6/10/08

Suburban News

Khalila Perrin

The search for a new food service department director — and the provision of meals for students — won’t end because school is out for the summer in most Columbus City Schools.

The Columbus Board of Education last week OK’d the hire of a headhunting firm on a contingency basis to help find a pool of candidates for a food service director, to replace outgoing Director Dudley Hawkey.

The board unanimously approved a request to hire RIF, an executive search firm, during its June 3 meeting. The firm will receive its estimated $12,000 fee from the district’s general fund if one of its recommendations pans out.

“They only get their fee if they are actually responsible for finding the candidate who we are most satisfied with,” said Superintendent Gene Harris told board members.

The move is meant to bolster the administration’s search, which has been under way for months.

“We have already posted this (job) … and so we thought that it made sense to supplement our work with a recruiting firm that actually specializes in” finding food service and hospitality management personnel, said Harris.

In other action the board, approved about $360,000 in funding to purchase prepackaged food for the Summer Food Service Program.

The program, funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the Ohio Department of Education, doesn’t cost the district, because a reimbursement system is in place. The Columbus Recreation and Parks hosts the feeding program in 33 of Columbus’ school sites.

The district prepares and delivers the food items. About 200 open-access Summer Food Service Program sites throughout Central Ohio will operate this year.