District renews vending contract with soda company

The Simi Valley school board renewed its vending contract with Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. with a 4-1 vote Tuesday, but for Carla Kurachi-the lone dissenting member-the decision was flawed.

Kurachi dissented because the board was prepared to vote on the issue without having it reviewed by the local wellness committee, a group responsible for overseeing the district's wellness policy that addresses health, safety, nutrition and physical activities.

"This is an issue of integrity," Kurachi said. "The committees feel like things are coming to the board through a back door and that they never have the opportunity to review issues. They don't feel like their work is appreciated."

Other members of the board were satisfied with the contract because it had been reviewed by Kathy Santiago, the district's director of food services and a member of the wellness committee, according to Lowell Schultze, the assistant superintendent of business and facilities.

According to school district officials, the contract could not have been renewed until January if it were to be reviewed by the wellness committee because of the absence of a school board meeting in December.

Some district officials also pointed out that state laws had been put into place to weed out non-nutritional foods from school campuses.

"The law has become stringent with nutritional guidelines. This contract meets the law and I feel it should be approved right away," said Debbie Sandland, the board's president.

According to school district officials, the new contract will reduce the number of vending machines from 22 to eight, require all products to meet nutritional codes and require the vending machines to meet new state and national energy requirements.

"The contract meets all the new rules and is consistent with district policy," Schultze said.