Do to scheduling issues we are having a special meeting this Wednesday (June 2nd) where we will be considering one issue in open session: contracting out our food service operations. Food service in the district is intended to be self sufficient, but recently the food service operations have been running a deficit requiring supplement from the general fund of about $50K per year.
Last November the district started investigating the possibility of outsourcing the food service operations, and after significant study and review of proposals from 5 potential vendors the administration is recommending the district consider a contract with Chartwells School Dining Services.
Chartwells is a national company providing institutional food services in a large number of settings, and indicates in their proposal that they will expand the menu choices available and continue to improve the nutritional value of the food service. If approved Chartwells would hire current District food service director Barb Waara, and guarantees a small net to the district. Chartwells makes money on a management fee of 4 cents per meal. The Chartwells website can be found here: http://chartwells-usa.com/.
Update 6/3: Last night the board did approve proceeding with a contract with Chartwells after a presentation by Barb Waara, our financial and food service staff and the Chartwells representative. Some of the details: Barb and our current staff will retain their positions but working for Chartwells. Chartwells is promising to improve the variety and quality of the food available, including efforts to provide fresh fruits and vegetables and incorporate local farm produce into the menu. Chartwells projects a significant increase in participation due to their belief that they can provide a more appealing product. Its easy for me to see how a larger organization would have the purchasing power and expertise to provide better service that the district is able.
The contract is mandated by the USDA to be a one year contract, which must be renewed each year and re-bid every 5 years. If we don't like how it is going we can terminate the contract at the end of the year. We shall see, I'd like to hear from you on the subject next school year.
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14 comments:
Is this going to be like some prepackaged garbage like Madison serves...made yesterday (or earlier) and trucked in as a prepackaged thing??
my kid only takes hot lunch....and I am not interested in starting cold lunch
This would be troubling if the current hot lunch was all that wonderful, but it is not. Not sure this food will be any worse, so worth a shot if it saves money and is nutrtionally o.k.
Too bad we can't do a local food option like they are doing in other districts.
What happens to the current food service workers and their union status. Do I recall correctly that they agreed to a pay freeze?
Currently, we pick one hot lunch a week for our daughter (kindergarten) based on the published menu, otherwise send her a cold lunch because it's healthier.
In theory, local food would be good, but the time alloted for lunch is so tight that she usually can't finish eating it anyway.
Contracting with a vendor? I'd like to keep it in house, but really don't think the current situation is worth $50K/yr.
I am not sure how contracting it out will do anything but add more administrative costs and less accountability. We can do local food options like others, someone needs to take the lead and make it happen!
With a school district as small as MGSD I find it hard to believe this can't be kept in house & within a reasonable budget amount.
It's bad enough that the grab & go already has that absolutely disgusting Smuckers PB & J - is the rest of it going to be prepackaged and mass produced like airline food?
I agree with the others - I'd love to take advantage of the lunch program more often, but the food quality is already poor. I'd much rather pay more for better, healthier food. What type of food is the new vendor proposing to provide?
Our kids need more fresh veggies, fresh fruit, whole grains (and less grains, in general). I've eaten in the school cafeteria with my son in the past, and I can understand why the children as a whole threw their veggies away - they were difficult to choke down even for me.
let's hope they will offer fresh instead of 'prepackaged airline food' type of meals.
I wish they could even up the price a few cents. The people that need free and reduced lunch will still get it...and those of us that can afford to pay...it is still a great bargain. When I go out to price what it would cost to feed my very hungry son...it is way more than $2 something a day to give him a decent meal at lunch.
man, the food can't be any worse. our kid takes it maybe once a week. the stuff they serve is generic cafeteria crap - chicken nuggets, tacos, pizza, hamburgers. Blech. I don't blame the workers - they don't make the menu.
Honestly, I'd pay more for better food.
We send cold lunch most of the time - fresh fruit, decent sandwich, etc.
Our kid says the food tastes all the same - like 'cat food' - his quote.
Actually, with the exception of Barb Waara who will become an employee of Chartwell's, all of our current food service workers will remain district employees.
One additional correction: The Fund 50 Food Service deficits over the past three years have been paid from a balance left in Fund 50from previous years, until last year. Last year, part of the deficit was paid from the remaining balance in Fund 50, and only the remaining $23,000 not covered was paid from our general fund.
In other words, the only year in which the Food Service deficit affected our general budget and fund balance was last year, in the amount of $23,000. Just to clarify that the Food Service is not responsible for anything close to $150,000 of our general deficit. Fund 50 is a segregated fund for a reason, and money remaining in that fund, in years of surplus, may only be used for the Food Service.
Glad to hear there is no blame on the workers, who do not make the menu. How is it your kid is able to make a reasonable comparison with cat food?
The lunch program is aimed at getting the children a meal that meets federal nutrition guidleines. In recent years, the menu has actually changed to be much more nutritious as a result of a mandated wellness committee. There is no mandated gourmet meal requirement!
"How is it your kid is able to make a reasonable comparison with cat food?"
I believe it was on the menu once.
Actually, my kid equates 'cat food' to anything that only gets eaten as a desperation measure. This is due to our cat, who only reluctantly eats his cat food after he's finished begging for 'real' food from the table.
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