Many of us in the education profession have consumed too many school lunches over the years to count. I have enjoyed school lunches from kindergarten up to my present age of 47 years young. Some would call me an expert in the area of school lunches, and my curvy figure provides evidence that I am able to address many issues concerning "the school lunch".
I have shared many times stories of the good ole' days when the cooks would prepare hot rolls each day from scratch, and how that aroma would fill the halls near the cafeteria. Cooks in the old days took pride in their work and the more I ate, the happier they were. Life was good!
Having worked in several Missouri schools during the last 20 years, it was my opinion that those special days are a thing of the past. Students, teachers, and parents would complain that the lunches just aren't any good. The cooks would complain that they can't cook like they used to because of state and federal guidelines for nutrition. My response to the criticism of school lunches was "what do you expect for $1.65"? Well, I had to drop that defensive line when I visited the $1 menu at McDonalds and Taco Tuesday at Taco Bell!
To be honest, while our lunches at Oak Grove weren't bad, they weren't anything to brag about either. I did, however, always defend the program and our lunch ladies. One of our problems was that a person knew what day of the week it was by looking at the lunch menu. Remember, I am a school lunch expert, thus I know that many schools fall into the same category: repetitive menus, bland food, and small portions. There was a reason why so many students brought their lunch. My own kids wanted to bring their lunch!
One day I came across some information on contracting for food service. Though I didn't know anything about this method, I didn't have a warm feeling about it either. I figured this would not be an option for Oak Grove because I assumed that the cooks would have to be employed by the management company. I mentioned these thoughts to my secretary. She said, "Oh my goodness, please don't think about that". She went on to say, "The darkest days in the history of Oak Grove were when we considered outsourcing food service; the cooks went crazy!"
Not being one to dodge conflict if it will improve the school, I began my research. I soon learned that there were many options for keeping the cooks on the school payroll. I assumed that would be my biggest problem, so I decided to make some phone calls and visit schools that contract for food service. But first, I wanted to meet with the cooks to let them know that we were only investigating this matter. Guess what; they went crazy. They told me that they had heard how terrible contracting was, and they didn't want anything to do with it. They felt they did a good job and simply weren't appreciated. While I admitted that I didn't know anything about this manner of delivering meals to the students, I told them I would appreciate it they would remain open minded and at least visit some schools that contracted for food service. It became clear that being open minded wasn't going to be an option for them, but the Board of Education and I felt we needed to look further into our options.
Arrangements were made for representatives from the high school student body, administrators, members of the Board of Education, and a cook to visit schools that used food service management companies. I wanted all stakeholders to view first hand what was being considered. In short, every person, except the cook, came back with positive comments about menus, portion sizes, reasonable costs, and a positive atmosphere. The decision was made to obtain bids from reputable companies and try to further separate fact from fiction.
The food service management companies were wonderful to work with as we identified what each company could do to improve the way we provide meals to our students and staff. It was also nice to learn that not only could the companies provide a better product, but there would be a significant savings in the budget as well. A hurdle we knew we would have to cross was what would happen to our food service employees. It was understood that our current employees would continue to remain on our payroll, but future employees would be employed by the management company.
While I realize that many schools in Missouri operate successful food service programs, our investigation and review of submitted bids made it clear that a change would be good for our school. There was not one reason why the Board of Education should not approve a bid, other than some people simply did not want change.
The closing chapter to this story is that a bid was approved to bring a management company in to run our food service program. Although there was a very tight timeline, it was decided that we would implement this new program in the middle of the school year. As a kick-off for the program, our company provided a real "wow" factor with new decorations and menu choices for our students and staff as they arrived on the first day of service. They would truly see that a number of positive changes were in store for them.
The results exceeded my expectations. Our student participation rates rose immediately and have remained high. Everyone wanted to try the changes in menus and recipes. I had parents comment that they were excited because their child was now eating school lunches. Our staff rated it as the number one positive change for the school year, and many of them now eat regularly. And, as a result of working with our management company, the business side of food service is now managed in a much more professional manner.
Finally, and most importantly, there is now a certain pride exhibited by our cooks in the role that they play in our school. That translates into a very positive atmosphere in each kitchen and radiates out to the students and staff. While contracting for food service isn't necessary for every school district, I can tell you it has been a total success in Oak Grove. If you doubt my opinion, just stop by some morning for a visit. Oh yes, and that aroma you'll smell as you approach the school is hot rolls being baked in the kitchen from scratch. The good ole' days are back!
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