CIP Frequently Asked Questions

Why are school kitchen renovations included in the proposed APS FY 2021 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and future CIPs?

With our school division’s focus on the whole child, APS has sought to provide access to food for all students, but a staff analysis determined that this is not possible with all of our school kitchens. Staff from the Dept. of Facilities and Operations worked with the Office of Food and Nutrition Services to assess the status and function of all APS elementary school kitchens. A decision was made several years ago to shift from preparing food at a central kitchen to, instead, preparing food at each school, which has greatly improved the quality of meals. The staff recommendation for specific kitchens to be expanded and renovated is considered urgent because APS is committed to continuing to provide higher-quality meals and no longer has a central kitchen to serve these schools. The freezers in the Trades Center warehouse—which had not been functional for years—were removed as part of the expansion of the Transportation staff facility, and the kitchen at Jefferson is not equipped to handle current needs.

In planning for the priority capital investment needs for APS infrastructure, staff identified the elementary schools in need of kitchen renovations. These capital improvements would create additional space for food storage and preparation and add common space for more effectively managing lunch lines, serving food, and seating more students during the typical three lunch cycles. With an expanded kitchen and choice, more students would opt to eat school-prepared lunches, reducing the concern that many students who bring food are not storing their lunches properly. Funding for renovations would include kitchen and additional space, kitchen equipment, and any other owner (soft) costs—the specifics would vary according to each school site. APS is requesting funding in the FY 2021 CIP for three kitchen renovations, and then funding over the next three years for renovations on four additional kitchens Many school kitchens were designed and equipped to serve food that was prepared at a central location, rather than to prepare food on-site, as is done today. The kitchens in many schools are only half the size they should be, given the number of lunches that are currently—or will be—prepared in them. Cooking space in the kitchens of the schools identified is generally not laid out properly nor does it contain the equipment needed for today’s menus. Rearrangement of kitchen equipment will not suffice. Inadequate space to store, prepare, and serve meals in many schools has led to food waste, long lines, and challenges with providing lunches that students want to eat.

As APS works to comply with new regulations and focuses on serving farm-to-school meals and local produce, our kitchens require additional space to clean and store produce. Many school kitchens lack adequate refrigeration and freezer space, for example, and have only one oven, which is not sufficient. Schools with additions and relocatable classrooms are serving considerably more students from the same small kitchen space and serving line set-up designed for the initial, much smaller student body. Some school administrators have cited these kitchen challenges as a major factor in the instructional schedule because of the difficulty in serving all students in the allotted lunch periods.

The Advisory Council on School Facilities and Capital Programs (FAC) has discussed common spaces in our schools and how these are affected by a school’s overall capacity when relocatable classrooms are used. The first tier of school facilities for kitchen renovations—Arlington Traditional, Key Immersion and McKinley—are included in the proposed FY 2021 CIP. Since these buildings are slated for facility refreshes in Summer 2020 due to school moves, the work can be done at the same time to ensure these schools are fully ready for students in Fall 2021. Without the kitchen expansions and renovations at these school facilities, APS will be unable to fully serve the incoming student population at these schools. The next tier of school facilities identified as priorities for kitchen renovations in future CIPs are Ashlawn, ASFS, Campbell, and Carlin Springs.