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Lakewood board approves Sodexo budget exception, awards multiple transportation and facilities contracts
Summary
At its Sept. 25 meeting the Lakewood Board of Education approved a $428,809.33 budget exception to cover a shortfall in Sodexo’s 2023–24 guaranteed surplus, confirmed large transportation route awards to multiple vendors, and authorized vendor work and vehicle purchases tied to district operations.
The Lakewood Board of Education on Sept. 25 approved a package of business items that included a $428,809.33 budget exception for Sodexo, multiple transportation contract awards, several facilities contracts and the purchase of four district vehicles.
Kevin Campbell, the district’s business administrator and board secretary, read the financial items before the board, including certification that “no budgetary line item account has obligations and payments which in total exceed the amount appropriated” and a bills list totaling $13,430,048.27 with a supplemental bills list for $8,154,406.59 that were presented for payment. The board approved the business agenda by motion (mover Shlomo Stern; seconder Heriberto Rodriguez). The motion carried with aye votes recorded from the six members present at the vote.
On the food-service contract, administration recommended granting a budget exception to Sodexo for a $428,809.33 shortfall after the district’s USDA Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) free-reimbursement rate fell from an expected 99% to 65% for 2023–24. The board approved the recommendation; administration documented corrective actions and capital and operating expenditures intended to reduce net cash reserves in the food-service fund and improve future program sustainability.
Transportation and trip contracts were recorded and awarded across numerous vendors for both regular routes and special education/out-of-district placements. The agenda lists route-by-route awards and quotes to vendors including School Bound, Hartnett Transit, Happy Lime, St. George, Smart School, Klarr, Seman-Tov, Dag, Garas Transit and others for a mix of regular-route, special education and McKinney-Vento student transports; several parental contracts were also authorized where parents will be paid per-diem rates to transport children with medical needs under NJAC rules.
The board also approved site and facilities projects: Crossroads Pavement Maintenance was authorized for curb and pavement work at Lakewood Middle School and for a playground surface at the Early Childhood Center; Northeastern Interior Services was authorized to paint and replace gutters on the White House at 100 Linden Ave; Troller Electric was approved for fiber and power work to support security camera and phone installations; and a nonpublic schools window-and-door project was awarded across selected vendors, with work to be funded from applicable Nonpublic Security and Nonpublic Technology grants.
The agenda included vehicle purchases from All American Ford under cooperative pricing: three Ford Transit 250/350 vans and one Ford Transit 250, with line-item costs recorded on the agenda (individual vehicle costs range from $51,818.60 to $56,349.40) to support maintenance, food-service delivery and warehouse/grant operations.
All items in the business agenda were approved as part of the consent motion. The meeting then continued to the superintendent’s agenda and the detailed personnel and program items noted in the agenda packet.
The board voted to approve the business agenda and later adjourned the meeting at 7:47 p.m.
