Caledonia board approves Chartwells food‑service contract after questions about service and staffing

The Caledonia Community Schools Board of Education on June 16 approved Chartwells as the district's food‑service provider for the 2025–26 school year after a staff presentation and community feedback.

District staff explained the RFP's October-based meal counts and said because the district uses a fixed‑rate contract, actual payments are aligned with meals that are submitted and claimed. "So while the bid document specified that it would be like a 3,200,000.0 cost to us, it actually isn't a 3,200,000.0 cost because we're a fixed rate contract," a district presenter said, explaining that claimed meals this year yielded a lower realized cost.

Board members and residents raised service concerns. One trustee recalled a public comment by a food‑service employee describing troubling interactions with management; another trustee urged the administration and the contractor to address employee injuries and treatment. "Chartwells as a provider makes their money off of selling meals, so it's their advantage also to sell more meals," a superintendent-level presenter added in discussion of participation incentives.

Public commenters and the board also discussed participation numbers and parental feedback from an internal survey of students. Trustees asked whether projected higher participation would expose the district to financial risk; staff said no, repeating that revenue and claims offset contracted meal counts under the fixed‑rate arrangement.

After discussion the board approved the Chartwells contract by roll call the same evening.