Despite pleas to the contrary from employees and a union representative, Jim Thorpe Area School Board has agreed to hire an outside firm to operate the cafeterias in each of its buildings.

By an 8-1 vote, the board agreed Monday to have Nutrition Group of Irwin, Westmoreland County, run the food services operations in the school district on a one-year contract, with an option to renew the contract for four years.The opposing vote came from board member Gerald F. Strubinger, who received applause from the cafeteria workers present at the meeting.Patty Burress, representing Nutrition Group, said all 21 cafeteria employees of the district will be retained by the firm. Eight of these workers are full-time employees.She said the company will negotiate wages with Teamsters union Local 773, which represents the employees.Burress said her firm provides services to 150 school districts in Pennsylvania. Other Carbon County districts serviced are Panther Valley and Weatherly. Her company also is in charge of cafeteria services in the Hazleton School District.At the beginning of the meeting, union business manager Mark Laubach announced that the union has agreed to the board's proposed cost-savings measures as discussed at negotiations earlier in the day.He appealed to the board that six of the employees represent the sole financial support for their families.After Laubach's statement, board President John Patenio called for an executive session.Following the six-minute closed-door session, the board took its vote on outsourcing the cafeteria services.Laubach said the cafeteria staff comprises "21 women who take pride in their work."He said the workers have a combined 213 and a half years of service with the average wage being $13.13 per hour.Linda Ann Digilio, who works at the Penn-Kidder Elementary School, pleaded with the board, "May I remind all of you how important we are to these children?"She told how the workers converse with the children and how the students look forward to seeing them."Do you know there are certain students in our school still hungry even after eating lunch?" she asked the board.She said the employees are aware of some home situations and as a result, often buy these students extra lunches."We lunch ladies pay for these meals because these kids are hungry," she said.Digilio told the board that last year, three of them paid off an account for one of the students because, "we know what was going on in their home."She said staff members put money into other students' lunch accounts as well."That's just how we are," she said. "We care about the kids."She asked the board, "Instead of bidding jobs out, why not freeze the salaries?"Steve Nowicky, who said his wife is a cafeteria worker, commented to the board, "We all have problems. We all have budgets." He said, "We're here to support the little people," adding, "They work very hard.""Regardless of the situation, our taxes are still going to go up," he said. "Save the jobs."