Personnel Department

 

FULTON COUNTY PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT    
FORT JOHNSTOWN BUILDING    
1 E. MONTGOMERY STREET    
JOHNSTOWN, NEW YORK 12095    
Phone: (518) 736-5574 * Fax: (518) 736-1027

announces a Civil Service examination    
for the following:

No. 24010 Open Competitive - Decentralized 
* * * CUSTODIAN * * *
School Districts under the Jurisdiction of the
Fulton County Director of Personnel

 

LAST FILING DATE:       
JUNE 4, 2024

EXAMINATION DATE:       
JULY 13, 2024

     
 

A $12.50 PROCESSING FEE OR WAIVER OF THIS FEE MUST ACCOMPANY YOUR APPLICATION

FEE: There is a $12.50 non-refundable examination fee. When filing an application by mail, include a cashiers check or money order, payable to the Fulton County Treasurer. Do not send cash or a personal check. When filing in person with cash, the exact amount must be submitted. If the fee or fee waiver documentation proof does not accompany the application, the application will be rejected and returned to the applicant. There will be NO REFUNDS to applicants who fail to appear for the exam or fail to meet the minimum qualifications required for admittance to the exam, therefore, applicants are cautioned to review this announcement carefully.

WAIVER OF EXAMINATION FEE FOR UNEMPLOYED AND FOR PUBLIC ASSISTANCE RECIPIENTS: A waiver of application fee will be allowed if you are unemployed and primarily responsible for the support of a household. In addition, a waiver of application fee will be allowed if you are determined eligible for Medicaid, or receiving Supplemental Security Income payments, or Public Assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families/Family Assistance or Safety Net Assistance) or are certified Job Training Partnership Act/Workforce Investment Act eligible through a State or local social service agency. All claims for application fee waiver are subject to verification. If you can verify eligibility for application fee waiver, complete a “Request for Examination Application Fee Waiver and Certification” form and submit it with your application by the close of business on the Last Filing Date as listed on the Examination Announcement. (The Request for Examination Application Fee Waiver and Certification form can be obtained from the Fulton County Personnel Department, Fort Johnstown Building, 1 E. Montgomery Street, Johnstown, New York 12095, telephone number 518-736-5574.)

APPLICATIONS: Applications are available at the Fulton County Personnel Department or on the Fulton County website www.fultoncountyny.gov. Examination applications must be obtained and filed with the Fulton County Personnel Department. The Department recommends that you do not wait until the last day to file your application. When received in our office after 5:00 PM, on the last filing date, the application will be rejected and returned to the applicant. The correct examination number and title must appear on the application form. EVERY question on the application should be answered and complete in all aspects. Under “Duties” you must describe the nature of the work personally performed by you, with estimated percentages of time spent on each type of work. This department does not acknowledge receipt of applications or take responsibility for non-delivery or postal delay.

Failure to notify this office of a change of address may result in disqualification for examination or certification for appointment following examination.

Any application you may have previously filed will not gain you admittance to this exam and will not be used to obtain additional information. You must refile a separate Application for Examination during the official filing period as set forth in this announcement.

DISQUALIFICATION OF EXAMINATION APPLICATIONS:

When an application for an examination is disapproved by the Director of Personnel, the candidate will be given ten (10) calendar days to appeal this determination. Your appeal must clearly demonstrate that you meet or exceed the minimum qualifications as set forth on the examination announcement. Additional information must be pertinent, detailed and accurate. Your appeal must be in writing, addressed to the Personnel Department, 1 East Montgomery Street, Johnstown NY 12095, and received in this department no later than 5:00pm of the tenth calendar day. If the tenth calendar day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the candidate will have until 5:00pm that following Monday to submit their appeal.

LOCATION OF POSITIONS/VACANCY: Vacancies occur in school districts under the jurisdiction of the Fulton County Director of Personnel.

PLEASE POST CONSPICUOUSLY AT A HEIGHT REACHABLE BY PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS

AND WITH OTHER MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS - REMOVE AFTER LAST FILING DATE

ELIGIBLE LIST: The eligible list will remain in existence for a period of one (1) year, unless extended by the Director of Personnel to a maximum of four (4) years. When a list has existed for more than one year, it may terminate upon the establishment of a new list. This list will be used to fill this vacancy and any other appropriate full-time or part-time competitive vacancy occurring in an agency under the jurisdiction of the Fulton County Director of Personnel, anytime during the life of the eligible list.

SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS: May be made if you require a religious accommodation, are a disabled person, or deprived of participation on the scheduled date due to active military service. Specific information must be requested when filing your application.

APPLYING FOR CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS IN MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS WHEN EXAMINATIONS ARE SCHEDULED ON SAME DATE: If you have applied for any other civil service examinations to be given on the same test date for employment with New York State or any other local government jurisdiction excluding New York City, you must make arrangements to take all the examinations at one test site.

If you have applied for both State and local government examinations, you must notify Fulton County of your intent to take both a State and a local government examination. When taking both a State and a local government examination you will be requirement to take all your examinations at a State examination center. You will be advised by letter when and where to report for your examination.

If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before the test date, so they can make arrangements for taking all tests at one site. All examinations for positions in State government will be held at a State examination center. For this examination call (518) 736-5574 or write to the Fulton County Personnel Department, Fort Johnstown Building, 1 E. Montgomery Street, Johnstown, New York 12095.

ANNUAL SALARY RANGE: Varies by School District

RESIDENCY: Candidates must, at the time of examination and at least four (4) months prior thereto, be a resident of Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Montgomery or Saratoga County. 

Preference in appointment from open-competitive lists may be given to candidates who have been residents of the locality in which appointment is to be made for four (4) months prior to the date of the written test. For appointment in some jurisdictions you may be required to become a resident thereof in accordance with law or resolution.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES (Illustrative but not exhaustive):

Supervises and participates in all building cleaning activities such as sweeping, mopping and waxing floors, washing walls, windows and blackboards, cleaning erasers, dusting and other various cleaning duties;

Cleans and mops lavatories and locker rooms and replaces soap or towels;

Makes minor repairs to furniture, electrical fixtures, windows and window shades, locks, faucets, heating system and other equipment;

Gathers and disposes of refuse;

Checks to insure that buildings are heated, cleaned, locked and in readiness for all activities;

Receives, moves and stores incoming school supplies;

Arranges chairs, tables and other equipment for special use of school building;

Consults with superior regarding unusual maintenance problems and makes recommendations concerning the purchase of supplies, materials and equipment;

Keeps simple clerical records;

May perform a variety of semi-skilled carpentry, plumbing, electrical and other building maintenance tasks;

May operate and check an oil or gas fired low-pressure steam, hot water or hot air system;

May supervise and participate in various groundskeeping activities such as mowing lawns, trimming shrubs, raking leaves and removing snow and ice from walks and driveways;

May assign tasks to subordinates, give instructions in the use of building cleaning supplies, materials and equipment and check to see that assignments are carried out;

May operate a bus or light motor vehicle in transporting supplies, equipment, food or mail;

The above examples of duties are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must meet the following requirements on or before the last filing date: Graduation from high school, possession of a high school equivalency diploma, or a high school individual education plan diploma and one year of building cleaning or building maintenance experience.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: If the position requires the operation of a motor vehicle, possession of an appropriate level New York State Driver’s License at time of appointment. If the position requires the operation of a school bus, special licensing procedures apply and applicants must be certified by the school district as meeting requirements promulgated by the New York State Commissioner of Education.

All experience required to meet the minimum qualification section is PAID. 

Part-time experience will be pro-rated as follows:

16-23 hrs/wk….1/2 time 24-31 hrs/wk….3/4 time 32+ hrs/wk….full-time

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT FOR APPOINTMENT IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND BOCES: Per Chapter 180 of the Laws of 2000, and by Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, to be employed in a position designated by a school district or BOCES as involving direct contact with students, a clearance for employment from the State Education Department is required.

SUBJECTS OF EXAMINATION: The written, multiple-choice test will be designed to measure knowledges, skills and/or abilities in the following areas:

  1. CLEANING TOOLS AND THEIR USES: These questions test your knowledge of various cleaning tools and equipment commonly used by janitors and custodians on the job. You are shown drawings of various tools and equipment. You will be required to recognize the tools and know their proper uses in order to answer the questions correctly. 

  2. TOOLS USED FOR MINOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR: These questions test your knowledge of various tools and equipment. You are shown drawings of tools and equipment used in minor mechanical, electrical, plumbing and carpentry repair. You will be required to recognize the tools and know their proper uses in order to answer the questions correctly. 

  3. HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES IN CUSTODIAL WORK: These questions test your knowledge of basic proper safety and health practices in areas of cleaning, building operation and maintenance and other areas relevant to custodians and janitors at the entrance level. You are presented with drawings showing situations of health and safety, which can be found in the work area. You are required to recognize any unhealthy, unsafe, or otherwise hazardous conditions and know how to correct them in order to answer the questions. 

The NYS Department of Civil Service has published a test guide intended for candidate preparation use for this particular examination. This test guide contains important test-related information as well as sample test questions similar to the questions that will be used in this written test.

The NYS Department of Civil Service is making a copy of this test guide, Custodians and Janitors Series, Entry Level and other related information available on its web site at https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm

CALCULATOR POLICY: Quiet, hand-held, solar or battery-powered calculators are PERMITTED.

Devices with typewriter keyboards, “Spell Checkers”, “Personal Digital Assistants”, “Address Books”, “Language Translators”, “Dictionaries”, or any similar devices are prohibited.

AT THE EXAM THE USE OF CELLULAR PHONES, BEEPERS, ETC. IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

VETERANS’ CREDITS: Veterans, Disabled Veterans, or candidates currently in the armed forces claiming the additional credit allowed veterans in competitive examination, must apply for such credit while filing their examination application or at any time between the date of the application but prior to the date of the establishment of the resulting eligible list. The time periods, for which veterans’ credit is permitted, are defined in Question 12 on the examination application. To receive additional veterans’ credit you must file a separate Veterans’ Credit Application including acceptable supporting documentation for each examination. Veterans’ Credit is added only to the score of the examination when the candidate’s passing grade is 70 or higher.

CHILDREN AND SIBLINGS OF FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY CREDIT: In conformance with sections 85-a and 85-b of the Civil Service Law, children and siblings of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty shall be entitled to receive an additional ten points in a competitive examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent, sister or brother has served. If you are qualified to participate in this examination and are a child or sibling of a firefighter or police officer killed in the line of duty in this municipality, please inform this office of this matter when you submit your application for examination. A candidate claiming such credit has a minimum of two months from the application deadline to provide the necessary documentation to verify additional credit eligibility. However, no credit may be added after the eligible list has been established. Children and siblings of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty credit is added only to the score of the examination when the candidate's passing grade is 70 or higher.

RATING AND REVIEW: This written examination is being prepared and rated by the New York State Department of Civil Service in accordance with Section 23.2 of the Civil Service Law and Section 7.1 of the State’s Civil Service Rules and Regulations. No reviews of any kind will be permitted nor will any appeals be accepted. The Personnel Department, at the request of a candidate, will verify the accuracy of his/her score, and notify the candidate in writing.

NOTICE TO APPEAR: Approved applicants will receive a Notice to Appear for the written examination providing the location and time. Late arrivals will not be admitted into the exam room under any circumstance. Please contact this office if you have not received a notice to appear for the written examination by July 6, 2024. 

ANY LAST-MINUTE CHANGE OR CANCELLATION WILL BE BROADCAST OVER RADIO STATION WENT (AM 1340) BETWEEN 6 AND 8 AM ON THE DATE OF THE EXAMINATION.

FULTON COUNTY DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF RACE, CREED, COLOR, NATIONAL ORIGIN, MARITAL STATUS, SEX, RELIGION, AGE OR DISABILITY IN EMPLOYMENT OR THE PROVISIONS OF SERVICES.

ISSUED: 5/2/24

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