PRAIRIE GROVE -- Prairie Grove School Board last week voted not to renew a food service contract with Aramark for 2016-17 but to bring its food service program back in-house.
"I think this is the best direction for us at this time," school Superintendent Allen Williams told School Board members in recommending the action.
After the meeting, Williams said outsourcing the district's food service program to a third party had not gone as well as expected. Aramark has been providing food service to the school for the 2015-16 school year.
"It just hadn't developed the way we thought it would for Prairie Grove," Williams said. "It's worked for other districts but we will take it back."
A group of moms approached Williams in February with concerns about the quality and quantity of food served at Prairie Grove Elementary School and also concerns about a staffing shortage. Williams met with the parents and also talked to Aramark representatives about the complaints.
At the time, Williams said his main concern was staffing and that the cafeterias had enough workers to handle the food service program.
"The major issue this year has been manpower," Williams said at the April 16 School Board meeting.
Prairie Grove's current food service manager, Belinda Burgess, is retiring in June and Williams said the district hopes to be able to hire someone with food service experience.
He said he also has asked Burgess if she believes enough employees can be hired to staff the cafeterias and she said she believes it can happen.
The district still has about one-half of its nutrition workers. A few have gone to work for Fayetteville School District's food service program, Williams said.
In the past, the district has staffed its school cafeterias with semi-retired people and moms who want to have a work schedule that coincides with their children's schedule.
"I've got to believe those are out there," Williams said.
In other action last week, School Board members approved a change in the bylaws for Bright Futures Prairie Grove.
Jonathan Warren, co-principal of Prairie Grove Elementary and chairman of the Bright Futures advisory committee, said the main change is to form Site Councils for each school building. Site Councils will work closely with their individual schools to meet needs of children in that building.
"This will give more control to the buildings as far as what they want to do with Bright Futures in their schools," Warren said.
Missy Hixson, assistant superintendent, gave her monthly report on curriculum updates, test results and the district's annual report card.
The Board renewed teacher contracts for 2016-17 and approved the resignations or retirements of the following: Krystina Sallee, Amanda Douglas, Temple Moore, Mary Cummings, Becky Hudson and Judy Foster.
The Board also approved the transfers of 14 students, seven to transfer into Prairie Grove and seven to transfer out.
Williams said most of the transfers were for students who had moved but wanted to remain in their current district.
General News on 04/27/2016