The Swain County Board of Education approved a beverage contract with Coca‑Cola on a motion and voice vote after administrators said Coca‑Cola was the only vendor that submitted a qualifying bid. Michelle, the child nutrition staff member presenting the item, told the board the co‑op contract as presented would be for about $85,000 and could be extended for up to five additional years in one‑year increments.

The contract covers the a la carte beverages sold at the high school, Michelle said, including bottled water, juices, Vitaminwater, Powerade and zero‑sugar sodas. Michelle clarified the self‑service vending machines on campus are controlled under a separate contract with Pepsi and are not part of this bid.

Board members asked whether the contract included automatic price increases. Michelle said price increases “can” occur but “it’s something that we have to agree upon,” indicating future adjustments would be negotiated with the vendor. The board approved the child nutrition bid by voice vote.

Why it matters: The beverage contract supplies drinks sold directly to students and influences school nutrition compliance, vending availability and budget projections for child nutrition services.

Additional context: The presentation named two other major beverage companies that did not provide qualifying proposals: RC Cola did not respond, and Pepsi’s product mix did not meet the program’s smart‑snack requirements. The board approved the motion by a show of hands; no roll‑call tally was given in the record.

The board also noted concessions and other vending contracts (separate Pepsi contract and concessions sales) were managed independently and could be considered for future rebidding.

The board moved on to subsequent agenda items after the vote.