A report from the Washington State Education Funding Coalition indicates that Washington State public schools and universities could save from 20 to 40 percent by having professional, on-site services companies handle or manage their dining or food services.

With the State of Washington projecting a $2.6 billion budget deficit for 2010 (following an $8 billion budget deficit during 2009), the funding that the State of Washington provides to its public schools and public universities likely will continue to decrease.

The report recommends that public schools and universities consider utilizing services firms to handle or manage non-instructional services (such as dining and food services) because it will allow schools "to focus both their funding and their expertise on their most important task: providing their students with a strong education, while leaving their supporting services to professional companies to handle."

The report cites several examples, including a public university that partnered with a professional on-site services company to provide purchasing and culinary standards support to their dining program and, with just 20 percent of their current purchasing analyzed, they were able to save more than 14 percent in purchasing cost in year one.

Click here for a synopsis of the report.