Standing Up to Contracting-Out in Our Schools

Standing Up to Contracting-Out in Our Schools

Protecting Students' Health, Keeping Services Local

Windham Lunch Ladies and Local Officials

Judge Dennis O'Brien and State Representative Susan Johnson Were Among the Elected Officials to Support Windham's Lunch Ladies, and Celebrated with Members Jill Phillips, Debra Vossler and Debbie Dubord

Our members who provide food services in Windham's public schools are committed to provide a safe environment by serving the district's children healthy, nutritious meals every day.

The Superintendent has responded to the economic crisis facing all our communities by proposing that these vital services be contracted-out to a private, for-profit food services vendor. We believe it is irresponsible to balance a Board of Education's (BOE) budget at the expense of the health and well-being of our community's children and local working families who are struggling in this difficult economy.

When we learned of the outsourcing scheme in mid-March, our members began mobilizing public support to pressure school officials to reject it. Our members have spoken out at Board of Education meetings, shared our concerns with the local news media, and organized support among the unions representing the rest of the Windham Board of Education's employees.

We have been collecting signatures from Union members, district teachers, and area parents for a petition opposing the proposal to contract-out the schools' cafeteria services. We delivered the signatures at the July 8 Board meeting, sending a strong message that the community supports healthy schools in Windham.

After mobilizing the community to contact the members of the school board and urge them to VOTE NO on outsourcing, our members turned-out in force for a July 14 public forum on the proposal. Three hours after it began, the scheme was scrapped, our members' jobs were saved, and the health of the district's schoolchildren was protected!