.
• Custodian’s salaries are based on square footage.
• Custodial budgets may include emergency and activity funding according to the specific site.
• Custodians also receive a separate supply and toolbox allocation. 

Role of the Principal in Building Management 

• Day-to-day supervision of the school’s custodial engineer
• Annual rating of the Custodial Engineer’s performance
• Maintain awareness of when Custodial Engineer is in and out of the building during working hours
• Sign off on Custodial Engineer’s timesheet
• Escalate facilities issues or concerns to the Custodial Engineer and the assigned Deputy Director of Facilities

Division of School Facilities

School Stat 

Conducts periodic, non-technical, visual inspections of NYC school buildings focusing on cleanliness, repair and fixture deficiencies 

Scores are assigned to each condition to determine target areas that require special attention and corrective action 

Sustainability 

• Integration of sustainability in operations, facilities & education at all DOE schools in accordance w/Chancellor’s Regulation A-850 & goals (Carbon neutrality by 2050, Zero waste by 2030) 

• Provides variety of programs, trainings, workshops, events & professional learning opportunities for school stakeholders, teachers, Sustainability coordinators, students, administrators, Office of Food & Nutrition Services (OFNS) staff & custodial staff

Emergency Preparedness 

Monitors citywide events for any potential impact on schools & disseminates information to appropriate parties 

Environmental Health & Safety 

Monitors environmental conditions in schools 

• Coordinates appropriate responses to potentially harmful situations (i.e., asbestos, lead paint, drinking water quality, air quality, mold, dust conditions)
• Tests, remedies & corrects situations involving suspected exposure to potential hazardous substances 

COVID-19 Response 

COVID-19 Response and Use of DOE Space

Outdoor Yard Space 

• Partnership w/Department of Parks & Recreation
• 268 playgrounds currently in the program
• Playgrounds available to communities from 8AM to dusk when school is not in session (weekdays, weekends & holidays)
• AKA PlaNYC with goal of bringing all New Yorkers within a 10 minute, ¼ mile walk of a park by 2030
• School receives funding to operate & maintain the playground

Improvement Projects 

General Maintenance 

General maintenance work for a school building can be performed by the school’s Custodial Engineer in consultation with the assigned Deputy Director of Facilities. General maintenance includes the day-to-day operations of the facility and repair or replacement of equipment due to normal wear and tear of the operating components of the building’s facility and grounds. 

This type of work is funded by the Division of School Facilities at no cost to the school.

Improvement Projects (Market Maker) 

Schools may opt to fund additional work beyond the scope of general maintenance. Initiate this request with your school custodial engineer and Deputy Director of Facilities. 

After the work has been completed, the contract manager approves the vendor’s application for payment and pays the vendor using the funds provided to DSF by the school through its Purchase Order to DSF. 

Third-Party Requests

• Work will be done by contractor selected by school/organization where contractor does not have direct contract w/DSF
• Requested work to be entered in Third Party Portal for review & appropriate approvals
• Funded by school or organization (i.e. Parents Association or non-profit, etc.) 

Building Improvement Projects page

Systems 

Building Management 

• Location Code Generator and Management System 
• Building Room Assessment

Custodial Rating System 

• Custodial Rating Application for Custodian Engineers & Building Managers (PDF) 
• Custodial Rating Application for DDFs (PDF) 
• Custodial Rating Application for Principals (PDF) 
• Building Manager Service Rating Sample (PDF) 
• Custodial Service Rating Sample (PDF) 

Recycling Plan Application 

• Recycling Plan Application: Comprehensive Plan (PDF)  
• Recycling Plan Application (PDF) 

Chancellor's Regulations Related to School Buildings 

A-415 DOE Emergency Notification System

English, Spanish, Chinese, Bengali, Russian, Urdu, Arabic, Haitian Creole, Korean, French

A-640 Filming at School Facilities

English

A-850 Sustainability

English, Spanish, Chinese, Bengali, Russian, Urdu, Arabic, Haitian Creole, Korean, French

A-860 Naming And Renaming A New York City Public School or A Particular Area Within A New York City Public School

English, Spanish, Chinese, Bengali, Russian, Urdu, Arabic, Haitian Creole, Korean, French

C-810 Smoke-Free Environment Policy

English

D-130 Use of School Buildings by Candidates, Elected Officials and Political Organizations, and Conduct of School Employees and Officers with Respect to Political Campaigns and Elections

English

D-180 Extended Use of School Buildings

English

Custodial Circulars

Buildings and Contacts

Use the Buildings and Contacts Lookup application to search for contacts.