Sodexo staying on as school district’s food service provider

Pam Schiff
Posted 7/1/15

Picking a school lunch is easy. Picking a lunch provider, however, can be more involved.

After several months of meetings, presentations and samples, the Cranston School Committee recently opted …

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Sodexo staying on as school district’s food service provider

Posted

Picking a school lunch is easy. Picking a lunch provider, however, can be more involved.

After several months of meetings, presentations and samples, the Cranston School Committee recently opted to continue with Sodexo, approving a new contract with the company.

“We are thrilled to be staying. We are invested in community, we have a good relationship that we want to keep building on,” said Lynne Conca, general manager for Sodexo in Cranston.

Cranston Public Schools CFO Joe Balducci said the new agreement with the company, approved by the committee in June, guarantees the first year of Sodexo’s service at $438,238. Years two through five of the agreement, he said, “must be discussed as part of each subsequent year’s renewal process.”

The process of selecting a food service provider began in January with the creation of committee that included district COO Ray Votto, Park View Middle School Assistant Principal Kerilyn Reagan, Eden Park Elementary School Principal Courtney Sevigny, and chef Martha Sylvestri from the Cranston Area Career and Technical Center. A request for proposals was issued, and responses were received from Sodexo, Aramark and Chartwells.

The review committee met and vetted the proposals, scoring them on a matrix. Balducci said based on that process, Aramark was given the highest score, and that company received the initial recommendation.

As meetings progressed, questions arose, and committee members sought more time before making a final decision. Food service employees and others also appeared before the committee to voice their support for Sodexo, citing the company’s record of giving back to, and building relationships with, the community.

A vote on the Aramark contract was tabled in April, and in May, Superintendent Dr. Judith Lundsten withdrew her recommendation that the company be hired.

“The rubric is used for a recommendation only. We were not a part of that. Once we got the figures and started asking questions of Aramark, we decided that we needed to ask Sodexo the same questions,” said Janice Ruggieri, the school committee’s chairwoman.

Ashley Hall, the food service manager for Sodexo, said the company employs close to 90 staff for Cranston’s school. Currently, it provides 2,820 breakfasts daily, and 4,818 lunches. The high schools have a choice of 12 items, the middle schools have 11 and elementary schools have four choices.

Representatives from Sodexo – including Chris Garvin, Cathy Rocco, Mike Grey and Conca – focused on the relationships the company has built the students, schools and community over the past five years. They talked about the new breakfast kiosk that has been implemented at Bain Middle School, and said overall there has been a 115-percent increase in breakfast participation district-wide. Sodexo is looking into a possible dinner program to be partnered with after school programs.

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