英文渴望好工作：公立學校的食品服務人員

SEPTEMBER2024

HUNGRYFORGOODJOBS:

FOODSERVICEWORKERSIN

PUBLICSCHOOLS

SARAHINKLEY

AREPORTFROMTHEUCBERKELEYLABORCENTER

Acknowledgements

ManythankstoAidaFarmandattheUCBerkeleyLaborCenterformodelingthepublicprogram

participationoffoodserviceworkers.ThisreportbenefitedgreatlyfromthefeedbackofJenniferGaddisoftheUniversityofWisconsin(aswellasheryearsofworkinthisarea)andfromconversationswith

DebbieFriedmanandEvaRingstromwiththeFoodInsightGroupandCassieManciniwiththeCaliforniaSchoolEmployeesAssociation(CSEA).Anyerrorsremainmyown.

HungryforGoodJobs:FoodServiceWorkersinPublicSchools2

Summary

Thisreportprovidesanoverviewoftheworkingconditionsandcharacteristicsofpublicschoolfoodserviceworkers,incomparisontootherrelevantworkersinpublicschoolsandotherfoodservice

workers.Itisorganizedasfollows:

1.Policiesgoverningschoolmeals:Thebackgroundandfundingstructureofschoolmealprograms;

2.Thepublicschoolfoodserviceworkforce:Occupationalstructureofschoolfoodservicework;characteristics;

3.Incomeandeconomicwellbeing:Incomes,Accesstobenefits,familypoverty,andhouseholdincomes;

4.Differencesacrossstates:Variationsinworkingconditionsandcompensationbystate;

5.Outsourcingschoolmeals:Whatweknowaboutthedegreeofoutsourcinginschoolmealsandpossibleimpactsonthepublicschoolfoodserviceworkforce.

Wehopethisinformationisvaluabletopolicymakersandadministratorsseekingtounderstandhowtheworkingconditionsofthisworkforceaffectschools’abilitytostafftheirfoodserviceprograms,improvenutritionalstandards,andsupportfamily-sustainingjobs.

KeyFindings

?Thenumberofschoolfoodserviceworkershasdeclinedoverthepastdecade,althoughnotuniformlyacrossstates.Thisdeclinehasoccurreddespiteexpandedschoolmealprograms

supportedbypandemic-erafederalfunding.Thelong-lastingbudgetausteritysparkedby

theGreatRecession,decliningpublicschoolenrollment,adrop-offinmealconsumption,andincreasedoutsourcingcouldallbecontributingtoemploymentdecline.

?Overall,therehasbeenasteadydeclineinthenumberofschoollunchesservedoverthepasttwodecades,atrendthatresumedafterthedisruptionsofthepandemic(withtheexceptionofstatesthathavemaintainedfundingforuniversalmeals).

?Theadoptionof“scratchcooking”—preparingmealsfromscratchinsteadofpurchasingpre-mademeals—varieswidely,inpartbecauseofstaffshortages.Manyschoolslackthe

infrastructureandstafftomakescratchcookingareality,meaningthatimprovednutritionalstandardsmaybedifficulttoaccomplishunlessstaffingchallengesareresolved.

?Schoolfoodserviceworkersaresignificantlyolderthantheoverallworkforce(medianageof52comparedto28forotherfoodserviceworkers)andalmostentirelyfemale(93%).TheyaremorelikelytobeBlackorLatinothantheoverallworkforce.

?Themedianhourlywageforschoolfoodserviceworkersisjust$12.78andhasdeclinedslightly(inrealterms)since2008-12.Theyearnlessthanotherfoodserviceworkers($13.08),andwellbelowotherclassifiedworkers($16.98)andinstitutionalcafeteriaworkers($16.01).

HungryforGoodJobs:FoodServiceWorkersinPublicSchools3

?Schoolfoodserviceworkersaremorelikelytoworkparttimethanotherpublicschoolstaff

andworkersgenerally,whichaffectsboththeirannualincomeandtheireligibilityforhealthandretirementbenefits.Whilepart-timeseasonalworkmayappealtoasmallsubsetoftheseworkers,surveyssuggestthatmanywouldliketoworkmorehoursandbeabletoqualifyforbenefits.

?Schooldistrictshavestruggledtostaffschoolnutritionpositions,alongwithotherclassified

positionsandteachers.Anagingworkforcemeansthesehiringchallengeswillonlygetworse,especiallyifschoolfoodservicejobscontinuetolagbehindsimilarworkinofferingdecentpayandbenefits.

Definitions

Withinpublicschools,thebenefitsofpublicsectorworkaredistributedunevenlyamongdifferent

workers.Theworkforceisprimarilydividedintotwogroups:“certificated”workers(teachers,

psychologists,andschoolanddistrictadministrators)whohaveaspecificeducationalcertificate

orlicense,and“classified”workers,includingbusdrivers,janitors,specialeducationsupport,and

schoolnutrition.(Classifiedworkersmayhaveotherspecializedtrainingoreducation,suchasnurses,nutritionists,accountants,andconstructionworkers.)Certificatedworkerspredominantlyhavecollegedegrees,workfulltime,andaremuchmorelikelytobewhiteincomparisontotheoverallworkforce.Classifiedworkersaremuchmorelikelytobeparttimeandmuchlesslikelytobewhite.Forpart-timeworkers,accesstobenefitsmaybeoutofreachevenasapublicemployee,andtheinaccessibilityoffull-time,year-roundworkerodesmanyofthebenefitsthatotherpublicsectorworkersenjoy.

HungryforGoodJobs:FoodServiceWorkersinPublicSchools4

Introduction

LunchinthecafeteriahasbeenanintegralpartoftheU.S.schooldayforoveracentury.Thepoliciesthatshapepublicschoolmealprogramshavechangedsignificantlyoverthepastcentury,driven

bytrendsinnutrition,workertraining,publicfunding,theavailabilityofconveniencefoods,andthe

growthofglobalfoodservicecontractors,amongotherfactors.Whathasnotchangedisthatthe

vastmajorityofpeoplecookingandservingmealstostudentsarewomenearningsomeofthe

lowestwagesnotjustamongpublicsectorworkers,butacrossoccupationsandindustries.Foodservicejobsinpublicschoolshavethepotentialtoserveasanentryintopublicemploymentwithgoodbenefits,rewardingwork,andjobstability.Unfortunately,theseasonalandpart-timenatureofthis

work,anditspersistentlylowpay,meansthatmanyoftheseessentialworkerslackeconomicsecurityfortheirownhouseholds.

Today,nearlyallpublicschoolsofferlunch,andagrowingnumberofferabreakfastorsnack.The

availabilityofnutritiousmealshasbeenlinkedtomanypositivebenefitsforstudents,particularlyfor

themillionsofchildrenwhoarriveatschoolhungry.Federalfundingsubsidizesallorpartofthecostsforstudentsfromlow-incomehouseholds,andagrowingnumberofstateprogramsprovideadditionalfundingtoallowallstudentstoreceivemealsforfree(FoodResearch&ActionCenter2023).

Schoollunchprogramswereoriginallyorganizedbywomentoprovidefreeorlow-costmealsto

childrenfromimmigrantandpoorhouseholds,andtoensurethatstudentshadaccesstosafeand

nutritiousfood(J.E.Gaddis2019).Aswithmanyjobsthatare(orwereonce)primarilyperformed

bywomen—includingteaching,housecleaning,andchildcare—compensationandjobstructureisa

legacyoftheoutdatednotionthatwomen’swagesarenotvitaltohouseholdincome.Despitethefact

thatwomen’sincomesprovidevitalsupporttoamajorityofAmericanhouseholds,jobsperceivedas

“women’swork”continuetodrivethegenderwagegapacrosstheeconomy(SchiederandGould2016).Compoundingthis,foodserviceworkhasalwaysbeenparticularlyundervalued(Allegrettoetal.2013).

TheCOVID-19pandemicbroughtrenewedattentiontotheimportantrolethatschoolsplayinchildren’slivesoutsidetheclassroom,includingdailynutrition.Publicschoolsandtheirstaffdemonstratedtheir

capacitytoprovideaneffectivemealandnutritiondeliverysystemtostudentsandfamilieswhoneededhelptogetfoodwhileschoolswereclosed.Thepandemicsignificantlydisruptedschoolmealservices

andposedunprecedentedchallengesforfoodservicestaff.Manyschoolsshiftedtoalternatemodelsofgettingfoodtostudents(suchasbaggedmeals)oradaptedwaystoservetraditionalmealswhile

complyingwithpublichealthguidance.Districtsreceivedfederalfundingtoprovideuniversalfree

mealsfrommid-2020untilthe2022-23schoolyear,butrisingcostsleftmanycafeteriafundsdepleted.

Thepandemicalsorevealedtheprecariousnessofthestaffingsituation.Thisolderworkforcewas

typicallythefirsttoreturntoschoolbuildingsandinteractwithcoworkersandstudents,riskingtheir

healthlongbeforevaccineswereavailable(J.GaddisandRosenthal2020).Sincethepandemic,manydistrictshavefacedsignificantstaffingchallenges,alongwithintermittentfoodshortages,supplychainissues,andrisingcommodityprices(Lieberman2021).Thetightlabormarketofthepastfewyearshasmeantfewerpeoplearewillingtotakelow-wage,part-timework,includingschoolfoodserviceand

schoolbusdriving.Somedistrictshaveevenhiredstudentstoservemeals(Miranda2022).

HungryforGoodJobs:FoodServiceWorkersinPublicSchools5

Thesearenotchallengesthatdistrictscanresolveontheirown.Asmorestateselecttocoverthecostsofcontinuinguniversalfreemeals,policymakerswillneedtounderstandandaddressissuesofstaffing,infrastructure,andfiscalsustainability.Schoolshavemadeimportantprogressinservingmorechildrennutritiousandaffordablemeals,butunlesstheworkingconditionsofthepeoplepreparingandservingthosemealsareimproved,muchofthatprogressisatriskofbeingundone.

PreviousResearch

Thisreportbuildsonandupdatesarichbodyofresearchintotheworkingconditionsofpublicschoolfoodworkers.In2010theUCBerkeleyLaborCenterpublishedareportonthisworkforce—including

participationinpublicbenefitprogramsandthepossibleimpactsofanincreasedwagefloor—using

2008ACSdata(JacobsandGraham-Squire2010).In2022theCongressionalResearchService(CRS)

publishedacomprehensivereportonthepublicK-12foodserviceworkforceusingACS2015-2019

data(CongressionalResearchService2022).TheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture(USDA)has

recentlyfundedseveralresearchprojects(USDAFoodandNutritionService2024).TheSchoolNutrition

Association(SNA),aprofessionalmembershipassociationofschoolfoodservicedirectors,also

conductsregularsurveysoncompensation,benefits,andissuesfacingemployersoftheseworkersoncompensationandbenefits(SchoolNutritionAssociation2020).

WealsodrawonJenniferGaddis’richbodyofworkonthehistoryoftheschoolfoodserviceworkforceandtherelationshipofprivatecompaniestotheschoolmealprogram(J.GaddisandCoplen2018;J.E.Gaddis2019).Therehasalsobeenresearchonspecificlocalities:e.g.,NewJersey,Wisconsin(HealthySchoolMealsforAllandGaddis2023),andBaltimore(Gellesetal.2022).

Morerecentresearchhasfocusedonthechallengesposedbyvacanciesandstaffturnover,trendsthatarecompoundedbyworkingconditionswediscussinthisreport(delaCour2023;2022;Hickeyand

Cooper2022;Lieberman2021).TheFoodInsightGrouprecentlypublishedastudyonvacanciesandturnoveroffoodserviceworkersinCaliforniaschooldistrictsthatisvitalreadingforanyonestudyingthisworkforce(FoodInsightGroup2024).

DataandMethods

Toanalyzetheworkingconditionsandcharacteristicsofschoolfoodserviceworkers,weuseone-yearAmericanCommunitySurvey(ACS)samplesfromtwofive-yearperiods:2008-2012and2018-2022.Ourdemographicandwageanalysisusesfive-yearcombineddatatoensuresufficientsamplesizes,butweuseone-yeardatatolookatemploymenttrends.WealsoreferenceCurrentPopulationSurvey(CPS)

andOccupationalEmploymentStatistics(OEWS)dataforunionizationandoccupationcounts.

IdentifyingPublicSchoolFoodServiceWorkers

OuranalysisfocusesonthefoodserviceworkersdirectlyemployedbyK-12publicschooldistricts.

ToidentifytheseworkersinCensusdatasources,weselect“elementaryandsecondaryschools”as

industry(7860inthe2012CensusIndustrialClassificationSystem&NAICScode611100,asubsetofeducationalservices)andpublicsectoremployment.Wedonotincludeprivateelementary/secondary

HungryforGoodJobs:FoodServiceWorkersinPublicSchools6

schools,whicharenotrequiredtoparticipateinmealprograms,butcharterschoolsarereflectedinouruniverse.1WeusedthesameoccupationlistastheCongressionalResearchService(2022)intheiranalysis.

Thisuniverseexcludessomeworkerswhosupportdistrictfoodprogramsbutarenotidentifiable

assuchinthedata,forexample,cashiers,drivers,warehousemanagers,secretaries,andgeneral

administrators.Mostoftheseworkersperformmultiplefunctions,andsomemaybefundedinpartorwholebygeneralfundsratherthancafeteriafunds.Otherstudiesofschoolfoodserviceworkersusedistrictsurveystoidentifyallstaffsupportingfoodserviceprograms,leadingtolargerestimatesof

workforcesize.

Weexcludeself-employed,unemployed,andfamilyworkers.FollowingthemethodologyusedbytheCongressionalResearchService(2022),weexcludethosewhoworkedfewerthan5hoursaweekor27weeksinthepastyear;thatamountsto12.5%oftheworkforcein2018-22.Weadoptthisexclusion

toenablecomparisonwithpreviousresearchandtoexcludethosewithminimalattachmenttotheworkforce.(SeeMethodsandSourcesbelowformoredetailsonourdataandmethodology.)

ComparisonWorkerGroups

Wecomparethedemographicsandeconomicoutcomesofschoolfoodserviceworkerstoseveralothergroupsofworkers.Thesecomparisongroupsrepresentcomparablejobsinotherindustries,aswellas

otheroccupationsinpublicschools.Theyare:

?Otherclassifiedworkersinpublicschools(e.g.custodians,clerks,teacherassistants,healthassistants—excludingconstructionstaff);

?Certificatedworkersinpublicschools(teachers,librarians,counselors—excludingadministrators);2

?Otherfoodserviceworkers,i.e.,workersinthesamesetofoccupations,butemployedinthe

foodserviceindustry.Thisindustryincludesfoodservicecontractors(whomaybeservingpublicschooldistricts),butprimarilyincludesrestaurantsorotherprivateeatingestablishments;

?Otherinstitutionalcafeteriaworkers(e.g.,hospitalorgovernmentcafeterias);

?Allotherworkers,withthesameminimumhoursperweekandweeksperyear.

1Alittleunder9%ofU.S.K-12studentsattendedprivateschoolinfall2021,thelastyearforwhichthereisnationaldata.U.S.DepartmentofEducation,NationalCenterforEducationStatistics,PrivateSchoolUniverseSurvey(PSS),2011–12through2021–22.SeeDigestofEducationStatistics2023,table205.20.

2Certificatedreferstopositionsthatrequiresomeformofstatelicensingorcertification.

HungryforGoodJobs:FoodServiceWorkersinPublicSchools7

1.PoliciesGoverningSchoolFoodService

Stateandnationalpoliciesgoverningthefundingandstructuringofschoolmealprograms,aswellasminimumwagelawsandlaborprotections,affecttheworkingconditions,outsourcing,anddemandforschoolfoodserviceworkers.Stateandfederalpoliciesthatregulatefoodpurchasingandnutritional

requirementsfortheschoolmealprogramalsoaffecttherequiredskills,demandfor,andtrainingoffoodserviceworkers.

PublicschoolmealprogramsareoverseenbytheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture(USDA)andgovernedbytheRichardB.RussellNationalSchoolLunchActandtheChildNutritionAct(CNA)of

1966.ThemostrecentsignificantupdatetotheCNAwastheHealthy,Hunger-FreeKidsActof2010

(HHFKA),whichaddedtrainingrequirementsforstaff,fundingfortraining,additionalfundingformeals,andexpandedtheUSDA’sauthoritytosetnutritionstandards.

Schoolmealsarefundedprimarilythroughthefederalgovernment’sNationalSchoolLunchProgram

(NSLP)andSchoolBreakfastProgram(SBP).Mostofthatfundingisintheformofcashreimbursementspermealserved,withsomeadditionalfundingforpurchasingfederalfoodcommoditiesandpayingforadministrationcosts.WithinthecontiguousUnitedStates,theper-mealreimbursementratesdonot

varybyplace,3despitesignificantdifferencesinlaborandsupplycostsbetweenregions(J.E.Gaddis2020).

Therearethreereimbursementratesformeals,basedonstudents’incomeeligibility:free,

reduced-price,andfull-price.TheNSLPper-mealreimbursementsforthe2023-24schoolyearrange

from$0.40(forpaidlunch)to$4.50(forfreelunch).4Inadditiontothesereimbursements,districts

receivemoneyfromthestudentfeesforfull-andreduced-pricemeals,andstudentpurchasesofextraslikechips,cookies,anddrinks.A2019studyreportedthat57%ofschoolfoodservicerevenuesare

fromfederalreimbursements,20%fromstudentmealpayments,6%fromstateandlocalfunds,6%

fromdiscountedUSDAcommodities,and11%fromsalesofsnackitems(UnitedStatesDepartment

ofAgricultureandMathematicaPolicyResearch2019).Districtsalsoreceivesupportforbuyingsomefoods:theUSDApurchasescommoditiesanddistributesthemtofederalnutritionassistanceprogramsthatinturndistributethematlowornocosttoschoolmealprograms.Thereisastatecost-matchingrequirement,andsomestateselecttoprovideadditionalfundingtodistrictfoodprogramsona

per-mealbasis(CodeofFederalRegulations2023).Asofthiswriting,8stateshaveauthorizedfundingforuniversalfreemealsforallstudents(coveringthedifferencebetweentheUSDAreimbursementandactualdistrictcosts)—California,Colorado,Maine,Massachusetts,Michigan,Minnesota,NewMexico,

andVermont(FoodResearch&ActionCenter2023).Districtsalsoindirectlysubsidizeschoolmeal

programswithgeneralfunds,bypayingfortheadministrativeoverheadandoccasionalworkofstaffwhohaveotherduties,suchasfacilitiesandmaintenancestaffandfinancialclerks.

Tounderstandthefinancialincentivesdistrictsfacewhenmanagingfoodserviceprograms,itis

importanttonotethatfederalreimbursementsalonedonotcovertheactualcostofprovidingmeals.

A2019studybyUSDAfoundthattheaveragecostofproducingalunchwasbetween$0.49and$2.70morepermealthanthereimbursementrate,dependingonwhetheradministrativeoverheadisfactoredin(BillingsandCongressionalResearchService2023,21).

3AlaskaandHawaiihavehigherreimbursementrates.4

/cn/rates-reimbursement

HungryforGoodJobs:FoodServiceWorkersinPublicSchools8

Therearesomerestrictionsonhowfederalfundsarespent,butingeneralitisuptodistrictsto

distributefundsbetweenlaborandsupplycosts,whichcanputpressureonwageswhenfoodcostsgoup(ashappeneddramaticallyduringtherecentyearsofhighinflationandsupplyshortages),orforcedistrictstochoosebetweenfoodqualityandstaffingcosts.Federalcashreimbursementsmustgointoafundseparatefromadistrict’sgeneralfund,somostdistrictsuseacafeteriafundformealprograms.Thisaccountingstructurealignswiththecommonexpectationbydistrictleadershipandthepublicthatadistrict’sfoodprogrambeself-sufficientandnotdrawinggeneralfundsawayfromcoreeducationalservices.

Becauseschoolscansettheirownmealpricesandfederalreimbursementratesdonotcovertheactualcostofservingmeals,andbecausetherearesignificanteconomiesofscaleinfoodservice,financial

sustainabilitydependssignificantlyonthenumberofstudentseatingmeals.Laborandadministrationcosts,aswellasinvestmentsincookingequipmenttopreparefreshmeals,aremorecost-effective

whenspreadoveralargevolumeofmeals.Forthesamereasons,schoolmealcontractsaremorelucrativeinlargeurbandistrictswithhighlevelsoffree/reducedlunchparticipation.

TheUSDAalsoprovidesfundsforbreakfast,summer,andafter-schoolmeals,whichcanexpandthe

needforfull-dayandyear-roundworkers.SignificantlyfewerschoolsparticipateintheSchoolBreakfastProgramthanthelunchprogram.Summerfoodprogramsareprimarilylimitedtoruralareasorareas

withhighpercentagesoflow-incomechildren;after-schoolsnacksandmealsarefundedinareaswhereatleast50%ofthestudentsareeligibleforfreeorreduced-pricemeals.

ProgramParticipation

Thenumberofmealsservedinpublicschoolshasdeclinedsignificantlysince2008,ashastheshare

ofstudentspayingfullprice,bothofwhichputfiscalstrainonmealprograms.Withmanyschools

closedin2020and2021,thenumberofmealsserveddroppedprecipitously.In2022—likelybecauseofcontinueduniversalfreemeals—thatnumberrecoveredtopre-pandemiclevels,onlytodeclineagain

in2023(BillingsandCongressionalResearchService2023).Overthatsametimeperiod—2008-2022—publicschoolenrollmentgrewby1%.

ImpactsoftheCOVID-19Pandemic

Duringthe2020-21and2021-22schoolyears,schoolswerereimbursedforfreemealstoallstudentsregardlessofincomeeligibilityandwerealsoallowedtoofferpickupanddeliveryofmealswhile

schoolswereclosed(normally,schoolfoodmustbeeatenoncampus).Duringthisperiod,schools

servedasoneofthemostefficientwaystogetfoodtopeoplethatneededit;manydistrictsoperated(andsomecontinuetooperate)householdfooddistributioninadditiontoservingmealsinschool

facilities.

Despitethetemporaryinfluxoffederalfunding,districtcafeteriafundsoftendeclinedduring

thepandemic.Costsfromtheprovisionofuniversalfreemealsthatwerenotcoveredbyfederal

reimbursements,theinabilitytosellrevenue-boostingsnacks,risingfoodprices,andsupplychain

issuesalldrovemanydistrictstospenddowncafeteriafundreservesandevendrawongeneralfunds.

HungryforGoodJobs:FoodServiceWorkersinPublicSchools9

Figure1.Schoollunchtrends(2008-2023)

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

TotalLunchesServed(millions)

AverageStudent

Participation(millions)

PercentFreeorReducedPrice

5,208

31

60.1

5,186

31.3

62.6

5,278

31.8

65.3

5,274

31.8

66.6

5,215

31.7

68.2

4,866

29.7

74.4

4,867

29.6

74.1

3,210

22.4

76.9

2,155

11

98.9

4,952

4,644

30.1

95.4

28.5

70.8

Chart:SaraHinkley,UCBerkeleyLaborCenter?Source:NationalSchoolLunchProgramAnnualSummaryTables?CreatedwithDatawrapper

Whenthefederalsupportforuniversalfreemealsexpired,severalstatespickeditup;asofJune2024,California,Colorado,Maine,Massachusetts,Michigan,Minnesota,NewMexico,andVermontofferfreemealstoallstudents(coveringthegapbetweencostandfederalreimbursement).Itistooearlyyettodiscerntheeffectofthesestatepoliciesonemploymenttrendsinthosestates.

NutritionalStandardsandStaffing

Thetypeofmealsbeingpreparedandserved—andhowthatworkisdistributedacrossasupply

chain—alsodrivesthesizeandstructureofthefoodserviceworkforce.Theexpandednutritional

standardsadoptedin2010werepartofapolicytrendtowardmore“scratch”preparationofmeals,inanefforttoreducerelianceonpre-preparedheat-and-servemeals(J.GaddisandCoplen2018).This

shiftrequiresmorestaff,aswellasadditionaltrainingandequipment.Districts’accesstofundingfor

suchinfrastructurevarieswidely;onestudyhasfoundthatmanydistrictslackadequateinfrastructuretomakethisshift(CenterforCities+SchoolsandConsciousKitchen2020).

Staffingshortagesalsolimitdistricts’abilitytoprepareandservefreshfood,whichinturnmayreduce

studentparticipation,cuttingintoprogramrevenuesandmakingscratchcookingmoredifficultto

accomplish.Investmentsinscratch-cookingequipmentandfreshingredientsarenotenoughtosupportthisimportantnutritionalgoal—theremustalsobeinvestmentsinstaffdevelopmentandretention.Formanydistricts,staffingchallengesposeasignificantobstacletoservingfreshfood(FoodInsightGroup2024).

HungryforGoodJobs:FoodServiceWorkersinPublicSchools10

2.ThePublicSchoolFoodServiceWorkforce

Thepublicschoolfoodserviceworkforcehasbeenshrinkingsteadilysince2008;in2022,therewere

208,266suchworkersaccordingtoACSdata,a22%declinefrom268,206in2008(Figure2).Wenote

thatestimatesoftheworkforcesizevarybypublicdatasource,makingitchallengingtocompare

availablestudies.TheUCBerkeleyLaborCenter2010reportcitesanestimateof420,000workersin

K12schools—350,000publicand70,000workingforprivatecontractors(JacobsandGraham-Squire

2010).TheCRS2022reportestimatesthattherewere339,000workersinfoodserviceoperationsin

elementaryandsecondaryschools,includingbothpublicandprivatesector(theyuseACSdatafrom

2015-2019).OccupationEmploymentandWageStatistics(OEWS)datashows396,480suchworkersin2009(2008isnotavailable)and312,890in2022,butOEWSincludesalljobs(whileACSreportsonlyaworker’sprimaryjob)andincludesworkersbelowourminimumthresholdforhoursandweeksworked.CurrentPopulationStudiesOutgoingRotationGroups(CPSORG)estimates298,873in2008-12and

246,164in2018-22;CPSsamplesizesaremuchsmallerthanACS.

WorkforceSizeandEmploymentTrends

Regardlessofthesedifferences,alldatasourcesconfirmasignificantdeclineinthesizeoftheworkforce:CPSORGshowsadeclineof18%,OEWS24%.Severalfactorscouldbecontributingtothisdecline:

Figure2.Publicschoolfoodserviceemployment

2008271,337

2009252,845

2010245,800

2011241,789

2012235,682

2018232,515