Article Summary: The Beecher Board of Education approved a new janitorial contract with Citywide Janitorial for the 2025-2026 fiscal year that covers only the elementary school, a change that will result in cost savings for the district. The junior high school, previously covered under the contract, will now be serviced by in-house staff following a recent new hire.

Beecher Board of Education Key Points:

• Approved a new contract with Citywide Janitorial for $7,046 per month.

• The contract is for Beecher Elementary School only, a change from the previous agreement.

• The district will now handle janitorial services at the junior high with its own staff.

• The change was made possible by a new custodian hire and reallocation of another staff member.

BEECHER, IL – The Beecher school district is taking over cleaning duties at its junior high school, a move that makes its third-party janitorial contract cheaper for the upcoming fiscal year. At its July 9 meeting, the Board of Education unanimously approved a $7,046 per month agreement with Citywide Janitorial for services exclusively at Beecher Elementary School.

Previously, the contract also covered Beecher Junior High. Superintendent Dr. Jack Gaham explained the district was able to make the cost-saving change due to recent staffing adjustments.

“This is cheaper than last year,” Gaham told the board. “We actually were able to drop the junior high off of Citywide because of the hire you guys have with Dennis [Martz] and we’re able to reallocate one of our other custodians to the junior high. So, our junior high can be back into our hands.”

The board hired Martz as a full-time custodian at its May meeting. By reassigning custodial staff, the district can now manage cleaning and maintenance at the junior high internally, reducing its reliance on outside contractors and lowering overall costs. The new agreement with Citywide will run through Fiscal Year 2026.