Board approves Chartwells renewal and authorizes advertising for up to $1M kitchen upgrades

The board approved an annual renewal of the Chartwells food-service contract for the 2026–27 school year and authorized staff to advertise for a construction manager to oversee kitchen-equipment improvements at two middle schools.

Mr. Derome, the district’s food-service director, told the board the renewal follows a formal five-year rebid and that the district is permitted to execute annual renewals for the subsequent four years. He said the district remains a "C" district — meaning meals are provided to students at no charge — and reported a food-service fund balance of about $1.6 million that the district has been reinvesting in kitchen modernization and pilot ideas such as a soda station at Muny Central High School.

"We have been successful with that program," Mr. Derome said, describing a combination of reimbursement and operational improvements that built the fund balance. He also noted the district is reinvesting savings into campus kitchens and recent modernization projects.

The board also approved a request to advertise for a construction manager and related RFPs for serving-line work at Muny Southside and a dishwashing line at North Side Middle School. Staff estimated the combined project could reach roughly $1 million and said because the work will use federal funds in Fund 800, the project will be subject to Davis-Bacon prevailing-wage rules and additional audit requirements.

Votes at a glance: the consent agenda, the Chartwells renewal and the permission to advertise the kitchen-equipment project were moved, seconded and approved during the meeting; the transcript records approval by voice but does not provide a roll-call tally in the record.

What’s next: Staff will proceed with advertising the construction-manager RFP and follow federal procurement and reporting requirements; the district will return with specific bids and contract terms for board consideration.

Provenance: Discussion and motions for the Chartwells renewal appear beginning at SEG 1009 and the construction-advertising item spans SEG 1174–SEG 1232.