Only about 650 of York High School's students buy lunch in the cafeteria, and Elmhurst District 205 wants to change that by hiring an outside food management company and pulling the school out of the federal lunch program.

The district plans to release a request for proposals (RFP) for a food service management company this week, according to a district memo dated Nov. 4. The winning firm would take over menu planning, food offerings and operations at York, while District 205 would keep its own cafeteria staff.

The move matters for York families because it means the school would withdraw from the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the federal program that reimburses schools for providing free and reduced-price meals to low-income students. District officials plan to discuss the proposal and share student survey results at the school board's finance committee meeting Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Why the change

York's 25% cafeteria participation rate is "far lower than in other school systems," district officials said, as first reported by Patch. Paid meal participation has dropped 10% over the past three years, and overall food service revenue has stayed flat over the past decade, according to a district presentation in September.

District officials said the NSLP's requirements constrain what schools can serve. Portion sizes must stay the same from kindergarten through 12th grade, officials said. The program also governs meal prices and restricts à la carte options and food-related fundraisers.

Joe Blomquist, the district's assistant superintendent of finance, put it plainly at a September finance committee meeting, according to Patch's earlier coverage: "As we grow, our appetites grow as well."

The financial trade-off

York receives roughly $150,000 a year in federal reimbursements through the NSLP, according to the September presentation. If the school leaves the program, the district would absorb the cost of free and reduced-price meals for low-income students.

District officials said an increase of 70 to 140 additional lunch buyers would make the switch cost-neutral. That estimate does not include any increase in à la carte sales.

The district pointed to a list of suburban high schools that have already left the NSLP, including Downers Grove, Hinsdale, New Trier, Lyons Township and Lake Forest. Some of those schools have participation rates between 45% and 90%, Blomquist said in September.

What happens next

The memo, authored by Superintendent Dr. Keisha Campbell and Blomquist, lays out a timeline. Interested companies will tour York's kitchen facilities in early December, with proposals due before winter break.

An evaluation committee will review submissions in January 2027. The administration's recommendation goes to the finance committee in March, with a vote expected at the March board meeting. If approved, the new program would launch in August 2027, the start of the 2027-28 school year.

In October, district administrators talked with middle and high school students about the current food program and collected survey responses from York students. Those results shaped the RFP, according to the memo.

Board member Beth Hosler voiced support for the idea in September. "I just have seen a lot of food go in the garbage," she said, according to Patch's coverage. Board member Kelly Henry also welcomed the proposal and said she wanted improvements extended to elementary schools.

The district's September presentation recommended the NSLP withdrawal for York only. The changes could be extended to other schools later.