Post by title1parent on Jul 16, 2008 7:49:03 GMT -5
D204 considers joining national lunch program
Consultants to determine future of food services
July 16, 2008 SUN
By Tim Waldorf twaldorf@scn1.com
Indian Prairie School District 204 is setting out to establish what its food service program should be before its five-year contract with Sodexho expires in the spring.
During its Monday meeting, the District 204 board approved a $79,500 bid to hire consultants who will help administrators determine the food service program's future.
"We want to make sure long term we have a good picture of where we are going with our lunch program," said Dave Holm, District 204's assistant superintendent for business and finance.
Get with the program?
The district's initial estimates indicate that, between the grant money the federal government would give it, and the free commodities the district would qualify to receive, it could save $250,000 a year if it joined the National School Lunch Program.
However, it hopes consultants will help refine those numbers.
For instance, although it is not in the National School Lunch Program, District 204 uses the program's guidelines to determine which students qualify for free lunches. But District 204 doesn't offer reduced-price lunches, and it would have to do so if it joined the program.
Currently, District 204 provides free lunches to 8 percent of its students, but it does not know how many students might take advantage of the reduced-price opportunity. Holm said consultants will help the district get a handle on that figure.
They also have a better idea how joining the National School Lunch Program might impact use of the food service program at different grade levels, he said. If high schoolers aren't interested in the kinds of meals the program will require the district to serve, then the district might consider enrolling only the lower grade levels, where the meals are more likely to sell, in the program.
"We get revenue for participating in the program based on the number of lunches we sell," Holm said.
Fix its own food?
Holm said these consultants also would play an integral part in structuring the district's next food service contract if District 204 joins the National School Lunch Program. The program sets forth strict guidelines for how these contracts should be bid, he said, and they're familiar with those guidelines.
Then again, the consultants also could study the district's situation and decide contracting out food services no longer makes sense for the district - that it should hire its own employees and prepare its own meals.
Holm noted that this course of action might present a few challenges. Right now, many of the meals are prepared at schools, but many also are prepared off-site. So the district would perhaps have to find or create food preparation space.
Consultants to determine future of food services
July 16, 2008 SUN
By Tim Waldorf twaldorf@scn1.com
Indian Prairie School District 204 is setting out to establish what its food service program should be before its five-year contract with Sodexho expires in the spring.
During its Monday meeting, the District 204 board approved a $79,500 bid to hire consultants who will help administrators determine the food service program's future.
"We want to make sure long term we have a good picture of where we are going with our lunch program," said Dave Holm, District 204's assistant superintendent for business and finance.
Get with the program?
The district's initial estimates indicate that, between the grant money the federal government would give it, and the free commodities the district would qualify to receive, it could save $250,000 a year if it joined the National School Lunch Program.
However, it hopes consultants will help refine those numbers.
For instance, although it is not in the National School Lunch Program, District 204 uses the program's guidelines to determine which students qualify for free lunches. But District 204 doesn't offer reduced-price lunches, and it would have to do so if it joined the program.
Currently, District 204 provides free lunches to 8 percent of its students, but it does not know how many students might take advantage of the reduced-price opportunity. Holm said consultants will help the district get a handle on that figure.
They also have a better idea how joining the National School Lunch Program might impact use of the food service program at different grade levels, he said. If high schoolers aren't interested in the kinds of meals the program will require the district to serve, then the district might consider enrolling only the lower grade levels, where the meals are more likely to sell, in the program.
"We get revenue for participating in the program based on the number of lunches we sell," Holm said.
Fix its own food?
Holm said these consultants also would play an integral part in structuring the district's next food service contract if District 204 joins the National School Lunch Program. The program sets forth strict guidelines for how these contracts should be bid, he said, and they're familiar with those guidelines.
Then again, the consultants also could study the district's situation and decide contracting out food services no longer makes sense for the district - that it should hire its own employees and prepare its own meals.
Holm noted that this course of action might present a few challenges. Right now, many of the meals are prepared at schools, but many also are prepared off-site. So the district would perhaps have to find or create food preparation space.