FPS staff report
May 20, 2008

Are prepared meals in the offing for students in the Carrollton Exempted Village School district?

According to a report given at the May 13 Carrollton Board of Education meeting by Carrollton School Assistant Supt. Palmer Fogler, this is an option.

Mrs. Fogler told the Board school officials are investigating the option of using Preferred Meals and also cafeteria costs. However, she was quick to point out "the rumor that we are making cuts in cafeteria staff is not true".

Mrs. Fogler explained Preferred Meals is a company that supplies meals to schools at a reduced cost. "This is not new to many city schools, but it is new to us," she commented.

In her report, Mrs. Fogler explained the Carrollton School District had to transfer approximately $76,000 this school year to cover the additional costs to run the district cafeterias. "Most school cafeterias break even or lose money and to break even a school needs to charge the actual cost of the meals," she said.

By law, school cafeterias are not to be money making ventures. But financially they shouldn’t be huge money drain either," she added.

In listing ways to reduce costs, Mrs. Fogler suggested spending less money on food supplies, machines to store, cook, serve etc. and staff, raising prices, reducing staff or a combination of spending less, raising prices and reducing staff.

All of this is "food for thought", she said and my recommendation is to purposely reduce costs now and to continue to do so each year. To accomplish this I want the Board to be as much informed as possible.

"Contrary to the rumor mill no decision has been made. We are just exploring many possibilities," she added.

Carrollton Schools Supt. Kevin Spears said after the meeting that no reductions in cafeteria staff are planned for next school year. "We might try this Preferred Meals plan as pilot project, possibly at Augusta school next year, but it is not permanent yet," he added.

In his Superintendent’s report, Spears told the Board he feels they should take a closer close at diesel fuel prices, currently at $4.69 per gallon and expected to reach $6 to $7.