Letter to MMSD administration re: food service
I have heard from a number of District 17 residents with concerns about MMSD’s current food services. This morning I wrote to MMSD Superintendent Dr. Carlton Jenkins to seek clarity and offer assistance in resolving this critical equity issue.
Dr. Jenkins,
I write today as a parent in an MMSD family and as a local elected official—I represent District 17 on the Dane County Board.
In my capacity as an elected official, I've received a number of concerns from constituents about the state of food service in MMSD schools. These concerns mirror those I have myself:
that the food being served in our schools is not adequate from either a caloric or nutritional perspective,
that quality is low with problems of spoilage and other fundamental safety issues, and
that we are not providing enough meals for the number of kids who need them.
Although I recognize that directly addressing these concerns is outside the scope of my work as a County Board Supervisor, given the severity of these issues I feel a duty to raise them and to do what I can to ensure speedy and complete resolution.
To that end: What is being done, what needs to be done, and how can I help?
Communications from MMSD administration—to families as well as to my elected partners on the Board of Education—have focused on supply chain issues and staffing issues.
I find supply chain issues to be an inadequate explanation given that, for example, our local grocery stores and warehouses have plenty of food that MMSD could be using to supplement the currently inadequate pre-packaged meals. I know other districts in the state have contingency plans and funds set aside for this (e.g., to buy cases of apples or cheese sticks if they need to supplement on an emergency basis). We're lucky to live in a city with many options here, with businesses and individuals who would likely gladly step in to help us meet short-term needs if and when needed. Whereas, to this point it seems like the only contingency plan is to count on teachers and support staff to draw from their own pockets to fill in the gaps. This is not an equitable or adequate solution.
Staffing issues are harder, and I understand MMSD is not alone here. That said, we've known about staffing gaps throughout MMSD for a long time—so there has been time to make a plan to feed our scholars adequately in light of staffing shortages. If such plans exist, they are clearly failing. MMSD administration has stated that they expect staffing issues to improve over the next week, but other communications comprise calls for staff applications and volunteers (!)—so I am skeptical that such a solution is coming in a week or so. These roles need on-boarding and, presumably, food safety training. In the meantime, there needs to be an immediate plan to keep our scholars fed.
This is a foundational equity issue. Many of the scholars and families we jointly serve depend on these meals. They depend on them to live and to learn. Hunger is a massive impediment to learning. And it's distributed inequitably, as food-secure families can solve the problem for themselves in ways that others simply cannot. This is why it's so important to solve this problem, and quickly.
It's my understanding that next week, the Board of Education will consider a pay raise that will include food service staff. I anticipate this will pass. I hope this contributes to a long-term, permanent solution. But in the meantime, we need urgent action from MMSD administration. I will do what I can to communicate and support, but I need direct leadership and action from MMSD administration to get our scholars fed right away. I need to know what that plan is.
In Service,
Jacob
Supv. Jacob C. Wright
(he/his)
District 17
Dane County Board of Supervisors