The Change to Chartwells - WMBB News 13 - The Panhandle's News Leader

The applications are in as Bay District food service employees are being hired to work for the private food company Chartwells School Dining. News 13 breaks down the numbers on how many employees decided to go through with the transition.

Earlier this week, a majority of food service workers signed their resignation papers and officially applied to work for Chartwells.  

"There was no choice to it, you just have to be able to keep a job and it's not even the company you wanted to be with," said employee Anderia Gurosky.  

According to rough estimates from the district, about 120 of the 200 employees decided to work for Chartwells. The other 80 are within 5 years of retiring. Fifty of them decided to stay with the district; the others have decided to retire now. Meaning Chartwells now has 30 open positions, and will hire locally.  

"Many of them have decided to retire and continue to work for Chartwells and some of them were non-renewals just like some teachers were non-renewals," said Superintendent Bill Husfelt. 

Among those who stayed with the district were four top paid food service employees who work in administration at the county office. In the group is the Director of Food Services, Kim Blackwell, the second highest paid person in the district at $89,534 dollars a year. We asked the Superintendent what her responsibilities will be now that Chartwells is coming in. 

"She's going to be a nutritionist, but she is going to be working for Chartwells. Chartwells is going to reimburse us the cost because she will be on our payroll but she will still be working for Chartwells," Husfelt said. 

According to the contract, Chartwells will reimburse the district for employees who remain on the district's payroll, so they won't lose their retirement benefit. 

"It's a win-win," Husfelt added. "It wouldn't have been any advantage if we were going to get that and have to pay all that so that is why it's in the contract that way."  

Blackwell and the other three employees will monitor federal funding and USDA food regulations as it is required by law to go through the school district and not a private company.