The Silver Falls School District board approved contracts Monday as part of a planned move to self‑operate food service: United Salad was approved as the district’s produce vendor; Goodyman received the bread contract and Spring Valley the dairy contract for the 2025–26 school year. The board also approved district participation in the Oregon Child Nutrition Coalition (OCNC) purchasing cooperative, which staff said will let the district buy through Sysco at cooperative prices.

Why this matters: District staff told the board the change follows the decision to end Sodexo’s management and bring food service in‑house. Staff said cooperative procurement should reduce per‑unit costs and that moving to Sysco will broaden available product options; they also cautioned federal meal patterns and commodity allocations limit changes in portion sizes and some menu items.

What staff told the board: Director of Student Wellness and Achievement Elise Hanson summarized operational constraints: “There’s things like food requirements that are specific pre k, k‑5, 6‑8, 9‑12 … calorie intake, grains, meats, sugars, they’re all different for each of those grade bands,” she said. Hanson described USDA commodity allocations, DOD fresh produce deliveries, and the program requirement that students take specific components for a reimbursable meal (“For breakfast, kids are required to take 3 items… one of those has to be a half a cup of fruit”). Hanson said the district had joined OCNC and will begin local procurement and vendor contracts in July; Sodexo will provide service through the district’s transition date and the district plans to begin self‑operation July 1.

Board action and procurement: The board approved United Salad for produce for 2025–26, approved an RFP award to Goodyman for bakery products and to Spring Valley for dairy products, and approved purchasing through Sysco via OCNC. Hanson and procurement staff said the district will implement a digital production and menu planning tool (HealthyPro) for staff training and production records and will inventory and redistribute kitchen equipment across schools where appropriate.

Concerns and next steps: Board members and staff discussed food quality, portion sizes and the need for student feedback to improve uptake and reduce waste. Hanson said she will solicit student preferences after the first months of service and run summer meals operations while staff finalize vendor contracts and equipment grants. The board approved the vendor awards by unanimous vote.