A hungry belly is deaf to learning.

      At today's "major staff meeting," the issue of school meals—more precisely, the school canteens' unpreparedness to feed children on September 1—was not so much not urgently debated as it was being completely hushed up, even though the state of school meals can be called catastrophic. And if the canteens do not open on either September 1 or September 10, one could say that the management of the "Kombinat" has been steadily moving toward this outcome, one of the employees of the "KShP" said.

      She explained that the start of the current school year is not the first sign that school catering is showing its unpreparedness: "Last year there was even a scandal." But this year the "Kombinat's" readiness is much worse. First-graders will probably be treated to something after the opening ceremony — at least tea and a bun. In the worst case, they'll be given an emergency ration, after all feeding seven-year-olds is under the personal patronage of the president. What and when the other grades will be fed remains an open question four days before the "Day of Knowledge."

      One of the main reasons employees of MKU "Kombinat of Food and Social Catering" name for school canteens' unpreparedness to open on September 1 is a "critical shortage of working staff":

      "Reporting to the City Duma on the results of the academic year, the director of the 'KShP,' Denis Sitnikov, stated that 334 people are lacking for the normal operation of the school canteens... Maybe he misspoke, since according to the staffing schedule we should number 400. By our calculations, the staff shortage is 30–60 percent. And if the administration of the 'Kombinat' is staffed with specialists, there is a severe lack of cooks and kitchen workers. In some schools, for example No. 27, there is a manager but still 10–11 people are missing who should be cooking, serving and cleaning," the "Kombinat" employees shared.

      The interlocutors suggested that, as one option, the entire administration of the "Kombinat" might be distributed among the schools so they would deliver food and wash plates. Although there isn't much to deliver if, as they say, there is no one to cook.

      As a second option, they proposed considering a "cluster contract," which is used when the kitchen of one school is under repair:

      "They would take several schools located near each other, assemble cooks in one kitchen to prepare food for the 'entire student body,' and the finished meals would be distributed to the schools. True, the 'Kombinat's' vehicles are problematic... This could hold for a week — after all, the workload for cooks would increase several times, but this is not a solution. That is, unless at least fifty people are hired at the 'Kombinat' two days before the start of the school year."

      By the way, as Newsler.ru clarified, on Friday, August 22, the "KShP" did not submit a single application to the "Job Fair." Possibly because the salaries of school canteen managers start at 30,000 rubles (the more pupils — the higher the salary), and cooks receive 20–25 thousand rubles per month. Meanwhile, a private employer is ready to pay three to five thousand rubles per shift.

      Normal heroes always go around

      Having asked whether and how the situation with school meals can be corrected, and posing the question to about ten people, Newsler.ru in most cases heard a categorical "no." Some believed that "as long as Sitnikov is at the helm" (director of the "KShP"), things will only get worse:

      "We're expecting his dismissal at the beginning of September, because another scandal is likely, and this time it will reach the federal level. Sitnikov's deputy, Vasily Shupletsov, told us: 'If he ruins the meals — I'll take his place'... But it's unlikely that Vasily Vladimirovich is any better than the current manager."

      Others suggested that on the eve of September 1 a dozen schools might refuse dependence on the "Kombinat" and go to outsourcing. After all, last year in three schools — Nos. 11, 46 and 54 — students were provided food, and quite well, by the structure "Lait." But the "Kombinat" administration assured that although schools have the right to refuse, they missed the deadlines:

      "This had to be done in June–July: announce the start of the competition — by the way, besides 'Lait' there are other applicants — hold it, and begin preparing for work: staff the cooks, deliver equipment, and agree the children's menu. And if you violate Federal Law 44-FZ and, as last year, bring in the company 'Lait' without bidding, then for such a 'liberty' Alexey Ryabov, the deputy head of the administration for social issues, already 'lost his position.'"

      However, Legislative Assembly deputy Albert Bikalyuk believes that "Lait," more precisely its subsidiary "Rospitanie," already has contracts, so all problems will be resolved within the framework of "urgent necessity" in order to sign new contracts.

      Only deputy Denis Yerokhin is sure that the situation can be radically improved if the tactic of the leadership of School No. 28 is followed:

      "They hired canteen staff into the school payroll, buy the food themselves, and prepare it themselves. According to children, it's tasty, like at home. Or almost like at home. No one talks about pumped-up meat — supplies come in small volumes — or rotten vegetables bought for exorbitant prices... Children eat fresh fruit. Isn't that an example? Isn't that many years of experience, when every Soviet school had its own canteens? Probably school principals are simply too lazy to take on the extra burden."

      The second reason — food supply

      By the way, within the "Kombinat" itself they suspect malice, for example in the form of an "artificial staff shortage," which one way or another will lead to the liquidation of the municipal enterprise, which in the mayor's office is called "Vyacheslav Nikolaevich's bun":

      "If parents' outrage over the lack of mandatory nutrition for children becomes very noisy, if schools refuse cooperation with the 'KShP,' the enterprise will have to be closed. And then, as we suppose, some LLC will immediately surface, from which, most likely, the ears of the current head of the Security Service, Alexander Faleev, will stick out. After all, he is the 'grey eminence' of the company. He is personally responsible for the staff who, the smarter and more professional ones, are leaving with a bang (acting director of the 'Kombinat' — there is a court case about 'illegal dismissal.' Two managers under the pretext of carrying out a hacker attack — the dismissed have filed statements with the prosecutor's office and the police - E.O.). True, according to the law, only firms with extensive experience can feed children. But is that a problem for 'Simakov's personal friend?'"

      The possible "collapse of the 'Kombinat'" was also linked by interlocutors to the termination of the contract with the company "Mir Kholoda," which for many years repaired kitchen equipment efficiently and on time. Today the new contractor is in no hurry with repairs: "Back in the summer the split system of a huge freezer broke down... For the 'Kombinat' management this probably doesn't matter: who cares if it doesn't freeze to minus 18."

      Individual entrepreneur Rozhnev, who provided four vehicles for food delivery, refused to continue cooperating with the "KShP." The reason? The Kombinat paid 5,700 rubles per day for a vehicle, from which fuel, repairs and drivers' wages were paid. Presumably the private entrepreneur made concessions, but at the "Kombinat" they say the contract for the work was concluded only for September.

      Perhaps that is why school administrators say that a week before the start of the school year basic groceries have apparently still not been delivered to the canteens: cereals, salt, sugar. Even though it is already time to deliver fruits and vegetables so that on Friday–Saturday managers can accept perishables — chicken, meat, dairy.