School Board Hears Conflicting Reports On Food Service

By Larissa Lytwyn

Chartwells, the educational food services division of Compass Group, Inc, was criticized by food service employees at the Board of Education’s last meeting on September 21 shortly after Chartwells managers had given the board a glowing report of the firm’s progress this school year.

Earlier in the evening, Chartwells District Manager John Prunier introduced himself, senior director of dining services Brian Reynolds, and district nutritionist Jill Patterson to the school board.

Mr Prunier provided a positive overview of Chartwells’ progress in Newtown schools since acquiring the district’s food services account on July 1.

The district’s Food Committee had been highly impressed by Chartwells’ presentation last May 25, and encouraged administrators to consider the firm as a replacement for Sodexho.

Sodexho had served Newtown schools since 1994.

The school district’s food service had been losing money, particularly from September 2003 to April 2004, when it lost approximately $16,633.38.

In contrast, Chartwells guaranteed a first-year surplus of $131,136 and a second year surplus of $68,043.

Chartwells’ contract stipulated that lunch prices would remain the same as they had under Sodexho.

Similarly, the district’s food servers and staff were also able to remain.

Part of Chartwells’ appeal to Food Committee members was its emphasis on cutting-edge service techniques, including a point-of-service (POS) system.

POS allows students to purchase meals through a special, debit-like card on which money is preallocated.

The system will be implemented into the district this fall, first at Newtown High School, followed by Newtown Middle School and the district’s five elementary schools, including Reed.

“[On September 20] we held a meeting with all of our employees,” said Mr Prunier.

While there were some “initial concerns” from some employees, he said, Chartwells aim is to provide an “open-door” communication policy between its management and workers.

He described the meeting as “largely positive.”

Next, Mr Prunier explained how Chartwells had revitalized the appearance of the lunchrooms at Middle Gate and Sandy Hook elementary schools.

Sandy Hook school’s cafeteria counters were refurbished; the room was also treated to a fresh coat of paint.

Management, he explained, follows a “90/10 policy.”

“We aim to be on the floor 90 percent of the time and doing administrative work in the office 10 percent of the time,” he said.

Workers are currently being trained in marketing and other techniques, he added.

In addition, Mr Prunier talked about the approximately $130,000 worth of new equipment that “Chartwells has invested” into several of the schools, including new ovens and special containers used for holding food.

On the technology end, he said, Chartwells is still working with the district’s technology department to institute the electrical work necessary for the POS stations.

Food safety, Mr Prunier noted, was always a priority.

“We do not cook our food all at once,” he said. “We cook in batches that will accommodate the size of the group coming to eat lunch.”

Concern was expressed about Hawley School, which lacks a cafeteria.

Last year, under Sodexho, the food was prepared at Reed and delivered to Hawley early in the day, according to Mr Reynolds. He stated that the food was sometimes prepared as early as 7:30 or 8 am, then held in stay-warm containers as late as 1 pm.

Board Chair Elaine McClure expressed surprise over this statement, suggesting that the practice was clearly unsanitary.

“Does anyone know if this is true?” she asked. “Because that would have been completely unacceptable.”

No one in the room could actually verify, definitively, Mr Reynolds’ statement.

Mr Prunier and Mr Reynolds explained how the Hawley food is still cooked at Reed, then delivered cold and warmed within an hour of the children eating it.

Mr Prunier also discussed how the pizza is now cooked on premises.

“We heat a frozen dough and can balance exactly how much cheese and sauce is applied,” he said.

While board member Tom Gissen said that he had heard from his children that the pizza was less than delicious, board member David Nanavaty offered a conflicting report. His children, he said, loved the new pizza.

“Perhaps it is just a matter of personal taste,” said Ms McClure with a smile.

Mr Gissen lauded the management team as “seeming to have gotten a lot accomplished in a relatively brief period of time.”

Employees Critical

During public participation, however, Mr Prunier and Mr Reynolds faced criticism from food service employees.

“You may think we are here in support of Chartwells’ management, but we are not,” Debbie Saviano, a food service manager at Newtown Middle School, told the board.

She gestured to the approximately eight women seated around her — all at the opposite end of the room from where Mr Prunier, Mr Reynolds, and Ms Patterson were sitting.

“I have worked for this district for eight years,” she said. “After this Friday [September 24], I will have resigned.”

She encouraged the school board to consider the magnitude of her decision, reflecting on how she was leaving “under this new company” after only three weeks.

She described Chartwells management as “condescending” toward its employees.

The September 20 employee meeting, she said, had been “hastily put it together,” adding that the meeting’s timing was suspect, considering that Mr Prunier and Mr Reynolds were planning to present their progress to the Board of Education the following night. She also alleged that the prices of school lunches had risen by as much as 40 cents, a potential violation of Chartwells’ contract.

Another Chartwells employee, Barbara Wolf, expressed concern over parents being ill-informed of how much lunch money to give their children each day because of the increases in not only possible lunch prices, but a la carte and snack items.

She also noted that several children had complained about the rising prices of snack items.

For the second time that evening, Ms McClure expressed surprise — this time by the Chartwells’ employees’ comments.

Mr Nanavaty said that the lunch price stipulations had “clearly been laid out” in the contract.

Ms McClure indicated that further investigation would be warranted, and that the issue would no doubt arise again at the board’s next regularly scheduled meeting on October 1.