Lincoln Board OKs Food Service Contract, Bond Refunding

LINCOLN — During the May 18 meeting, Lincoln Board of Education approved outsourcing food service to Aramark and refunding of bond issues.

Mary Ann Spears, superintendent of schools, recommended the board approve a contract with Aramark.

“We received three bids. I recommend Aramark far and above the rest,” Spears said. “They guarantee our profit will be over $71,000 for the first year.”

Spears advised the district still has nine food service employees still under contract and that Aramark would be talking to them. In response to a board inquiry about costs to students, Spears said prices will stay about the same.

Board member Dax More- ton wanted to know what was the opinion of the quality of food on a visit made by Spears and board member Kendra Moore to sample an Aramark prepared meal at Bentonville schools. Moore said the food was good.

“Is it going to be as good in Lincoln or Prairie Grove as it is in Bentonville?” Moreton asked.

Moore responded that depends on how wel l Aramark trains their employees.

“To me, that’s the only wild card,” Moore said. “Are they going to spend the time to train employees in food preparation to perfect the recipes they have perfected over 15 years.”

“I hope we’re getting a true reflection of what the company can do,” Moreton said. “Bentonville is the pinnacle high school in the nation and here we are on the outside.”

Spears advised there are healthy options, using the example of a senior high school football player wants two bananas he can have them. The board approved the contract with Aramark to provide food service, beginning with the 2015-16 school year.

Kevin Faught, from Stephens Financial, reviewed bonds considered for refunding. Faught went over the numbers noting the savings in year one to refund a 2010 bond would be more than $ 71,000. Faught said rates jumped in mid-April but due to IRS guidelines, bonds had to be separated by 15 days and a bond issue originally looked at on Feb. 1 was delayed because of the regulations.

According to Faught the total savings for three bonds refunded is $861,851, commenting, “It’s not quite as good as we hoped but still $861,851 in savings.”

The board voted to refund the bonds.

The board approved hiring Don Harrison as Lincoln’s new head football coach.

Deon Birkes, Lincoln athletic director, introduced Harrison saying, “He brings a whole new excitement. We really did our due diligence. He took Newport to the state playoffs two years in a row and he had a 36-2-1 record as head coach of Greenwood’s junior high. He brings a lot of excitement to the program. He’s already brought the numbers up. We had 23 on the first day, now we’re up to 50 kids.”

Board President Jim Ayers said, “I encourage you to build a relationship with the younger kids. That’s how you build a program here at Lincoln.”