Other school districts may own a restaurant as part of their culinary arts program. Students work and manage the restaurant as part of a certification program. Shawnee Mission School District has such a cafe.
However, ISD's venture is different. It is an actual restaurant and catering business owned by the District and operated by a former CO administrator and her husband.
Notice on the District website
Information on the Ennovation Center's website (includes menu)
Article in the Independence Retired School Personnel Association newsletter (PDF)
On page 7, "The district owns this new venture, operated by Claudia and Joe Ketterlin. You might remember Claudia as Human Resources Director for the district before she and her husband opened JoJo’s Café in Gaslight Square off Noland Road." (Emphasis added)
Facebook page
PROBLEMS with this arrangement:
- West Side Cafe competes with other private businesses in western Independence - tax-paying businesses.
- West Side Cafe has been given a virtual monopoly on District business which no other private business enjoys. Principals have been instructed that they MUST use the Cafe. The Cafe has been given access to the employee email directory and sends out emails asking employees to place orders.
- The financial arrangements behind West Side Cafe are unknown. The contract was never discussed or approved at the public Board meeting. The public does not know how much the managers are paid. We do not know how profits and losses are distributed. What is the business plan? Has the monopoly and access to employees been properly valued in the financial terms? What happens if the business fails? What happens if the business succeeds and needs to move out?
- The Superintendent never discussed in public the need for a restaurant - or even a cafeteria - for employees at Central Office. How does this fit into the PURPOSE of the School District? If the employees at that site needed a place to eat, then could there have been another arrangement made?
- Who approached who? The District could have put out a Request and sought to partner with another existing business in western Independence.
- HOW DO THE CHILDREN BENEFIT? How is this what is best for children?
- What expenses does the District bear? Lights? Water? Use of equipment and depreciation?
What happened to the Buy-In initiative? The cafe takes a lot of Independence businesses that cater out of the loop. Are we no longer "buying-in"?
ReplyDeleteWOW - I thought the cafe was for our culinary arts students. I am shocked. There seems there would be something illegal about this arrangement especially since every faculty meal comes from this establishment.
ReplyDeleteBuy-in versus profitable margins (must be nice and high on the business end of things for West Side).
ReplyDeleteI am also fascinated with the past employment relationship between the chosen manager and the district. And apparent lack of bidding process for this. Or if it is an employee (not a vendor) situation, was this job posted?
This all makes me want to Herl.
What's next? Open a clothing store and require every school to buy their uniforms and tee-shirts from there? Why not open a car dealership so we can require everyone to buy their vehicles from the District?
ReplyDeleteI thought we were in the education business.
By the way, if this cafe is not for the culinary arts program, what is it's intended purpose and how does it benefit the students?
On a sort of related subject, I have heard that that Herl person (new superintendent?)regularly uses district athletic facilities for his kids and his kids' teams to practice/play in. I don't know much about it, but this seems to me to be a conflict of interest issue, or at the least, unethical.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct. Dr. Herl kicks out ISD teams so he can run his Blue Springs teams through the gyms. Regardless of if ISD is in basketball or wrestling season. This is widely known that Dr. Herl's team take priority. They did their celebration at Lunar Bowl in BS, not a "buy-in" business... Dr. Herl has even done tournaments on ISD MS gyms during basketball and wrestling season for MS sports. Teams have not been allowed gym space due to his BS team.
ReplyDeleteOh yes - let's be clear - Dr. Herl is a part of Blue Springs sports with his family. Blue Springs apparently knows how to win "super bowls" while we do not. Why aren't you a part of the community you represent, Dr. Herl?
ReplyDeleteEven the district retirement dinner was held in the BSSD (Hilton Garden Inn.) Buy-In when convenient?
ReplyDeleteSo true, I know first hand that herl holds his team practices during out of school breaks, but has told other is coaches no that it cost resources
ReplyDeleteNot only is this issue a fact while during the holiday Christmas break iyaa teams are told no practices during break so for the week and a half teams can not practice but he opens The Blackburn gym for that particular team to practice while the rest of us fall behind ,another issue with this is the schools turn down thermostats ect and lights to keep cost low , wonder how much money we tax payers pay for the Blackburn facilities hmmmm.... our principal offered to open gym for us to practice during break but district wide e mail sent out by Herl stating no one was to access school during break ,guess that don't apply the all mighty Herl
ReplyDelete