Could Brick's School Cafeteria Service Go Broke, Be Eliminated?

The Brick Township school district's cafeterias could be forced to go private if they do not begin to break even.

As it stands right now, Brick's school cafeterias are in the red, and a state law could allow the Ocean County Executive Superintendent of Schools to shutter the cafeterias and eliminate cafeteria employees if they do not begin to turn a profit or, at least, break even.

Under state law, a school cafeteria should be "self sufficient and does not require a contribution from the general fund budget."

According to Board of Education member Larry Reid, the county executive superintendent could disallow the portion of Brick's school budget that funds cafeterias based on that legal language.

Reid said the food service in the Brick district has been losing money for several years, and the Executive County Superintendent, some years ago, allowed the district to submit a 5-year plan that showed the cafeteria "breaking even in year two and then making money in year 3,4, and 5."

But last year, the cafeterias lost about $75,000, Reid said, and though the district predicted a profit this year, the cafeterias could be shut down next year if that prediction does not come true.

"Our finance committee has closely reviewed the current budget for our district food service, and the sales increases budgeted would require, on average, an increase in sales of 7 lunches per day, per school," Reid said.

Reid said he is encouraging not only students, but staff and administrators, to purchase lunch from the school cafeterias.

"The vast majority of the people who work in our cafeterias are Brick residents," Reid said at a recent board meeting. "We want to keep those jobs for our residents, and to be able to do that, we really need the teachers ... to use our cafeterias more."

An alternative would be using a private food service for school lunches, but that could mean the cost of school lunches would increase.

A cafeteria employee who contacted Brick Patch confidentially said that "95 percent" of cafeteria workers are Brick residents, and would lose their jobs if the district's cafeteria services were removed from the school budget. The employee said that the cafeteria workers are "neighbors, mothers and grandmothers" who care about the children.

"Reaching a breakeven level in our food service operation will be critical this year," Reid said.