Wake schools tell families to pack lunches due to potential cafeteria staff sickout
UPDATE: Wake County says every student who wanted a meal got one Tuesday.
Thousands of Wake County students could go hungry on Tuesday as a result of school cafeteria workers calling out sick to protest low pay and working conditions.
Late Monday evening, the Wake County school system alerted families at more than 30 schools that a possible severe staff shortage may mean meals won’t be provided on Tuesday. The district strongly encouraged students to bring their own food with them Tuesday.
“While we will make every effort to provide food, we cannot guarantee meal service Tuesday,” the Wake school district said. “Again, we strongly encourage your child to bring food to school tomorrow if possible.”
The warning may not help some low-income parents whose children’s only meals come while they’re at school.
The cafeteria worker sickout comes not long after a three-day sickout by dozens of school bus drivers in late October and early November that disrupted school bus service.
Wake, like school districts across North Carolina and nationally, is facing major staffing shortages of cafeteria workers, bus drivers and other positions. As of Nov. 1, Wake had a 19% vacancy rate among cafeteria workers, forcing the remaining staff to do more to keep students fed.
Severe cafeteria worker shortage
The protest comes the same day that the school board will vote on giving an additional $3,750 in employee bonuses on top of the $1,250 bonus approved earlier this month. Also earlier this month, the school board voted to raise the minimum salary for support staff, which includes people like cafeteria workers, to $13 an hour.
The Wake County chapter of the N.C. Association of Educators says the new round of bonuses isn’t enough. Wake NCAE wants the board to take steps like implementing a minimum $17 an hour salary for support staff, which include cafeteria workers.
Wake school leaders say they want to give higher salaries but they’re not able to unless the state acts. The state funds the base salaries of most school employees with districts often supplementing the base pay.
On Monday, Republican state lawmakers unveiled a budget proposal that includes at least a $1,000 bonus for school support staff. Their minimum salary would rise to $13 per hour this year, or they’ll get a 2.5% raise, whichever is greater. The budget would raise the minimum salary to $15 an hour next year.
Whether the bonuses and raises are enough to keep cafeteria workers remains to be seen at a time when some school districts are reporting vacancy rates of 30% or more. The State Board of Education approved using $10 million in federal COVID dollars to recruit and retain child nutrition workers because the shortage had become so dire.
Child nutrition workers have been praised for their service during the coronavirus pandemic helping to feed students. But some workers were unable to get enough work to keep getting paid while schools were closed for in-person instruction.
What schools may be affected by cafeteria worker sickout?
The schools facing potential shortages are:
▪ Baileywick Elementary
▪ Banks Elementary
▪ Barwell Elementary
▪ Brier Creek Elementary
▪ Bugg Elementary
▪ Carroll Middle
▪ Conn Elementary
▪ Creech Road Elementary
▪ Davis Drive Elementary
▪ Davis Drive Middle
▪ Durant Road Elementary
▪ Durant Road Middle
▪ East Garner Elementary
▪ Fuller Elementary
▪ Fuquay-Varina High
▪ Garner High
▪ Holly Grove Elementary
▪ Holly Grove Middle
▪ Holly Ridge Elementary
▪ Holly Ridge Middle
▪ Holly Springs High
▪ Hunter Elementary
▪ Leesville Elementary
▪ Leesville Middle
▪ Ligon Middle
▪ Moore Square Middle
▪ Oakview Elementary
▪ Oberlin Middle
▪ Root Elementary
▪ Willow Spring High
▪ York Elementary
▪ Zebulon Elementary
This story was originally published November 15, 2021 at 9:02 PM with the headline "Wake schools tell families to pack lunches due to potential cafeteria staff sickout."
