By Antonio D. French
Filed Friday, November 16, 2007 at 8:10 AM
At its regular meeting last night, the Special Administrative Board of St. Louis Public Schools voted to contract with the Council of Great City Schools to determine the exact cost of bring the district's food services back in-house.
Board member Richard Gaines, who has long questioned the wisdom of the 2003-2004 school board and former superintendent Bill Roberti's decision to outsource food services, said that traditionally food service has always been a source of profit for the district. The other, more important issue, he said, is nutrition.
"The other issue for us must always be nutrition," said Gaines.
A study released in August by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine said St. Louis Public Schools' lunches have the worst nutritional value out of America's 22 largest school districts.
District CEO Rick Sullivan said SLPS is now working with nutritionists at BJC Hospital to better the district's food offerings.
14 Comments:
What a team! Gaines seems to be all talk.
11/16/2007 9:19 AM
Gaines is speaking from past experience and knows of what he speaks.
Before outsourced to the worst contracting company possible, the city schools' food services were among the best and always brought the school district a profit that was used for other vital needs. Even a former SLPS high administrator and current DESE staff member said Roberti's team lied about the food services costing the district. Numbers can be played with.
Nutritionists put nutrition first and pleasant eating experiences next.
Parents in Houston, Texas complained bitterly against Aramark. They are bad news all over.
11/16/2007 9:36 AM
Bull! Gaines is a fool and Sullivan is a fool. The district sold off the property and equipment so that this would not happen.
They need to get someone in the district that knows how to run things. Sullivan is all talk.
Write Bray and tell her to get him out. He is all about getting contracts. David Jackson is his spy and Sullivan is paying him under the table.
11/16/2007 9:47 AM
Before outsourced to the worst contracting company possible, the city schools' food services were among the best and always brought the school district a profit that was used for other vital needs.
What is the source for 'among the best?' It may be true, but it is easy to say with next to no back-up.
Why should people paying for food subsidize other parts of the school? How about lowering the cost of the food instead of turning the food service into a profit center? It sounds suspiciously like operating a for-profit business under the guise of food service for kids.
11/16/2007 9:53 AM
The source was a person in on the reviewing and interviewing process. This person is a recognized expert in food services.
As for profit, it was not the goal of food services, but a result of a healthy and scrupulous process. Most of the money came from the USDA that mandated careful nutritional guidelines.
The majority of students received free meals, with a few receiving reduced-price meals, and fewer yet paying a very reasonable price for their meals.
11/16/2007 9:59 AM
The SAB must have a lot of respect for the elected Board, since the EB said this needed to be done back in the spring and passed a resolution to that effect. Tell me again why the state needed to take over, if the SAB is just going to take its cues from the properly elected board members who cared enough about this district to jump in the middle of this mess?
But I guess we should be glad if they do take their cues from the elected board, since that's who should be overseeing the district anyway.
11/16/2007 10:09 AM
The fact that this district's food services have gone from among the best to among the very worst nationwide should confirm the thoughts of those who advised against Aramark at the very beginning.
Others unrelated to food services intimated there was a relation relationship between Roberti and someone high up in Aramark. (This is possibly unprovable; but if true, an interesting fact.) By the way, there are lots of unprovable citations on this blog--so don't get in an uproar with the mention of this one.
And as far as saying "Bull, Gaines is a fool and Sullivan is a fool," how easy to maliciously attack others when anonymous--what courage!
11/16/2007 10:17 AM
I blame that damn Slay's meddling in the SLPS for the many fiascos that have taken place since he stuck his nose in SLPS! No wonder that damn Slay is going to be recalled!
11/16/2007 12:20 PM
How long did it take for someone to blame the Mayor? 5 minutes?
Myself and all of my neighbors have been convinced against this sham of a recall. I cannot wait until these fools show up for my signature! I'll send them back to the county!
11/16/2007 4:14 PM
I think the recall is ill advised, and probably impossible.
But it is completely in order to remind people about Slay's continuous meddling in the district. He hand picked the board that hired Roberti---when his board was dismantled, he engineered the state takeover, and has fought against Bourisaw---and is no doubt raising all kinds of hell to get her out of the way so he can go full speed with his charter nonsense.
11/16/2007 6:21 PM
Of course it was Slay's Raiders
that hired Aramark. I still remember their PR spokesman
when the kids were sent the hospital with food poisioning,
"we don't know - it could be the
flu or some other cause."
Quick director's cut to
ER Doctor, "It was definitely
food poisioning."
Just found out recently Aramark serves different food in county schools. hmm?
11/19/2007 12:25 PM
This will never happen. Bill Purdy cut a deal with Chatwells to have them come in and do food service. He may have already been paid so this could be a problem.
11/20/2007 12:35 AM
Leave Purdy alone. Here he is really sick and does not have much time with the board.
11/20/2007 12:38 AM
The headlines today are "Barry Bonds Indited."
Let's see here:
Cleveland Hammonds gets his car, wallet, and watch stolen by a hooker, McCreary covers it up and bam he becomes head of security for the SLPS.
Jim Gant had 17 allegations of child abuse (ask Ken Brostrom) against him during his career with the St. Louis Public Schools, Purdy protects him. He is gone for three years before Riverview Gardens puts him out on his ear. Six people that were going to be fired or demoted from Riverview Gardens now work for the SLPS.)Purdy boy)
David Jackson handles minority contracts for Rick Sullivan.
Dianna Bourisaw lied to Kent King and thought she was too smart to get caught.
Floyd Irons is going to a Federal Prison. The killer of Timothy Bacon still is at large. Hope he give up some names. lets be fair to Steve Warmack, Floyd's audits were pretty bad also.
A continuing sub at Northwest is arrested for drug trafficking.
Steve Warmack stole chip money and tempoary ID money. (Purdy Boy).
Sam Dunlap a man that never worked a day in his life, winds up getting Floyd Irons job without the certification that the job had listed (Purdy boy)
Chip Clatto (Bourisaw boy) makes more money than any other district administrator.
Sharonica Hardin runs Human Resources. Ooh boy.
If you get fired from Normany you can come work for the SLPS (as long as you continue to talk to Floyd Irons).
Shiela Smith Anderson runs the New Administraors program but was only a principal for one year.(It's suprising what you can find on google)
John Martin needs to get a roll away bed for those times when he just can't keep his eyes open.
Despite what Rick Sullivan says, Joan Bray will not nominate him.
Teffari is running academics in Wellston. Oh boy!
Donna Jones can't get the marker off her face. She likes Aldi's baloney.
Jane Cunningham needs to be applauded for even bringing up the issues of child abusers in the state. She could have a field day with the SLPS.
With all due respect to the people in the fine city of St. Louis, we have a lack of functioning brain cells. We have allowed this to go on for too many years and wonder why it is such a mess.
Let's be fair to Gant and Purdy what about James Biney an his Mahoney.
Kathy Wessling is worried about filling up the vacanntcies in the magnet schools with black kids because we don't have enough white kids. Why don't we fix the problems so that all kids would want to attend the St. Louis Public School.
And people are worried about Barry Bonds.Go figure.
11/15/2007 6:06 PM
11/20/2007 10:30 AM
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