The Harvard Public Schools, in conjunction with third-party food service provider Whitsons Culinary Group, hosted a parent forum on Tuesday, Jan. 7, via Zoom. Whitsons manages the school lunch program at both the Hildreth Elementary and Bromfield schools. Parents and caregivers were invited to share feedback about the free breakfast and lunch program after many families had shared concerns with Superintendent Linda Dwight regarding the quality of the food and the nutritional value of the meals.
The forum began with brief introductions of the school staff including Dwight, Bromfield Principal Kim Murphy and Assistant Principal Julie Horton, Bromfield Middle School Principal Dan Hudder, and Hildreth Principal Rebecca Katsh-Singer. Also introduced were representatives for Whitsons: Alyssa Charles, who is the district manager, and Cory Nichols, who is the manager for Harvard.
There were approximately 30 people in attendance, eager to share their questions and concerns. Before addressing questions, Dwight briefly ran through some informational slides that highlighted the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) standards the district must meet to qualify for federal and state funding. She also addressed the departure of the beloved Chef Paul Correnty, who was known for his delicious homemade soups and stews.
Right out of the gate, audience member Rachel Kopay posted a question in the chat that read, “I’m looking for someone to explain with a straight face how French toast sticks with curly fries and juice, or four mozzarella sticks with fries, are the kind of nutrition you want your kids to eat.”
“As soon as Chef Paul left, we had to pull the program into compliance,” said Dwight in an interview with the Press. “We were debating whether to just turn away from the state’s money and the federal money and just do our own thing, like private schools do, and not be bound to some of [DESE’s] restrictions. That was going to make it very untenable to run the program, because we were already running deficits.”
Not rolling in dough
Speaking of deficits, Whitsons is currently running a deficit in Harvard, as Dwight explained to one parent who questioned whether there is incentive for Whitsons Culinary Group to provide healthy, appealing meal options for students. “There is a lot of motivation for the food service department to make delicious food that more students will want to eat,” said Dwight. “We receive $4.43 for each lunch served and $2.37 for each breakfast served. Whitsons bills the district for food purchases and staffing costs. Currently, the program is not breaking even for them, as we are not selling enough food to pay the costs. This means they are motivated to please the families and students so that more meals are served.”
Repetition and mold
Many parents and caregivers expressed concern about the lack of variety in the school menu, noting that the elementary school kids are being served the same meals repeatedly, such as cheese pizza with orange-glazed carrots and prepackaged pineapple, and French toast with turkey sausage links, potato puffs, and blueberries. Both those meals were on the menu three times in January.
A Bromfield parent noted that her student encountered moldy blueberries but did not feel comfortable approaching the lunch staff about the issue. “I think that’s concerning,” said Dwight. “We want to make sure that students have people to go to so that whatever is unpleasant is seen and addressed immediately.”
Alyssa Charles addressed concerns in the meeting and responded to a list of questions asked by the Press via an email with a prepared statement that read: “Attending forums like the one hosted by Harvard Public Schools is a priority for us to engage with the community and receive input on our food service programs. We were excited by the passion of the parents, which reinforces our commitment to continuous enhancements. Moving forward, we plan to expand our meal options, implement feedback mechanisms, and introduce special promotions to enhance students’ meal experiences. We encourage ongoing collaboration with parents and the school community so we may deliver a program that exceeds our customers’ expectations.”
“It’s really Cory [Nichols, Whitsons’ Harvard manager], me, Mandy [Ostaszewski, school business administrator], and the rest of the team here that will start to make those changes,” said Dwight. “We’re still digesting the feedback. We had a wellness meeting this morning, and one of the topics was food service. We’re putting together an advisory committee, which will include the parents that signed up during the forum, the health teachers [from HES and Bromfield], the [school] nurses, and students.”
Planning a taste test
The job of the advisory committee, according to Dwight, will be to look at menu options, research ways to get away from some of the items causing the most concern, and find healthy replacements. The schools will also hold a community tasting, which Dwight hopes to have scheduled by the end of the month. Participants will be able to go to Bromfield, see the kitchen staff in action, and taste the exact food being served to the students.
“I’ve received a few emails since the forum, which is great,” said Dwight. “I want people to continue to give us feedback.” One of those emails offered a suggestion of a meal option available at Trader Joe’s, a local grocery market, which is not possible per DESE restrictions on sourcing food. “[DESE] set up the places to order the food from and, to be fair to them, I think they’re trying to be helpful, but it constrains the situation.”
While 30 attendees is a good turnout for a forum of this nature, Dwight noted that there are likely many families in the district satisfied with the current school breakfast and lunch offerings. “I think we also have to keep in mind that while there are some who are dissatisfied, there are lots of families that are fairly happy with the free options we have. Most of the time people are asked to come to a forum to give feedback; they are not going to be pleased with what’s going on.”
