Chartwells pulls out of contract with D.C. public schools

The foodservice vendor for the District of Columbia's public schools has decided to pull out of its contract with the city. In a letter to the D.C. Council Tuesday morning, Chartwells’ president Rhonna Cass said that it's become clear the company is "no longer a valued partner" to the school system.

“We think the best course is for us to exit the contract and allow DCPS to move forward in another direction,” Cass said in the letter. “We have outlined a transition plan where we would continue to operate through the end of the summer term and then transition the foodservice responsibility.”

The decision comes after the company last month agreed to pay $19 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that it overcharged the city and mismanaged school-meal programs. The council was set to consider renewing the company’s contract on Tuesday.