By Greg Reedy

Eleven cafeteria members as part of the Johnsonburg Education Support Professionals Association voiced their case to the Johnsonburg School Board to keep the board from outsourcing the cafeteria to a food service group in Pittsburgh as part of the Board’s regular meeting on Thursday.
Currently, the board is considering outsourcing the cafeteria to Nutrition, Inc. and letting them handle those duties. If that were to happen, 11 cafeteria workers for Johnsonburg would lose their jobs.
Workers read a statement to the board.
“Tonight, the members of our union are here to offer their support and we thank them for their attendance. Our family members and neighbors from the Johnsonburg and Wilcox communities are also here to lend their support and we thank them. The bottom line is that this is an issue that goes well beyond just our own members. It impacts our families, our students and the health of our community as a whole,” the statement reads. “This is an issue that is really about family and community values. It’s about what’s right. Is it right to look at numbers on a page without considering the real people, the real families those numbers represent? Is it right to allow an outside company to make a profit off of our children and our schools and to let them take that money out of our local economy? Is it right to do all that to save less money than was spent on items such as trophy cases or landscaping or repaving the tennis courts?”
The reading continued with members of the cafeteria stressing the important of jobs staying in the area.
“All across this nation, the working class is taking a hit. It is harder and harder from families to survive because of the lack of decent jobs and the elimination of health care benefits. It is a crisis. But what is most unfair about this crisis is that it impacts the entire community and especially our children. When a worker loses their job, or has their benefits cut, the children of Johnsonburg and Wilcox also suffer,” the statement reads. “We are not faceless names on a page. We are mothers and grandmothers. We are your neighbors, your friends, your relatives, and your taxpayers. Most of our workers are barely making a living wage as it is. We are not high paid workers. We are the working class. The average wage for our cafeteria workers is just above $9,000 a year. Many of us rely upon our health benefits to take care of sick family members. What do they do if you cut their benefits? What would you do if you were in their positions?”
Board members listened to the presentation given and explained reasoning for possibly leaning toward hiring a new company. Board president Robert Paladino said the move would save the board and the school district between $30,000 and $35,000. Another reason for the interest in the outside group deals with liability and possible food outbreaks.
Paladino and the board said they have looked into different aspects of the food company.
“They are experts in the nutritional value of foods,” Paladino said.
Concerned cafeteria workers feel it is important for the students to know who is serving them food.
“All of our employees have been dedicated and devoted workers for this district for many decades, some more than two decades,” the workers read during their statement to the board. “Imagine how they feel right now. This is not just about money and benefits. It’s about respect. We are family here and this is not how a family treats its members. In addition, by subcontracting these positions, we will be directly impacting our students. Our cafeteria workers are local people who know the Johnsonburg and Wilcox children and their families. We care about the kids in our schools. This is what makes a community a good place to live, knowing that we are looking out for each other’s children.”
There has been no timetable for a vote on a possible decision about this issue. Paladino and the board stressed to the workers that they are listening to the decision and what they have to say.
The workers had one final plea to the board.
“Johnsonburg and Wilcox have always been the kind of communities where neighbors help neighbors and you could rely upon each other to make things work. Let’s not change that. Please consider the families you’ll impact when you make this decision,” the workers said to the board. “Whether you call it subcontracting, privatizing or outsourcing, the bottom line is that you’re selling our jobs to a company looking to make a profit. Our school should not be a part of corporate America. Our children are not for sale to the highest bidder.
In other matters, Katie Wilhelm was removed from the substitute teacher’s list at her request. Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit No. 9 was approved as the Local Education Agency (LEA) for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Permission was granted to advertise for bids for an access road and construction of a 20’ X 24’ log nature pavilion constructed at the Elementary School. Ruth Pennington was approved as an aide for the Extended School year for three and a half hours per day for 16 days.
The resolution between the Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit No. 9 and Johnsonburg School District stating that all fund allocated to the school district for Title I, Part A and Title II, Part A be transferred to the unit for administration for 2008-2009.
The board accepted a bid of $251 from Chestnut Ridge Radio Communication to remove the Internet tower at the high school. The board also rejected a bid from Homecourt Sports, Inc. for $19,540 to resurface three tennis courts at the high school.
A service agreement between Johnsonburg School District and Ridgway Home Care was agreed upon in regard to providing the District with a