The July 8 meeting of the Windham Board of Education brought to light an emotional clash between two different factions in town . On one side is Superintendent of Schools Doreen Fuller and the Board of Education , who are facing a budget crisis and looking to make cuts wherever possible . “ We are scraping by as a district , ” said Board of Education Chairman Kenneth Folan . “ Every little bit we can save will go further to getting back some of the resources we’ve had to give up . ”

On the other side of the controversy are Windham Public Schools food service workers , 31 people who are members of the CSEA SEIU Local 2001 Chapter , some of whom have been employed by the school district for decades . According to chapter president Debbie Dubord , who is the assistant manager of food services at Windham Middle School , food for Windham school children has been provided locally for over 70 years. “ We have people who have worked here for 24 and 35 years, ” she said . Union workers are concerned that , should a private firm gain control , those workers will lose their jobs , or at least find their pay and benefits reduced . Dubord came to the meeting with a petition signed by over 1 , 000 members of the local community .

“ You’re adding a middle-man that is a Fortune-500 corporation , ” said Dawn Niles , a mayoral candidate . Niles said she works for a state representative who is an outspoken advocate against outsourcing . “ Please support the workers of our community and reject this ill-advised attempt to outsource our jobs , ” said Niles .

Brian Anderson , father of a Windham student , spoke from a position of experience as a legislative and political representative for the AFSCME . “ I’ve never seen a privatization that’s actually succeeded in a savings in the long run , ” he said . Anderson said he’s seen the same pattern in hundreds of privatization situations . “ It happens a lot in poor towns , ” he said . “ Within one to two years, the services become more costly to the municipality . And what they do , as soon as they have the opportunity , is to scale down the pay of the workers . ”

But Folan maintains that employees will retain their current level of employment , pay , and benefits . “ We are making sure that these people are covered like they’d be if they were still working for the Windham Board of Education , ” he said . According to Folan , privatization would represent an approximate $ 180 , 000 savings for the district in the first year. “ If youadd the $ 41 , 000 that we’re projected to lose , and add it to the $ 141 , 000 guaranteed savings that the company ( Sedexo , out of Gaithersburg , Maryland ) has guaranteed , that’s where the figure comes from . ” Regarding employee’s concerns about losing their jobs , Folan said , “ There’s no guarantee that won’t happen with the Board of Education . My recommendation is to bring yourunion with you. You have yourunion represent youagainst Sedexo instead of the Board of Education . ”

Another major concern for food service employees is the quality of food and services that will be provided for the children . “ We are concerned because outside private vendors often cut corners in food quality , nutrition , and service to squeeze profits out of the meals they serve our kids , ” said Dubord in a statement to the board . “ We can’t be sure profit-motivated contractors won’t import unsafe food from China into our schools to cut their bottom line . ”

“ Who knows where the current food comes from ? ” said Folan . He didn’t feel that the quality of food was any more of a concern with a private company than it was with the local union . “ Every company is required to follow federal guidelines , ” he said .

But Mary Jackson , food services manager for Windham High School , said that workers provide more than just food . Special education and handicapped students , she said , are supervised by the current food services workers in the kitchen . “ Some of them go on to work in the food services field , ” said Jackson . “ The services that the kids get , it’s not just being fed . You can’t put a price tag on what we do . ”

But Folan maintains that a private company will free up some resources and open up opportunities for others . He said high-level board of education management currently devotes 10 hours per week to resolving food service issues that would be transferred to Sedexo through privatization . “ I’d rather top management in the school district be dealing with academic issues , ” he said . “ Feeding them is important , but it’s not our business . Our business is the education of our students . ” And a large corporation like Sedexo would provide access to resources that the district could otherwise not afford . “ We would have a nutritionist working for us , ” said Folan . “ There’s the possibility of a revamped cafeteria . I completely understand the fear of the employees , but we have to do what is in the best interests of the community . ”

But the 1 , 000 residents who signed the petition , and the dozen or so people who spoke against privatization at the meeting , apparently feel that the best interests of the community are being served under the current structure .

A public forum was scheduled to allow the public to speak out regarding the issue on July 14 . “ Following the discussion , the Board of Education will vote on whether to enter into a contract with Sedexo , ” said Folan .