The Waukegan CUSD 60 Board of Education on Nov. 10 heard a detailed briefing on the district’s child‑nutrition program and an associated vendor rollout that prompted questions about contract enforcement and student access.

Administration recommended engaging outside expertise to support a forthcoming RFP and to strengthen contract management for the district’s child‑nutrition program, arguing that an audit found implementation gaps and that the department currently operates with limited capacity (the district described roughly a half FTE dedicated to nutrition work alongside other duties). One board member framed the cost of outside support as an investment: the $39,900 consultant estimate (rounded in discussion to $40,000) was described as less expensive than adding a full staff position with benefits.

The board also heard a joint presentation with Sodexo, the district’s food‑service vendor, on a preorder mobile app. Sodexo said a pilot began Oct. 17 and that the district aims for a high‑school full rollout on Dec. 1; a middle‑school rollout date is not yet set. Officials described how the app will allow students to reserve items in advance, include allergy and dietary flags, and stage orders to prevent disruption of normal serving lines.

Board members pressed for more specifics. “They did not provide [the app]…they need to give us the money back because they did not have that app up and run,” one member said, asking the superintendent to explore contract remedies. Superintendent Moten replied he would “circle back” and look into whether outcome‑based contracting language or recoupment clauses could apply.

Other questions focused on communications and operational risk: how families and students will be notified about ordering deadlines and signage, whether priority accommodations for allergies will be honored in the pilot cohort, and how the district will avoid supply‑and‑demand problems on the first rollout day. Sodexo and administration said the pilot cohort had surfaced concerns that the board and staff were addressing and that staged rollouts and cutoff times were planned to reduce the risk of shortages.

District staff said Thanksgiving meal distributions (planned Nov. 26 at Brookside Campus, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.) are budgeted and that the district is increasing its planned quantity to support community need. The child‑nutrition contract proposal was described as unbudgeted and would be funded by reallocating existing district funds rather than new dollars.

Board direction: the superintendent will investigate contract compliance and remedies related to the app rollout and report back; administration will finalize communication plans and return with detailed implementation timelines before a full rollout.