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East Ramapo board hears plan to improve school meals, consultant to monitor Witson’s contract addendum
Summary
Board members pressed district and HMBB Consultants on student outreach and contract enforcement after widespread complaints about meal quality; administration said key menu and cultural accommodations are now in a written addendum to Witson’s contract and HMBB will monitor compliance.
Interim Superintendent Rusco and the district’s food-services team told the East Ramapo Central School District board on June 16 that they have negotiated new menu and oversight commitments with food-service provider Witson’s and hired HMBB Consultants to monitor compliance.
The proposal follows months of student complaints about meal quality and portion sizes. Heather Biggley of HMBB Consultants said her firm will conduct on-site observations, meet with students and wellness committees, administer surveys, review menus, and help the district write bid specifications should it rebid the contract. “We will be on site to each of the buildings many times throughout the school year and I’m going to be observing for contract compliance,” Biggley said.
Board members pressed administrators and the consultant about whether Witson’s commitments are enforceable. Administration said the addendum to the renewal contract includes specific requirements, including offering culturally appropriate items (the district’s population is roughly 60% Latino and Haitian Creole speakers, district staff said) and meeting quarterly with students to review menus. The administration acknowledged some additional commitments were made verbally and are not yet formalized in the contract language; it said that failure to meet written addendum terms would trigger a rebid next year.
Members also raised access questions for kosher and halal options and asked how families and students request special meals. Officials said options exist at buildings where they are required and that HMBB will track usage, work with the vendor to expand options and report back to the district.
Board members repeatedly urged the consultant to gather student input directly and to sample meals themselves to verify quality. HMBB said it will use surveys, informal meetings and formal feedback sessions, and that the firm writes bid specifications and enforces contract compliance, noting in New York State procurements districts must accept the lowest responsible bidder when rebidding.
The board discussed but did not adopt additional written guarantees during the public Q&A; administrators said the district had attempted to include as many enforceable items as possible in the addendum and emphasized that a rebid remains an option if Witson’s does not deliver. The board later moved through its action items on the evening agenda.
