Big Transition in Duval School Lunch Program

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The last week of school for Duval County students also marks the end of 19 years for Aramark, the county's food service provider.

Aramark is being replaced by another food service company, Chartwells School Dining, which won the $46 million annual contract.

Students, according to Aramark, should not notice much change this week, but food service employees are dealing with a lot of change.

Recently, employees received federally mandated notices that told them their jobs are being eliminated. Aramark has 830 employees both in schools and in a centralized food preparation facility.

"I hope they hire me," said Geraldine Lewis, who has three years of experience.

Patricia Hightower, who has five years on the job with Aramark, made application with the new company on Monday.

"It's real tough at this moment...the economy is real bad right now," said Hightower, who joined fellow employees at Sandalwood High for a job fair.

A spokesperson for Chartwells says the company is giving priority to food service employees who already work in local schools.

Aramark says the last day more most of its employees will be this Friday. The company's contract with Duval County ends on June 30.

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