Board renews Aramark food-service contract, citing balanced budget and student meal continuity

The Ripon Area School District board approved a new food-service management contract with Aramark for the 2026–27 school year, a measure district staff said will stabilize the program’s finances and preserve student meal benefits.

During discussion, a district official said the Aramark proposal is priced to bring the food-service fund toward balance and would “preserve free breakfast for all students district wide, maintain our current lunch and milk prices for families, [and] provide wage increases for the current food service employees.” The official noted the district had been running a deficit in prior years and called the contract a path to a balanced fund next year.

Board members asked how the contract would affect long-term equipment needs and whether unspent funds could roll into the next fiscal year to support the robotics team and other activities. The food-service director, speaking to the board, thanked members for trusting the vendor and noted the district hoped to continue nourishing students while managing costs.

The chair called the vote after no further discussion; the transcript records the motion as approved with a vote read in the meeting as 8–0 with one member absent. The board’s finance report later in the meeting showed the food-service operation was running at an approximate $42,000 deficit at the time of the meeting, better than an earlier projection of about $62,000.

The contract’s approval comes ahead of planned budget and staffing decisions and follows a board emphasis on sustaining student meal access alongside fiscal stewardship.