Berkeley County Schools to consider eliminating child-nutrition coordinator position; hearing draws staff pleas

Berkeley County Schools administrators presented a proposed reduction in force at a public hearing that would eliminate the child-nutrition system coordinator position held by Lewis Harden, and the board scheduled a vote for April 30.

The administration’s representative said the central-office “phase 2” reorganization is intended to realign people and federal funds “to where they have the greatest impact,” and that the combined phase 1 and 2 restructures would save the district “nearly $1,500,000 annually.” Superintendent Ryan Sachs described the plan as a way to concentrate support at schools. "We are aligning people, resources as well as our federal funds to where they have the greatest impact and that is at the point of teaching and learning," Sachs said.

But Harden and multiple child-nutrition staff told the board the coordinator role includes both technology and operational duties that they said are essential to daily meal service across the county’s 32 schools. "My technology counts for maybe 15% of my position," Lewis Harden said, adding that he administers the district’s point-of-sale and inventory systems, monitors cooler and freezer temperatures remotely, and supports biometric sign-in systems used across schools. "We miss one day of calculating meals, you lose reimbursement."

The hearing drew multiple employees and managers who described frequent instances when Harden remotely restored point-of-sale systems or traveled to schools to replace parts so students could be served without long delays. Charity Boyd, who identified herself as a POS secretary at Orchard View Intermediate School, told the board, "You cannot put a price tag on someone's knowledge and seasoned experience, and there is nobody else in this county who knows ExpressPoint and Primero as efficiently as Lewis does." Jen Miller, the district dietitian and a coordinator, said eliminating Harden's position would force the remaining coordinators to absorb duties they could not realistically manage in a growing district.

Administration and staff differed on whether technology responsibilities could be transferred to the technology department. District officials said Executive Director of Child Nutrition Jennifer Zetney (transcript spelling varied) and Executive Director of Technology Ms. Bass had been consulted and that existing food-service staff and the district TSS (technology system support) personnel would take on many duties. Board members asked for clarification and for staff to explore whether Harden could be reassigned to the technology department; administration said it would look into that before the vote. The administration also reported that because Harden lacks the required state teaching certificate, he cannot be placed on a transfer list for reassignment under the district’s stated policies; administration said if the reduction in force is approved Harden’s contract would terminate on 06/30/2025.

Speakers raised financial and operational risks. Several presenters cited recent meal counts and reimbursement figures to emphasize the program's scale: one manager reported that, in March 2025 serving days counted, the district served 214,315 breakfasts and 236,092 lunches, producing a monthly reimbursement figure cited at $1,272,230.03; another speaker summarized the department’s annual impact as about 3,600,000 meals and roughly $10,200,000 in reimbursements. Child-nutrition staff warned that inadequate support for point-of-sale failures could reduce documented participation and jeopardize reimbursements.

The hearing concluded with the board’s attorney and superintendent reminding attendees that no final vote would occur that night and that the board will take action at an upcoming meeting. Board members and administration said they would consider the technical-certification issue and whether Harden could be reassigned prior to the April 30 vote.

The hearing record will be part of the board’s April 30 deliberations; administrators said the superintendent’s broader reorganization plan and draft organizational charts were entered into the record as exhibits and that the district expects a net reduction of nine central-office positions across the two phases of restructuring.