DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. — School districts across the state are dealing with a shortage of cafeteria workers. The Department of Public Instruction is hoping relief funding for recruiting nutrition workers will help.

What You Need To Know

  • Davidson County Schools has nearly 30 open positions in nutrition services

  • The Department of Public Instruction is allocating $10 million to hiring and retaining cafeteria workers in North Carolina

  • Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, Guilford County Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Wake County Public Schools have positions open for nutrition workers

Davidson County Schools has nearly 30 open positions for nutrition services. While Southmont Elementary School in Lexington is operating with a full staff, their nutrition workers say they’ve seen what other schools are battling. 

Jill King has been a nutrition worker for the district for 12 years, spending the last two years at Southmont Elementary School. She says providing nutritious meals for her students is the best part of the job. 

“When you don’t have kids of your own, you wind up with a hundred or more,” King said. 

King works on a four-person team at the school, but the pandemic has put a strain on resources and other schools are operating with less help.

“We’ve been short, but since COVID’s come around, it’s been ten times harder,” King said. 

Cafeteria Manager Cheryl Allred says the district desperately needs help to feed the students. 

“We need to feed these kids. We’ve got to have the manpower to be able to do it. Some schools who serve a lot more than we do are running on skeleton crews,” Allred said. 

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction announced it has allocated $10 million in federal relief funding toward recruiting and retaining nutrition workers for schools across the state.

Davidson County Schools is still waiting to hear whether they will receive a portion of this funding to offer oncoming nutrition workers hiring bonuses. Workers like King are encouraging others to become nutrition workers.

“Do it, if you love kids especially. If you want to learn your neighborhood, your community, this is one way to give back to it,” King said. 

Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, Guilford County Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Wake County Public Schools have positions open for nutrition workers as well. 

For more information on open positions with Davidson County Schools, click here.