By Tom Gilchrist
For The Advertiser
VASSAR — Vassar Public Schools documents obtained by The Advertiser indicate custodian Randy Tausch didn’t earn any overtime or extra pay for mowing the Vassar High School football field on Memorial Day.
During a June 17 Board of Education meeting, school district resident Dan Atkins questioned the board about how much money per hour was received by a worker seen mowing the field on the holiday. District officials later identified the worker as Tausch.
Both the timesheet submitted by Tausch, and his check stub for the time period covering Memorial Day, indicate he didn’t receive any overtime on the holiday or at any time during the pay period from May 27 through June 9. The Advertiser obtained the information using the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.
Tausch, in accordance with his contract as a union worker, receives eight hours of pay on Memorial Day whether he works that day or not.
“I think (Atkins) figured we already got paid for Memorial Day because we don’t work that day, and figured that I worked and I also got paid — well, it don’t work that way,” Tausch told the Advertiser. “He should have found all that out before he went blabbin’ off his mouth.”
Tausch said he mowed the school football field on Memorial Day, but at no charge to the school district.
The Advertiser could not reach Atkins for comment. During the June 17 meeting — at which the school board pondered the layoffs of a custodian and five teacher aides — Atkins told the board he opposes paying some workers overtime when the board is considering laying off other employees.
“I only mow on Memorial Day on the football field, and the reason why is because we’ve fertilized that field more than we do any of the other school property,” Tausch said. “If we don’t mow the football field every three days — that’s why we mow it Monday, Wednesday and Friday unless it’s raining — then I would have to hook my vacuum behind my mower and I’d have to vacuum the grass (clippings) off, because it grows so fast, plus the field is irrigated. The football field is irrigated daily.”
Tausch said it takes about four hours to vacuum grass clippings off the football field, though it takes only one hour to mow it.
“Everybody tell us that’s why our football field is one of the best ones in the Thumb of Michigan,” Tausch said. “You’re not going to get that without putting the extra effort in.”
Tausch receives $16.98 an hour, according to school documents. He said he’s responsible for outdoor maintenance on all school district property, and for maintaining Central Elementary School.