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Chartwells reports rising participation but cites revenue hit from weather and payroll changes
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Summary
Chartwells presented survey results and February participation gains across several schools, while noting missed inclement-weather days and a change in remote-work pay policy that together reduced net revenue by roughly $80,000 for this school year.
Chartwells representatives updated the board on school-meal participation and program developments, reporting year-over-year increases at nearly every school site and outlining near-term menu campaigns.
Aaron Probst, area director for Chartwells, introduced Kristen Tico, who joined the district's nutrition team in February. The vendor highlighted limited-time campaigns ("Bloom into Breakfast" and an upcoming "Foodie Fest") and promoted a relaunch of school-nutrition social media to highlight staff work.
Chartwells said it gathered 259 responses to the district's school-report-card survey and that Asheville-specific survey data showed many students eat breakfast at home or skip meals; presenters said they are focusing on ways to increase onsite breakfast participation, including "second chance" breakfast and breakfast in the classroom.
Presenters reported serving over 1,800 lunches and more than 700 breakfasts per day in February and more than 39,000 meals for the month. They also reported reimbursement rates of about 71.7% for breakfast and 69.9% for lunch. Presenters estimated that seven missed service days from inclement weather equated to roughly $57,000 in lost revenue and about $21,000 in payroll costs tied to a new policy that allowed school nutrition employees to be paid for remote work on inclement-weather days; presenters said those effects combine to about an $80,000 impact for the school year across maintenance and staffing adjustments.
Board members asked for clarification on site-level improvements and the specifics of the fencing and maintenance budget items elsewhere on the agenda; Chartwells emphasized that the department's revenue model depends on student participation and said they are already planning menu and service adjustments for next school year.
The presentation closed with a reminder about School Lunch Hero Day (May 1) and 'waste warrior' menu features for April; the board moved on to public comment afterward.
