After reviewing bids from two food service managers, Centerville-Abington Community Schools chose the business that’s already operating in Wayne County.
At its Wednesday, Nov. 4, meeting, the board unanimously selected Chartwells, which currently runs cafeterias for Nettle Creek and Richmond school districts. The contract will be for five school years, starting in January.
Board member Todd Dooley, Superintendent Mike McCoy and Assistant Superintendent Sean Stevenson individually reviewed bids from the Nutrition Group and Chartwells. All three gave Chartwells the higher score based on cost, Indiana Department of Education registration, financial conditions, personnel management, experience, references and promotion.
Dooley felt more confident about Chartwells because it already serves many schools in Indiana, and TNG only has one Indiana location. He said some of TNG’s numbers also weren’t fleshed out.
Stevenson said Chartwells committed to retaining all staff, giving an immediate 3% raise and offered more details. Chartwells has better buying power that hopefully will lead to more appealing meals and higher sales, he said.
The company plans to break even in its first year and generate $67,000 revenue in year two.
State memo
Although CACS gave its teachers an incremental pay increase, it must publish an IDOE memo on its website that it didn’t meet a required funding floor.
Funding floors are the amount that school corporations pay for full-time teacher salaries during the previous state fiscal year plus the lesser of stipends provided to a majority of teachers in the previous two years (excluding Teacher Appreciation Grant stipends).
CACS didn’t meet the statutory requirement to maintain the funding floor for full-time salaries as required by state law, despite receiving an increase in state tuition support between 2025 and 2026.
McCoy said CACS didn’t meet the funding floor because of its drastic student enrollment decline that reduced its per-student funding.
CACS received $13,635,661 in state tuition support during fiscal year 2025 and $13,692,326 in 2026, an increase of $56,665. Its full-time teacher expenditures of $6,568,346.35 fell short of the 2025 funding floor ($6,782,841.34) by $214,494.99.
In other business
- Computer science teacher Mackenzie Blaase reviewed CACS’ 2006 mission and vision statements for her administration coursework and surveyed school and community stakeholders. She suggested expanding the current “Educated for success” to also include “Empowering every student to learn, grow, adapt and contribute in a changing world.” Board members said they appreciated her materials and will take them under advisement.
- Policies were approved on wireless communication devices, participation of nonpublic/homeschooled students, test security provisions for statewide assessments, alcohol/controlled substance for commercial driver’s license and safety sensitive positions, debt management, and school library material removal request procedure.
- The board approved its 2027 meeting calendar. The board typically meets at 7 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays, but it adjusts around holiday breaks. The only unexpected change is a June meeting being on a Tuesday. The board’s next meeting will be 7 p.m. Nov. 19, avoiding Thanksgiving week, at 115 W. South St. The public is invited.
- Indiana Department of Homeland Security randomly selected Centerville-Abington Elementary for a school safety audit and it received certification. Mika Frame, Kelly VanWinkle and Brian Bellew were thanked for completing the plan review and site visit.
Personnel
- Departures: Jennifer Cornett, corporation nurse; McKenzie Wyson, junior high Bulldog Connection Lab; Chelsey Varvel and Kyra Trump, Rose Hamilton Elementary teaching assistants; Chloe Spicer, RH special education aide; Lily Blue, speech-language pathology aide; Heather Horner, high school teaching assistant; Briendle Fletcher, assistant varsity baseball coach; Jason Martintoni, assistant softball coach
- Pending hires: Brandon Garvin, high school evening custodian; Ella Chew, fifth grade girls basketball coach; Katherine Miller, CAE cafeteria server
- New hire: Clayre Rader, RH teaching assistant
A version of this article appeared in the November 11 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
