Abstract
Statement of the problem. Outsourcing of school services has been increasing throughout the United States. Outsourcing is often looked upon as a way to balance school budgets and to be more efficient. If the trend continues, school districts assume they will reduce costs for services and save funds that can be reinvested into program development. Methodology. The researcher used descriptive and correlational research. A questionnaire was sent to assistant superintendents of business services or (CBOs) of sixty-two school districts that have outsourced their food services to a consulting company within the past five years. Findings. Relieving administration to focus on education was the primary reason most of the districts outsourced food service. Food service operational effectiveness was the second reason, and the ability to provide greater accountability was the least among the reasons for outsourcing. Dissatisfaction among students and stakeholders was the most cited reason for discontinuing outsourcing, and problems with the union and increases in cost were others. Conclusion. Little evidence was provided to indicate that the outsourcing of food services is cost effective in the long run. Despite programs to ensure the success of outsourcing programs, failure occurs. The most frequently cited reason for failure was that anticipated reduced cost was not realized. The research provides some evidence that the quality of services provided by food service consulting companies may be higher than district in-house food services; however, the evidence of cost effectiveness was mixed. Finally, no outsourcing model was clearly superior to another. School districts need to approach outsourcing of school food service in a deliberate and logical manner. Objectives and goals must be clearly defined. Specifically, the most important factors include an ethos that children deserve the best service available, as well as criteria for performance and accountability. While there is the potential for improved service by outsourcing of food services, outsourcing also involves risk and, as such, has to be carefully managed.