Consultant: Schools could save money without Sodexo

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — The board of education has received an auditor's report that says it could be cheaper to hire its own facilities management staff rather than continue a contract with Sodexo.

Board Chairman Eugene Nocera said the board will take the auditor's report into consideration and make a decision June 9 on whether to renew the contract with Sodexo for the next school year.

"We have a much clearer understanding of the savings and costs involved in our contract with Sodexo," Nocera said.

School officials said the price comparison did not take into account quality of service or other more subjective measures of Sodexo's performance, so the price of the contract alone should not determine whether the board of education continues the contract.

"Their job was not to give a recommendation to the board, their job was to perform an audit of the savings and costs," Nocera said.

Superintendent Patricia Charles said the report's examination of costs and services indicates Middletown would be able to save $268,910 by hiring its own full-time staff. She cautioned that the figure does not measure the expertise of the company's staff or services they have provided like cleanup of a mold problem at Woodrow Wilson Middle School two summers ago.

The board of education hired Sodexo for the 2013-14 school year, and pays the company about $2 million to handle facilities management and cafeteria services.

Board members in March asked for an audit of Sodexo's savings projections to make sure the school district is getting a good deal.

The report by Arum & Associates of Torrington includes examination of invoices, staff costs and responsibilities of the company representatives.

"We limited our scope to determining the estimated costs of the district running the operation on its own without using a facilities management consulting firm. We were not asked to evaluate the facilities operation, Sodexo's performance, or the performance of the department prior to Sodexo's arrival. As such, we offer no opinions or recommendations on whether the district should continue with the contractor or return to full in-district operations," the report says.