GCCS Looks to Outsource School Food Programs
The Grants Cibola County School District sent out a Request For Proposals on January 31 with a due date of February 28 for food contractors because it is considering outsourcing the school food program in an attempt to create more menu options for students. District Nutrition Coordinator Edwina Hennemann said, “We are considering it.”
Most public schools in America today will say the reimbursement from the federal government doesn’t cover the whole school food bill. Most school food programs will say that they come up short. The COVID-19 pandemic created national school closures causing already strapped school districts to lose even more money. Schools today that consider outsourcing their food program are often trying to find a way to get a variety of nutritious food to students and balance the budget at the same time.
Chief Financial Officer for the Grants-Cibola County Schools, Steve Maldonado said, “Saving money on food for students is not the goal of potentially outsourcing a food service program. Our goal is to increase the menu options for students and to provide a higher quality and quantity of food available for students.”
Since the National School Lunch Act was passed in 1946 and signed into law by President Harry Truman and strengthened with the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 which added more subsidies, school milk, and breakfasts to the free lunch program, schools have had to get creative as they deal with tons of food waste created by dissatisfied students. Some districts have joined the movement of scratch cooking where school districts cook their own meals on-site and utilize fresh, local ingredients rather than processed or pre-assembled food. This is undoubtedly a healthy option but requires a kitchen infrastructure and skilled staff that not all school kitchens have or can afford. The farm-to-school programs are gaining steam in many districts around the country where local farms provide the food as well as agricultural education to kids so they understand where real food comes from, and some districts are employing huge food manufacturers like Chartwells or Aramark to feed their students. According to District CFO Maldonado, whatever configuration the district chooses, retaining the current staff is critical. “The Request For Proposals includes language designed to retain all of our food service staff employees. Again, the goal is to increase food options for students. To do that, we need to maintain our highquality staff.”
In 1970 the USDA (US Department of Agriculture) lifted its restriction on for-profit food companies joining the school lunch system. In the 1980’s the Reagan Administration reduced the federal school lunch budget by about $1.5 billion dollars, and critics argued that nutrition standards suffered. In 2010 The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act was passed in an attempt to put more nutrients onto the school lunch tray by limiting the amount of fat, sugar, and sodium. It’s 2023 and schools locally and around the country are still struggling with what and how to feed their students.
According to Maldonado, any contract the Board agrees upon would begin July 2023. Nutrition Coordinator Hennemann said: “I’m just here to do what’s in the best interest of the kids.”