June 22, 2017 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Resource Management & Business Operations Committee Meeting

Rationale: 

Key Points of the Briefing:

* It is important to the Bethel Board of Education that an excellent Food Service Management Company administer the food service operations for the district in accordance with all of the regulations of the National School Lunch Program under the direction of the USDA and the CSDE.

* It is important that the FSMC manage the food service operations with a financial break-even or better result; otherwise the BOE operating funds must cover any loss.

* The SDE has reviewed and approved this annual amendment with Sodexo.

Recommendation of the Administration:

1. The Director of Fiscal Services is recommending renewing Sodexo for many reasons including:

1. A guaranteed profit in the 2017-2018 year of $52k and again in each of the remaining two years at a time when many districts our size have not been able to turn a profit in food service
2. A history of good management here in Bethel
3. The active partnership of Sodexo in our district wellness initiatives

 

Rationale:  * As we are nearing the end of the fiscal year, final payrolls are posting tomorrow and then we will know what funds remain with which to close accounts and if possible, make a positive impact on our district:
* 1) Unexpended Funds Account – Knowing that we are in uncertain times waiting for a State Budget, we will look to deposit some remaining funds to this account is for opportunities and contingencies in future years.
* 2) Technology – One of the four Board of Education goals is to have technology as a catalyst for teaching and learning. We have achieved actual 1:1 in Chromebooks grades 3 through 12 for 2017-2018. There are several routers that need replacement and we will see if any can be funded.
* 3) Special Education – The SPED department is still closing their books especially for outplacement tuition and transportation; this will all be reconciled.
* 4) Safety – This area continues to be paramount and we will add security measures in accordance with our approved plan. One long-time safety issue just addressed was netting to catch baseball fly balls that land on the track where other athletes are absorbed in their sport and unaware of the danger coming towards them.
* 5) Facilities – There were significant facilities issues this year and these costs will be covered during the year end closing process next week.

Rationale: 

The Bethel High School renovation project remained open until all outstanding legal issues were resolved.  These two issues were resolved several years ago and now the final filing of all State required paperwork is ready to be filed.  These documents include the ED049F, a final ED046, and a final Eligible/Ineligible Cost Worksheet.  Along with these documents must be documentation of final acceptance of the project by the Board of Education.