il!l'fjortlanh © bseruer
PageAS
September 20. 2006
Custodians’ Uphill Battle Continues
continued
from Front
associate iixnberships with sis­
ter SEIU Local 503 to succeed in
the legal battle to overturn the
district outsource.
Birdie Kirk is one of the return­
ing custodians and a member of
the steering committee.
Before the lay offs, Kirk. 53,
worked at Buckman Elementary,
an arts magnet school in south­
east Portland.
Her career with the school
district started in 1978 with basic
duties like sweeping Boors and
cleaning the inside of boilers. She
steadily worked her way up to
becom e head cu sto d ian at
Buckman, where retirement was
just a few sweet years away.
Kirk said she'll return to Port­
land on Monday because she en­
joyed her job. but also because
by age 55 she’ll collect her pen­
sion. She also recognized custo­
dian work as her true calling,
after exploring a career in com­
puters and office work during
her transition from Buckman.
“1 was working on a com­
puter one day and |coworkers]
were moving some things in a
warehouse,” she said. “ 1 told
A sk Deanna'.
photo by
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Steve Armony, outside Portland Public School District's main offices in north Portland. Armony was head Custodian at Franklin High
School before the district contracted his job to Portland Habilitation Center in 2002. He retired out o f the Beaverton School District,
but heads a steering com m ittee o f custodians dedicated to receiving the sa m e pay and benefits as before their layoffs.
them I could help, and realized I
She found a $25,OOO-a-year from the $45,000 salary she was working in Estacada, Kirk said,
needed to get back to being a custodial job at the Estacada earning in Portland.
Forone, her supervisors talk with
movable person.”
School District, quite a pay cut
But there are advantages to the custodians on a regular basis.
In Portland, she w asn’t sure
school staff understood what a
custodian was.
"W hen we left (P ortland
schools], Kirk said, “we were
called back by our principals w ho
asked us ‘where do you find this,
how do you do this’. It was
something they weren't really
prepared for.”
The School Board’s next step
in the transitioning process comes
later this month when they will
review custodian staffing rec­
ommendations. The number will
probably be between 250 and
270, according to Jim Chi isteson,
the project manager hired by the
district to smooth the return-to-
work process.
The district will also review
budget packages ranging from
$16 to $ 19 million for the 2(X)6-
2007 school year, covering staff­
ing, a transition contract with
PHC. the district's internal man­
agement and supplies and equip­
ment. The figure is $4 to $7
million higher than what was
originally budgeted.
“At this point we're very close,”
Christeson said, "but there are so
many lawyers it will make your
head spin.”
is S
Real People,
Real Advice
An advice
C llllllllll
known fur
reality based
subjects!
Dear Deanna!
I had a friend that was lonely and
unhappy, so I decided to help
her. I asked her to be my room­
mate and introduced her to my
crowd. She later told our mutual
friends about my personal busi­
ness and she became best friends
with them. They told lies about
me around campus, my grades
deteriorated and I lost my friends.
I have wanted to get back at her
for backstabbing me. How do I
repair a ruined reputation and deal
with these vicious two-faced
people? —Totally Ruined; On-
Line Reader
Dear Ruined:
Consider yourself lucky that your
so-called friends have been re­
vealed as wolves. These weren’t
your friends to begin with and you
shouldn't let them see you stress.
Hold your head high, get a life and
find a new set of friends with high
values and morals. The two-faced
people are beneath you and you
should separate yourself. Get a tu­
tor to help pull your grades up. and
stick with people that have com­
mon interests. Stay positive, smile
and keep it moving.
24/7 te c h n ic a l s u p p o rt so you a re alw ays up and running
Dear Deanna!
My girlfriend is sending mixed
signals about our relationship.
At times, she makes me feel as if
I'm the only one for her and other
times she makes me feel as if she
doesn't want me. As long as I’m
spending money and things go
her way sh e's happy. When
things aren't rosy or I have an
issue or need attention, she acts
funny. I'm beginning to feel like
she's using me but don’t know
how to approach her. How do I
ask where I stand in this relation­
ship? — Wayne; Altus, OK
Dear Wayne:
You're being used and have al­
lowed yourself to become a finan­
cial sponsor. If you can't pull the
money away and still get the girl,
you have your answer. She doesn't
give a damn about you and her
emotions are tied to your money
and what she can get out of you.
You can make an effort and let her
know you're scaling back on the
spending and ask to have your
needs me. If she agrees to work on
this, then stick with it. If not. pack
your bags and exit stage left.
Ask Deanna is written by Deanna
M. Write Ask Deanna! Entail:
askdeannal@yahoo.com or 264
S. DiCieneita Blvd. Suite 128 J
Beverly Hills. CA 90211. Website;
www.askdeanna.com
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