District Letter regarding new school lunch prices.Like many people in the Edmonds School District, I was under the impression that Food Services was an "Enterprise Program", meaning they were responsible for generating their own profits to cover operational costs. At least, that was the excuse we were provided when the espresso machine issue surfaced in the Seattle Times. If they are, in fact, an "Enterprise Program", why would the General Fund accumulate deficits because customers refuse or are unable to pay their bill?
It looks as though this "Enterprise Program" is actually a subsidized business. They are allowed to make their own profit while their losses are covered by the District. This business cannot possibly be allowed to fail because it would have a detrimental effect upon consumers and the marketplace. People may find alternatives and become less dependent upon this business. Upper management makes enviable wages and carries no fear of suffering when times get tough.
Why am I reminded of Bear Stearns?
Maybe the real solution is to have kids earn their meal through some form of community service. When lunch is being served, perhaps the kids that are over their $10 limit can line up to wash dishes, serve food or help traffic flow in the cafeteria. From what I can recall, there is much to do when so many kids gather together to eat a meal in a single room. A few days of effort could motivate these kids to remember to bring in their lunch money to school. For those that have no lunch money at home, they can plan their day around a period of community service. Nothing fosters ingenuity like a little too much elbow grease.
Blog: How long would it take before students intentionally run up a $10 debt to tap the free muffins and cheese sandwiches to supplement their packed meals from home?
18 comments:
As a parent and community member I was told that Nick B gave a directive to the Food Service Supervisor saying no tray should be taken away from a student. Feed the child and then collect from the parent. As the story goes if the parents didn't pay he would turn them(the parent) over to child protection for child neglect. Guess that didn't happen and now the parents that pay full price and have been good about paying for meals have to pay more to make up for his error in judgement.
If I worked in Food Service I would worry about my job right now because I know I can't afford to pay $4.00 for my student to eat at school. I know the meals may be healthier then a sack lunch but my student will just have to get by.
Sounds like the Food Service Dept. has been setup to fail! Good luck to staff that need the job and to the dept.
Thank You Mark for bringing this up. I don't articulate as well as you do. But just today I was trying to make some of these same points. I have never fully understood this whole self supporting crap. Foodservice to me is like a church. They get every benefit available. They make their money at children and taxpayers expense. Does not really matter who they impact along the way. They still can't make ends meet. And then they are immune from prosecution, and apparently have the equivelant a (government bailout program) at their disposal. I guess this is another department that skipped economics and math. Their losses are in the $200,000.00 range for 2007-2008, and now they don't even have to run for cover because they can't be touched. And lets not blame the kids again. HOW ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT THAT ENCOURAGES THE BAD BEHAVIOR? HOW ABOUT SOME ELBOW GREASE AT THE TOP OF THAT CHAIN, AND A LITTLE LESS GREASE ON TOP OF THOSE SAUSAGE MUFFINS? Then we get to pay for this garbage again with disproportionate price increases. To Debbie Jakala who likes to lump us in with many other districts that are doing the same thing: PsssssT! WE Don't always have to be like everybody else. It is not necessarily a positive step to follow others. Be a leader. And to the enablers in Foodservice and the parents who abuse the system: It's my pleasure to keep funding you who choose not to work to pay for those lunches. You're all Pearls for sure! Oh yeah, my kids say Thanx for the lovely treatment as well.
I was at the meeting in which this was discussed with the board. While I disagree with the administration on several fronts, I do agree with the statement that Nick made - hungry kids should not have to pay for the inattention of their parents. There are lots of programs available for low cost or free meals. Principles and staff at school have more to do than become bill collectors. The idea of turning parents over to CPS is a bit extreme. Perhaps a middle ground could be found.
Parents - not kids and not the school - has the responsibility of feeding their kids. While there may be areas in which food service can be improved, asking kids to work for their meals is NOT one of them. I am appalled at the suggestion.
Before this becomes a bigger issue, it would be helpful to know how much money we are really talking about. If it is substantial, the more egregious violators could be turned over to a collections agency or encourage the parents involved to apply for support programs. If it is a point of principle, just move on and feed the kids that need it.
I am not suggesting we chain them to looms, in fact, we could just tie them loosely with rope.
I totally agree that meals are the responsibility of the parents. Making kids work for food may leave them jilted and unprepared to join the workforce.
A diagnostic survey may help us determine if a quarterly newsetter is more effective than a child complaining every day about their grumbling tummy.
Where is the espresso machine anyway, and how is it accessed? I don't work at the ESC so I have never seen it. Can it be transported to schools for special events? How do people know how to use it--or is it just "push button"? Is it making money to pay for it's cost?
I think that kids who go over the $10 limit should spend the day with the Nickster and help him run the school district. It would be good to get a child's perspective on life in the Edmonds School District.
Mark, I assume your comments about making kids work for their meals are "tounge in cheek". Food services may have issues that sound be examined (a 20 month return on an investment of an espresso machine does seem a bit extreme)but the district is in a difficult position when parents don't fulfill their obligations to feeding their kids. Granted, as the parent of a 12 year old myself, it is difficult to get them to do what you say (like REMEMBER to take the lunch you provide for them), but to expect the school to be accountable for them isn't reasonable. The district is in a difficult situation and I applaud them putting kids first.
You are a very good researcher and you information appears to be well thought out when you post. Do you know what legal barriers exist in preventing the district from turning the debt over to a collection agency as another blogger suggested? That might be a simple solution to the issue.
All foodservice workers get a free lunch.
All you have to do is look like a poor boy.
just add up all the employees in foodservice that get that "FREE LUNCH". I think its all employees in foodsevice that get a free lunch each and everyday. I've seen other district people get free lunchs and dinners to go.
Add the employees too.
So why are we bitch'in about money.
Hold on people,
The head foodservice person gets $115k a year and the person under her gets $95k a year.
So theres the money right there.
I think theres 6 more people in that Dept, just in the office.
Sara Conroy is now the Interim Director of Food Service.
The salaries may have been adjusted accordingly.
Hey let's make sure we don't lose any customers through all of this. To go with all those free lunches, let's throw in a free piano to the first 14 kids in line at Cedar Valley. Wooo! Hooo!
Parent said.....
I think Nick needs to say he was wrong in having the FS dept. feed all kids and let them have credit and just give the dept. the $225, 000 he made them lose.
Their is elem. students that have $800.-$1000. in bad debt and they aren't even old enough to get a credit card? DAAAA!
What did the students learn from this lesson?
Don't worry kids, that letter you just received in the mail clearly shows that the Edmonds School District will feed you for free as long as Nick is Chief of staff. Don't feel threatened in any way by the letter. In fact here is all you need to do with this whole food bank thing: Pocket your lunch money, and tell your teacher that you have no money for breakfast or lunch. Then take all the lunch money you have saved over the 15 years you have been in the district,(you see some problems here right)and you should have just enough money to attend Nick and Marlas prestigious math camp at the Edmonds Rotary. You should then have enough math basics to last you to the next mile marker. Whats wrong with a preloaded $10.00 foodservice gift card for every child? Then all that would be needed would be that Nick and Marla demand that every child bring in their own dice to roll for eachothers giftcards.(Math and fun yeah?) Dice found on the playground could be redeemed for more giftcards, (encourages stealing) and then we'll know for sure that you have certification from that prestigious camp!
What happened to Barbara ????, who was the Director of Food Services? Just curious, after reading there is an Interim in the position.
Food Service is for feeding KIDS, not Employees! The Government used to subsidize districts for food, not sure if this in still the case, but come on people, get rid of the 2 large salaried employees, and "get back to basics" - Feed our children! If the District feels the need for a Catering Service, let this be a SEPARATE enterprise. Folks who work in buildings don't have the opportunity/luxury to run over to FS for an Expresso or a muffin, salad, soup; they eat a school lunch or pack it themselves! As for kids who have no $$ to pay for lunch, most schools, at least in Elementary schools, have a fund from the PTA, PTO, or parent group, who willingly and genorously provide for those kids in need, no questions asked.
good question about Barbara - everyone is wondering the same thing.
First of all, it's not the student's fault that their parent/guardian is not paying their bill or sending them with a lunch. The kids are not, and should not be held responsible. Second of all, we all rolled our eyes at Brossoits "policy" of not taking a tray away from a student who owed on their account. OK, that's fine- I understand that part, but what I am disgusted with is ESD's lack of action in collecting from these parents. To heck with sending them a reminder 2x a week, or an automated voice mail weekly- send them to collections!! By letting these families off the hook, the ESD is teaching irresponsibility to the students. And it's not the teachers/principal or even the kitchen staffs job to track down these scammers- it's corporate who needs to handle this. Passing their losses off on the families who pay regularly by raising their prices to one of the highest in the state is insulting. I refuse to subsidize other lazy families. As to the "free" lunches that are handed out to employees- not at my school, not on my watch! We account for everything!!
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