To Outsource Or Not To Outsource?

I know I’ve been writing on a lot of articles lately but I am going to write about another one. In an article by Joetta Sack-Min called “The Outsourcing Question” she went over the pros and cons of outsourcing food services on the public school level. Even though there is a difference at the university level, she makes some very good points.

                Reports and studies are very contradictory when it comes to whether or not outsourcing will save money or not. Every school is different and thus has different needs. Those with experience in the financial side of the educational system encourage schools to find companies to meet the schools needs and to have a deep knowledge of the contract before signing it.

                There are some nightmare situations that some schools have found themselves in. A school in Neenah, Wisconsin found out that their contract with Aramark only covered $100,000 worth of debt obtained by the school’s food program. Sadly this was after they had already accumulated $354,000 worth of debt. Much of this was due to the high amount of benefits that the staff retained.

                There is a lot of opposition that goes along with outsourcing as well. The Service Employees International Union is especially opposed to these food service companies. They claim that their hours are cut and the food that the kids are getting is of less portions and less quality than before. The American Federation of Teachers are also getting in on the protest, telling schools that privatizing food services is not the way to go. They claim that these companies often don’t comply with regulations and there’s not much the school can do because of their contract.

                But as in most cases there is a flip side to this coin. There are many school programs that would say that they are very happy with their new business relations with these food service companies. They realize in the current market that the school alone would not be able to supply the quality or options of food without accumulating massive amounts of debt.

 

Sack-Min, Joetta. "The Qutsourcing Question." American School Board

Journal 195.6 (2008): 22-24. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Sept.

2014.