School Board considers hiring food service management company

With the retirement of the school district’s Food Services Supervisor Karen Waller coming up, the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education is being asked to consider hiring a food service management company for the next five years.
The contract would be approved on a yearly basis, but the price would stay the same for that period.
At Monday’s regular meeting of the school board, School Supt. Pete Kudlak explained this was for management only and that the employees will still be the district’s employees.
The district received three bids: Aramark, Chartwells, and SFE. Supt. Kudlak said the administration is recommending Chartwells which offered the lowest price.
He said the management company would purchase the food and would be able to get a lower price because it would buy in bulk for the many schools it services. He said Waller bought the district’s food through consortiums. Kudlak estimated saving $60,000 the first year.
Kudlak said at least one manager would be on site and the district would get to meet and evaluate whether the person would be a good fit at the district.
He said the food service workers union is OK with the proposal, but members worry that they will be replaced in the future.
“Not on my watch,” Kudlak said he told them.
The proposal is expected to be on the agenda of the May 8 meeting for a vote.
Before Kudlak gave his presentation, Todd Mears, a parent of two BHS students, questioned whether this was a move toward outsourcing.
In other business at Monday’s meeting, the board:
• Approved Schools of Choice with unlimited openings in all grades for the district for the first semester of the 2023-24 school year. Applications may be made May 15 through Oct. 4. At the beginning of the meeting under public comment, Reg Ion said he was not in favor of Schools of Choice because it encourages sketchy recruiting of atheletes and discourages smaller classrooms. “That’s why I don’t support your millages,” he said. Board president Amy Pierce asked Director of Instruction Jeff Moore how many Schools of Choice students the district has, or the percentage of Students of Choice, and Moore said he didn’t know but will get the information and send it to the board members;
• Heard information on a project to updgrade BHS card access that will be voted on at a board meeting in May. James Williams, director of plant operations, said in the past BHS was the only school with card access and the district wanted all the schools to have them. He said the BHS system is antiquated and they had a new system with all the other schools. He said they hoped to eliminate keys throughout the district. Rob Kakoczki of Plante Moran Cresa said there were two bidders, with bids of $67,662 and $69,193, and they are bringing in the lowest bidder for a post-bid meeting and the information will be sent on to the board. Treasurer Simone Pinter asked if the power or internet goes out, what then? Williams said there are safety features and battery backups;
• Approved signing an interagency agreement with Corner Health Center of Ypsilanti to provide individual and mental health services at BHS to adolescents and young adults attending the schools. Director Moore said in 2020 the Michigan Department of Education gave grants for this kind of service and the Van Buren Schools got a $100,000 grant for this in November 2020. He said the state wishes the board to approve the renewed agreement that lasts to 2025 and is funded by a grant. He said the last agreement was not brought to the board;
• Had a presentation on a new science program that is being recommended for middle school students, grades 6-8. Renea Kurek, secondary instructional specialist, said these grades have been using Battle Creek Cereal City for the last seven years. She said the curriculum was the best fit at the time science standards were transitioning to Next Generation Science Standards, but now the curriculum needs to be changed. Out of 11 bids, the team of science teachers recommends STEMScopes at a cost of $112,500 for five years. This will be voted on at the May 8 board meeting;
• Heard director Williams say that the playground equipment for the schools will take 40 to 70 weeks to come after approval by the board. He said $250,000 and been allocated from bond funds for playground equipment. He said he will bring the recommended items to the board for action at the May 8 meeting;
• Approved hiring Patrick Burrage, II as a Belleville High School social studies teacher as of April 25.
• Accepted the retirements of Sherry Browning, a paraprofessional at the Early Childhood Center, as of Aug. 31 after 25 years of service; and Michelle Loechli, a secretary at BHS, as of July 31, after 23 years of service;
• Approve hiring the following non-instructional employees: Samuel Rhodes as a bus aide starting April 12, LaKeila Terrell as a safety laision at BHS as of April 10, and Romeo Whigman as a custodian for the Building & Grounds Department;
• Approved the minutes of the April 15 special board meeting for a Strategic Planning Workshop that started at 8:35 a.m. and ended at 1:47 p.m. Kudlak said there were 36 people there who took part. It began with discussions in small groups around tables, with a board member at each table. The workshop was led by Dr. Rod Green from the Michigan Association of School Boards. Kudlak said this type of work is done ever five years;
• Heard a presentation from Tyler School about the Watch DOGS (Dads of Great Students) program that has restarted at the school. Tyler Principal Aleisa Pitt said it was a very successful program in the past and then it was closed down by the pandemic. After the pandemic she held a meeting to start it up and 183 came. A father and grandfather were at the board meeting to explain their experiences;
• Got up from the board table and walked into a cleared portion of the BHS Commons to see a demonstration of the robots used in the recent competition at the school. Aaron Lange explained the program and four students worked the robots. Mentors of the robotics program were also present to help. In his report at the end of the meeting, Kudlak announced that BHS senior Krishna Sharma, a member of the robotics team, had earned a $40,000 scholarship from Amazon to continue computer science studies; and
• Went into closed-door session at about 9:12 p.m. to consider reinstating a student who had been expelled during the 2022-23 school year. The board came back into open session at about 10:28 p.m. to make their decision in public. They voted not to reinstate the student.