School Cook Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Salary: $4,849.00 - $5,246.00 Monthly
Location : Keaau Middle: 16-565 Keaau-Pahoa Rd, Keaau, HI 96749
Job Type: Permanent, Full-time 12-month
Job Number: 2026-00008
District / Complex Area: Classified / Hawaii / KKP
School / Office: Classified / Keaau Middle
Opening Date: 07/16/2026
Max Number of Applicants: 25
Position %: 100%
Position Number: 10764
Description
The authorized level of the position is School Cook II. Applications are being accepted down to the School Cook I in the event of recruiting difficulties.
Salary Range:
School Cook I, BC-04: $4,849.00 per month
School Cook II, BC-06: $5,246.00 per month
Examples of Duties

1. Plans, coordinates and works closely with other food service employees to ensure meals are prepared in a timely manner to meet meal service times and/or satellite delivery schedules.
2. Reviews daily/weekly/monthly food production records and makes cooking/preparation plans accordingly, estimates preparation and cooking time, determines appropriate standardized recipe, and secures necessary ingredients and equipment for preparation and cooking purposes.
3. Accurately weighs and measures ingredients in accordance with approved standardized recipes and daily production needs; performs mathematical calculations to adjust recipe yield to meet daily production records serving portion/size.
4. Prepares, cooks, and heats a variety of foods including sandwiches, breakfast meals, taco shells, French fries, etc.; slices food and assembles salads and sandwiches; cooks simple starches and seasons vegetables; assists in the preparation and cooking of the principal lunch meal, breakfast, and other supplementary meal items; may prepare meal items for students with special dietary needs.
5. Sets-up serving counters for meal service, serves students and staff, and replenishes food and other supplementary items as needed.
6. Portions and/or directs the portioning/packing of menu items for satellite meals.
7. Cleans and maintains work areas, serving counters, and dining areas in a neat, sanitary, and orderly manner; thoroughly cleans and sanitizes pots, pans, utensils, and equipment after use.
8. Properly labels, stores, and/or disposes leftover foods; documents on the production record; and informs School Food Services Manager of the leftovers; and may recommend their utilization.
9. Receives provisions ordered, documents product temperatures if applicable, and reports discrepancies to School Food Services Manager; dates and stores goods in proper manner and place; records supplies and ingredients used; and assists in completing monthly inventory and maintaining routine records as directed.
10. Directs/instructs cafeteria helper(s) and/or other adult/student helper(s) assigned to assist with food preparation, serving, and/or cleanup; assists in training new food service employees; and may supervise serving operations at satellite schools.
11. Attends and participates in staff meetings, workshops, and in-service training; achieves the annual minimum required training hours as outlined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Minimum Qualifications
Education Requirement: Graduation from high school or equivalent.
Experience Requirements: Except for the substitutions provided for in this specification, applicants must have had work experience of the kind, amount and quality described below.
Class TitleGeneral Exp (years)Specialized Experience (years)Total (years)School Cook I1/201/2School Cook II1/211-1/2
General Experience: Experience which demonstrated knowledge of preparing and cooking food. Such experience may have been gained as:

1. An apprentice or helper in a kitchen where the applicant has acquired some skill in cooking by performing a variety of the following tasks: preparing vegetables and fruits for cooking or for salads; assisting in cooking vegetables by lightly seasoning, watching and stirring while cooking; preparing salads, sandwiches and other cold food items; making coffee and toast; boiling eggs; and cooking cereal, rice, macaroni, spaghetti and/or other foods which are simple to prepare; or
2. Fry cooks of fast-food operations although experience may have been limited to cooking hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, tacos and similar food items.

Specialized Experience: Quantity cooking work experience in a restaurant, hotel, hospital, school or institution which included actual hands-on experience in the various phases of the preparation of foods in large quantities. Such experience must demonstrate the applicant's proficiency in quantity cooking as evidenced by the possession of knowledge of the types of ingredients from common to cooked foods, their properties, functions, and substitutions; standard procedures for measuring and combining ingredients, the use, care and safe handling of kitchen utensils and equipment; proper methods of handling and storing foods; food kitchen safety and sanitation practices; and the ability to follow standardized recipes, adjust recipes when decreasing or increasing yield, estimate sufficient ingredients/raw foods to meet menu requirements, and estimate preparation cooking times to meet scheduled meal service times. The overall knowledge and experience must conclusively demonstrate the applicant's ability to perform quantity cooking for the school food services program.
Non-Qualifying Experience: Experience which is limited to serving food, cleaning, and washing dishes; one phase of cooking such as fry-cooking; or other kinds of work not affording the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills of quantity cooking will not be accepted as qualifying for the Specialized Experience requirement.
Substitution of Training for Experience:

1. Possession of an associate's degree in Food Service from an accredited community college in a food service/culinary arts program which include training in quantity cooking may be substituted for all of the required experience.
2. Successful completion of a substantially full-time curriculum at an accredited technical school, community college or university which included course work which provided the applicant with knowledge of and hands-on practice in quantity food preparation and cooking comparable to the above required Specialized experience may be substituted for the pertinent experience on a month-for-month basis.
3. Excess Specialized Experience may be substituted for General Experience on a month-for-month basis.

Quality of Experience: Possession of the required number of years of experience will not in itself be accepted as proof of qualification for a position. The applicant's overall experience must have been of such scope and level of responsibility as to conclusively demonstrate that the ability to perform the duties of the position.
Supplemental Information
Salary: The advertised salary is based on full-time employment and includes shortage and school year differentials, if applicable.
Requirements: Applicants must meet all the requirements for the position they are seeking as of the date of the application, unless otherwise specified. Unless specifically indicated, the required education and experience may not be gained concurrently. Calculation of experience is based on full-time, 40-hour workweeks. Part-time experience is pro-rated. Example: Twelve months of experience at 20 hours/week is equivalent to six months of experience, not one year. Also, hours worked in excess of 40 hours/week will not be credited. Example: Twelve months of experience at 60 hours/week is equivalent to one year of experience, not one and a half years.
Temporary Assignment: Claims of Temporary Assignment (TA) experience to meet the minimum qualification requirements must be verified and attached to the application using one of the options below:

1. A copy of the applicant's TA History Report or equivalent system-generated report;
2. A signed letter from the applicant's supervisor that includes the applicant's name, his/her TA job title, the TA start and end dates (from mm/yy to mm/yy), his/her specific TA duties performed, and either the TA hours worked per week or total TA hours worked; or,
3. Copies of the applicant's signed SF-10 Forms.

Documents: Attach all relevant supporting documents to your application. Documents that were attached to applications submitted before November 16, 2023 do not automatically attach or transfer to applications submitted on and after December 16, 2023. All submitted documents become the property of the Hawaii State Department of Education.
Information about Temporary Positions: Temporary positions may be extended year to year, dependent upon funding and departmental needs. Making yourself available for temporary positions increases your employment possibilities and may lead to permanent opportunities. A person hired for a temporary position may also become a temporary employee upon satisfactory completion of the initial probation period of at least six months. Once a temporary employee, you would be eligible to apply for promotion and transfer opportunities to permanent as well as other temporary positions. You may also enjoy other rights and benefits as afforded to an employee in a permanent position, with the exception of return rights and placement rights associated with a reduction-in-force.
Equal Opportunity
The Hawaii State Department of Education does not discriminate in its educational policies, programs, and activities on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, and disability in accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991. The Department does not discriminate in its employment policies, programs, and activities on the basis of sexual orientation, arrest and court record, and National Guard participation, as well as on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, and disability, in accordance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991, Equal Pay Act of 1963, and Chapter 378, Part I, Hawaii Revised Statutes.
Payday
New employees can expect their first paycheck within the first 3 pay periods of their start date. Payday is on the 5th and 20th (or previous business day) of every month.
12-month civil service and SSP employees enjoy a range of competitive benefits:

• Holidays: You may be eligible for 13 paid holidays each year; 14 holidays during an election year.
• Vacation: Employees of Bargaining Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 13 earn 21 days per year.
• Sick Leave: Employees of Bargaining Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 13 earn 21 days per year. Accumulated (unused) credits may be used toward computing retirement benefits.
• Health Insurance: If eligible, the State pays a part of the premiums for each employee's enrollment in a State sponsored Medical, Drug, Vision, and Adult Dental Plan.
• Group Life Insurance: The State provides a free life insurance policy for employees and retirees.
• Premium Conversion Plan: Participating employees may increase their take-home pay by having the State deduct the cost of health care premiums before payroll taxes are withheld.
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Eligible employees can reduce their federal and state income taxes and social security taxes through a tax-savings benefit program called Island Flex. This program allows employees to set aside money from their paychecks to pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses and eligible dependent care expenses on a BEFORE-TAX basis.
• Retirement Plan: The State contributes to a retirement plan for eligible employees. Generally, employees with at least 10 years of credited service and who have reached 62 years of age or have 30 years of credited service and are 55 years old may retire and receive benefits.
• Tax Shelter Annuity (TSA): If eligible, Department employees are able to participate in a tax shelter annuity program. The TSA plan allows eligible employees to contribute pre-tax dollars to an employee-selected investment service provider authorized to provide TSA products.
• Deferred Compensation: The State offers employees a tax deferred (sheltered) retirement investment program. This program is an opportunity to build a retirement nest egg through voluntary payroll deductions. Several investment options are available.
• Temporary Disability Insurance: Qualified employees may be eligible to receive benefits for a disability caused by a non-work related injury or illness under this program.
• Social Security: As an employer, the State also contributes to an employee's social security account.
• Workers' Compensation: If an employee is injured while on the job, benefits covering medical expenses and partial wage support may be available through workers' compensation.
• Union & Collective Bargaining: Employees have the right to join the union for collective bargaining with the State and employee representation. Some employee unions provide discounts, insurance and other opportunities. Employees may also decide not to join a union, however, employees are required to pay union service fees unless the employee's job is excluded from collective bargaining.

The above is intended as a general summary of the benefits offered and is subject to change. This does not constitute a contract or binding agreement. Benefits vary by type of employment appointment and collective bargaining agreements.
01
EDUCATION:
Did you graduate from high school or do you possess a General Equiva