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South Bend board votes to end Chartwells contract, plans to insource management and invest savings in staff raises
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Summary
The South Bend Community School Corp board voted unanimously April 13 to terminate its Chartwells food‑service management contract and to insource management functions while bidding procurement for food supplies; staff estimated about $1.3 million in savings to be reinvested in employee pay, and the board concurrently ratified several Teamsters agreements raising hourly minimums to $20.
The South Bend Community School Corporation board voted unanimously April 13 to authorize termination of its food‑service management contract with Chartwells, a move district officials said would bring management back under district control while retaining external procurement for food supplies.
Superintendent Reid said the Chartwells contract runs through June 30 and that terminating it within the contract’s notice window would allow the district time to bring management duties in‑house and to bid a separate procurement contract for food. "This gives us enough time to make sure that we have the resources to bring back all the services in‑house," a district administrator told the board during the discussion.
District staff told trustees that equipment used to prepare meals belongs to the district under the existing contract, and would not be taken by the vendor. The district’s presentation said the anticipated savings from terminating Chartwells were roughly $1,300,000; leaders said most of that would be invested in employee compensation.
"We do have our own management as well," the director of operations said while outlining the plan. "We are insourcing the management portion of it… We will be buying the supplies for our food and nutrition services from [a procurement vendor] and piggybacking on their buying power."
Board members asked whether current Chartwells staff would be rehired by the district; district leaders said many frontline positions are on the district payroll already and that some Chartwells roles would be converted into district positions. "Majority of that savings we will be investing in our own employees," a district official said.
The vote to authorize termination was unanimous (6–0). After the motion passed, the board also discussed and approved related labor agreements that the district says are tied to funding and budgeting decisions. That same meeting saw the board ratify multiple Teamsters contracts and a plan to raise minimum hourly wages for several job categories to $20 per hour.
John Dowell, Teamsters representative, and other union leaders urged swift recognition and negotiation for instructional assistants and kindergarten aides; the board later added an agenda item and recognized those aides as a bargaining unit represented by Teamsters Local 364 (vote 6–0).
What happens next: staff said the district will issue the procurement solicitation for food supplies and work on an organizational plan to move management functions in‑house. Trustees said they will use projected savings to fund pay increases and to invest in operations. The board plans to return with details as procurement and staffing plans advance.
Vote and procedural note: The termination resolution and the related budget/contract steps were discussed in open session and carried by roll call; staff emphasized that the bulk of operational equipment belongs to the district rather than the vendor.
