News Journal:
Carol Lee left a promising career at Eckerd Drugs about 24 years ago to be a stay-at-home mom. A month later she was calling Longview Independent School District looking for a substitute cafeteria position.
‘I just needed something to do,’ said Lee, who is in her 12th year managing Hudson PEP Elementary School’s food services after 12 years of working at Foster Middle School.
‘Growing up, we always had at least 1 of our parents at home, and I never wanted my kids to not know where I was. This was a good job for that, since our schedules would be the same.’
Lee is among many school food services workers who have stuck with the job for years. Of Longview Independent School District’s 117 food employees, 45 of them have been tenured for more than 10 years. 18 of about 50 cafeteria workers in Hallsville ISD have been on the job between 10 and 27 years.
While Lee acknowledged that many school food service careers are spawned by children’s schedules, she said a lot of cafeteria workers stay on the job because of its place in educating children.
‘You see where the cafeteria is located (at Hudson PEP)?’ Lee asked. ‘It’s between 2 classroom buildings. We’re right in the middle of everything that goes on here. We’re not teachers. But, for many of the kids, we are the first faces they see here in the morning. We’ve wiped a lot of tears and offered a lot of encouragement. I think we play an important role in their education,’ she said. Full story.
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