Eskilstuna Municipality Proposes Cost-Cutting Measures for School Meals
Eskilstuna municipality is facing financial constraints and is now looking to streamline its operations by implementing cost-saving measures. The service administration, responsible for food in Eskilstuna’s school canteens, has presented proposals to reduce expenses. These recommendations will soon be reviewed by the politicians in the service committee.
One of the proposed changes is to replace Bregott with Lätta in preschool, primary school, and upper secondary school. This switch to Lätta is expected to save approximately SEK 330,000 per year for the municipality. Another proposal suggests replacing milk and other meal drinks in upper secondary school with water only, resulting in a saving of around SEK 250,000 annually.
The service administration also wants the board to investigate the possibility and consequences of baking all the soft bread in-house for preschool and school. This move is expected to lower costs, as baking bread may be cheaper than purchasing it. Additionally, providing more bread may reduce overall food consumption as children are more likely to fill up on bread.
Eskilstuna municipality has been grappling with budgetary challenges, with 4 percent of the expected net costs remaining uncovered at the beginning of summer. This amounted to a shortfall of SEK 300 million. Although the government has pledged to increase general state grants by SEK 10 billion, allocating SEK 7 billion to municipalities, it will not be sufficient to rectify all the budget gaps.
Therefore, each administration must contribute to the financial stability of the municipality, even if it involves relatively smaller savings, such as the case with the service administration’s proposals.
While the administration’s recommendations appear reasonable, there are concerns regarding the replacement of meal drinks with water. Although some may prefer Bregott to Lätta, the priority is ensuring that children have something to spread on their sandwiches. Additionally, the introduction of freshly baked bread is seen as a positive change.
However, the responsible politicians in the political majority (M+S) must clarify their plans regarding the promise of introducing school breakfast in all schools. Mikael Edlund, chairman of the elementary school board, views this issue as a priority and included it in their joint political platform for the term.
A pilot project is currently underway in Djurgårdsskolan, Stålforsskolan, and Kjula school, offering free breakfast to students. However, the goal is to implement breakfast in all primary schools by the spring term. Introducing breakfast comes at a cost, with the pilot project expected to amount to approximately one million kroner during the autumn. If breakfast is to be provided in all schools, the estimated cost could be around ten million kroner, according to Mikael Edlund.
In a time of financial constraints, choices and priorities must be made in politics. The municipality’s funds are limited, and if SEK 10 million needs to be allocated for school breakfasts, reductions in other activities will be necessary. This challenge emerges as the municipality enters a budget year fraught with financial difficulties.
The board must explain the source of funding for school breakfasts in all schools; otherwise, the breakfast initiative may be limited to water and bread, lacking the intended nutritional value. It is imperative that Eskilstuna municipality finds a balance between financial stability and providing adequate services to its residents.