The John Muir PTC

Ashland School Board Meeting: Monday April 13, 2009 at 7pm in the Ashland Council Chambers on E Main St.

There will be a decision made at Monday night's school board meeting that is very complicated and will have long lasting results - just like all the decisions the school board has been forced to make lately.

In order to continue the budget cuts that are absolute, it appears that the classified employees in the kitchens will be let go in favor of a request for proposals (RFP) for a completely outsourced food service provider.  It is heart wrenching to see these dedicated district employees lose their living wage jobs.  Most have been with the district for decades and really care about the kids and what they are being served for lunch and breakfast.  Many of them have been struggling with the Sodexo management that the District hired four years ago as they have dwindled the scratch cooking in favor of heat & serve and processed commodity foods served in our cafeterias.  By outsourcing the food service completely the district saves money by no longer having to pay those classified employees and their benefits.

When Sodexo was brought in they claimed that they would break even, yet the district has been increasingly subsidizing them from the general fund each year ('05-'06 -- $65,657; '06-'07 -- $101,347; '07-'08 -- $129,852 and an estimated $155,414 this year).  It is not definite that this draw on the general fund would not continue.

Last September the Oregon Department of Agriculture funded a Farm to School (F2S) program in our district, Tracy Harding was hired to implement that program.  The work of actively incorporating locally grown produce (1200lbs October - December) into the meals served in our schools began then and could be impacted by outsourcing the food service.  The Food Service Overview Committee, a committee formed as a result of Sodexo being hired in 2005, would like the school board to include Farm to School and the procurement of local food into the RFP as well as into any contract with a food service provider.

The Farm to School Program has seen enormous community support and has received grant funds to continue its work.  The F2S committee is seeking your support in our efforts to influence children's eating habits positively through improving school cafeteria menus, hands-on nutrition education, and community involvement.  Please consider a letter to the board or attending the Monday night school board meeting.

The last decade has witnessed a tremendous spike in nutrition and health related diseases, especially affecting children.  In response the F2S initiative undertakes educating children and their parents about the beneficial effects of eating fresh, local, unprocessed food as a way to decrease childhood obesity and diabetes.  While at the same time supporting local farmers, local agriculture and local economies.

Goals of the Farm to School Program
1. To improve student nutrition by serving fresh, locally grown produce in school cafeterias.
2. To increase children's interest in and knowledge of where their food comes from.
3. To increase the number of students who take part in visiting local farms.
4. To influence children's dietary habits by exposing them to a wide variety of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables.
5. To support local farms and food processors.
6. To increase participation in the school lunch program.

If you have any questions, please contact Tracy Harding at 488-7884