Schools

Closing Montclair High Campus Option For Turning Food Service Profit

Take a poll: Should the district close the Montclair High School campus to all but seniors?

Closing the high school campus and other ideas for making Montclair Schools food service program profitable were put on the table at Monday night’s Board of Education meeting.

The district perennially operates its food service in the red, school officials acknowledged, adding that its time to take a serious look at what to do about it.

“I don’t think we are going to simply accept that we are going to lose money,” Montclair Superintendent of Schools Penny MacCormack said.

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MacCormack said she and the district’s new Chief Operating Officer Brian Fleischer have discussed possible solutions.

“I am still learning, but we are going to look at it very closely,” Fleischer said.

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Independent auditor Raymond Sarinelli of the firm Nisivoccia said at Montclair high school, where the biggest loss takes place, students have more tempting options from food trucks and nearby restaurants. Sarinelli added that students who come to school without a lunch are often provided with a meal without the money being recovered.

During the public comment period, district parent Abraham Dickerson, a professional chef, shared his ideas about turning the food program into a profitable one.

Dickerson said to close the high school campus so only seniors have the privilege of leaving for lunch.

Dickerson, who is concerned about the quality of food being provided, envisions a central kitchen at a Montclair school building where healthy, fresh meals would be prepared. He said Montclair could service other districts in the area with these meals.

In the short term, the district dad said he hopes to see improvements in what is being offered to students.

He said students are being given candy in classrooms and that the food sold in cafeterias lacks nutrition.

“If you are concerned about the education gap then you have to be concerned about what kids eat, because food is fuel for the classroom,” he said.

Chartwells is the food provider for the district.


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