Nutrition services proposes new leadership academy and career path for food-service staff

Holly Wong, director of food and nutrition services, presented a proposed reorganization and training program for the district’s food-service workforce at the Hernando County School Board workshop.

Wong said the current position structure did not provide a reliable mechanism for maintaining technical skills or a clear development pathway. The proposal includes a Leadership Academy modeled on a dietetic internship: a multi-week rotation in elementary, middle and high school kitchens, paired training managers, and office-based instruction on procurement, budgets and specifications. Wong said the pilot would select four internal candidates for the internship and that participants would be interviewed and chosen by the department’s leadership team.

Wong told the board the initiative is intended to provide continuing education, build leadership skills (including coaching and evaluation), and create succession candidates for management roles she expects will be vacated by retirements over the next five years. She said Human Resources and internal team-development staff will be involved in applicant review and follow-up.

Board member Mr. Johnson asked about the program’s net budget impact; Wong replied the program is designed to be self-supporting within department funds and to emphasize staff development and retention rather than a significant new recurring cost. No formal vote or budget approval was recorded in the workshop materials presented at the meeting.

Board members thanked Wong for the presentation and said they look forward to seeing the reorganization and training implemented. The district packet included tables comparing current job titles and salary structures with proposed positions and explanations; Wong offered to walk board members through those tables in a follow-up if requested.