Fire Aramark from New Haven Schools! And Put Kids First

To:  New Haven School Superintendent Reggie Mayo and the New Haven School Board

As New Haven parents, taxpayers, and concerned community members, we are deeply concerned about Aramark’s role in providing meals and overseeing facilities maintenance in our schools. We are submitting this petition to you and to Mayor John DeStefano with the hope that you will terminate your management services contracts with Aramark for both food services and facilities maintenance. These multimillion-dollar contracts give Aramark control of food services, custodial operations, plant operations, and buildings and grounds.

Since coming to New Haven, we feel Aramark has been an unmitigated disaster, costing New Haven taxpayers dearly and most importantly undermining our schools and our kids. We are concerned about the quality of the food Aramark is serving our children. We believe Aramark is not giving our children sufficient fresh and nutritious food and that the amount of produce is too limited. Additionally, we believe Aramark’s portion sizes are too small for growing high school students.

We are also very worried that money that should be going to help pay for additional teachers or to help serve healthier meals, is instead being used to cover a $1.1 million dollar deficit created by Aramark. This should not be swept under the rug. A million dollar deficit in a program with $9.5 million in revenue is a major problem.

Aramark’s facilities maintenance services are no better. We must ask you if Aramark is truly demonstrating the quality of care, skill and diligence called for in the services contract.

Recently, the West Hartford School District also found itself struggling with an unexpected deficit due to Aramark’s budgeting errors in providing facilities maintenance services. Aramark is causing other school districts around the country to incur deficits, not just in Connecticut.

We cannot afford to use companies that don’t have the children and the community’s best interest in mind at all times. Therefore, we are asking our elected officials to conduct a thorough review of the public schools contract with Aramark and to ensure the children’s interests are being served.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Fire Aramark from New Haven Schools! And Put Kids First Petition to New Haven School Superintendent Reggie Mayo and the New Haven School Board was created by The Campaign for Quality Services, a joint project of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and UNITE HERE, which brings together workers, parents, clergy and community leaders to raise standards throughout the food, cleaning and maintenance service industries. We work together to raise standards by improving the quality of services, treatment of employees, and accountability to the community, taxpayers and clients. In New Haven, we are working with our partner AFSCME Council 4 to ensure New Haven schools are safe and healthy. and written by Hugh Baran (hugh.baran@yale.edu).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.