Three retirements hitting at the same time has Lehighton Area School District ramping up its efforts to find full-time custodians following the 2022-23 school year.

In two weeks, Lehighton’s school board will be voting on the retirements of David Nothstein, a utility custodian who has been with the district just over 30 years, and Edith Lutsko, a custodian with nearly 28 years of service.

Nothstein’s last day is June 3, while Lutsko will depart on June 30.

Couple that with the retirement of custodian Eugene Sillers on July 6 after 22 years with the district and Lehighton could be in the lurch come late summer.

“It’s definitely a potential issue and something we should have on our radar,” Kyle Spotts, the district’s supervisor of plant operations, told Lehighton’s school board during a workshop Monday night. “We’re not just looking at these three retirements, but we also already had a position that has been open for several months. There is a potential we could have four custodial openings at one time.”

Lehighton hires custodians at two different levels. A regular building custodian, according to information provided by Business Administrator Edward Rarick, starts at $25,569 plus full benefits for a total annual budgeted compensation of $57,569 when you factor in retirement pension, a health-family medical plan, dental and vision insurance. A utility custodian, whom Spotts described as a more hands-on job when it comes to maintenance items starts at $29,595 plus full benefits for a total annual budgeted compensation of $61,595.

“It is becoming increasingly rare to get that jack-of-all-trades person anymore,” director Jeremy Glaush said. “I know when I was in school you had the custodian that did a little bit of everything. I think we should look to some of the technical colleges as well and maybe we’ll hit on something there.”

Lehighton generally has two different shifts when it comes to custodians, Spotts said.

Directors said while the shortage is created by a slew of retirements at the same time, it isn’t a surprise and follows trends in other sectors.

“Mechanics, teachers, truck drivers and cooks, they’ve all disappeared,” school board member Walter Zlomsowitch said. “It’s hard to find anyone for these jobs.”

Finding custodians, just like bus drivers and substitute teachers, isn’t only a Lehighton problem. Schools around the country are resorting to atypical measures to fill personnel gaps.

While Lehighton’s board sarcastically discussed the possibility of school board members pitching in, that’s already happening in at least one school in Vermont.

According to an article in The Montpelier Bridge, school board members have volunteered to clean classrooms in Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools and the superintendent has even spent a day mowing the lawn. That district, according to the article, was short five custodians at one time.

Lehighton has routinely posted the job openings on its website, in the Times News and it has also used the services of CareerLink in Carbon County.

With things reaching a crisis point, Rarick said those efforts could expand.

“In our last administrative team meeting, we did discuss adding some other platforms,” Rarick said. “For example, Indeed and some other websites give the ability to upload the application materials right there. It’s something we’re looking at.”