Burrell School Board will vote next week on a whether to install vending machines in school buildings.
The board is considering a three-year contract with New Kensington-based Iron City Vending Company.
Food Service Director Megan Mlinarcik and Business Manager Jennifer Callahan recommended the contract to the board as a possible source of additional revenue at Tuesday’s board agenda meeting.
The district would get 20% of the profit from revenue made, board President LeeAnn Guido said.
“I think in other places where vending machines are used, historically they have been a really good revenue stream,” Guido told TribLive. “Only time will tell what that looks like at Burrell.”
Food in the vending machines would have to comply with federal nutritional guidelines during school hours, Mlinarcik said.
The district could, however, designate machines or rows in the drink machines that could be turned on at the end of the school day for other snacks.
“(Iron City Vending) offered to supply two separate machines to the high school,” Mlinarcik told the board. “One that would be the evening machine. The other one that would be the daylight snack machine.”
Machines would only be available to students at Burrell High and Charles A. Huston Middle School, and the middle school machine would likely only have drinks, Mlinarcik said.
At Bon Air Elementary, they would only be available to teachers.
Callahan said machine usage would be monitored.
“We’re going to keep our eye on it,” she said.
Public schools are required by law to follow the Smart Snacks in School regulation for food sold a la carte, in school stores and in vending machines. It requires snacks to be lower in sugar, fats and calories, according to the USDA. Snacks must also have a whole grain, fruit, vegetable, dairy or protein as the first listed ingredient.
The contract is expected to be voted on Tuesday.
Guido said the proposed contract has three perks: it’s with a local business; it could bring more money in; and it would provide students, especially those who stay after school for practices, more food options.
“As long as there aren’t upfront costs to the district, I don’t see a negative,” Guido said.
