Custodian enjoys flexibility

By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

Money isn’t everything.

Marty Hoffner of Durham found that out 10 years ago when she gave up factory work for a job as custodian in the Hillsboro school district.

The job pays less but gives her the sense of being her own boss.

Hoffner’s shift is from 1 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. during the school year, so she covers evening events and is there if needed. She also is responsible for locking up.

“I work alone and do my own work,” she said. “I’m responsible for my own area. I like that.”

Her own children are grown, but she wishes she would have had this job while they were growing up. School systems are family oriented and allow adjustments in working time to accommodate children’s activities, she said.

Hoffner started out working at the elementary school. She found that younger kids were more inquisitive and more apt to relate to custodians. Older kids are busier and taken up in their own world, she said.

“I get out of the hallway when the bell rings and find a corner where I won’t be in their way,” she said. “It’s just a different age group.”

Hoffner and other custodians are busy cleaning up after several major projects were completed.

“There’s a lot to do, but we always make it,” she said. “Students are pleasant to be around, and teachers are easy to get along with,” she said. “If we do our job and are courteous to people, we get along fine.”