Crete-Monee Secures Lower Rates for Waste Removal, Renews Milk Contract

Crete-Monee Board of Education Meeting | May 12, 2026

Article Summary: The Board of Education reviewed bid results that will secure a two-year waste and recycling contract with Republic Services at a reduced rate, alongside a one-year milk procurement renewal with Prairie Farms.

District Procurement Key Points:

• Republic Services won the garbage and recycling bid for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years, beating out Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS).

• The new contract reduces garbage service costs by nearly 6% and recycling costs by just under 21%.

• Prairie Farms Dairy Inc. was the sole bidder for milk procurement, offering a flexible pricing model for a one-year term with up to four years of optional extensions.

The Crete-Monee School District 201-U Board of Education on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, reviewed bid results for essential district services, securing notable cost reductions for waste management and locking in milk prices for the upcoming school year.

Assistant Superintendent of Business Jason Okrasinski announced that the district went out to bid for garbage and recycling services, receiving proposals from two vendors: incumbent provider Republic Services and Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS).

Republic Services secured the winning bid for the two-year contract spanning the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years. According to the board packet, Republic Services proposed an annual total of $48,421.32 for Year 1 and $50,842.38 for Year 2. By contrast, LRS proposed $66,312.00 for Year 1 and $68,964.00 for Year 2.

“After crunching the numbers, garbage services went down slightly under 6% and recycling services went down just under 21%,” Okrasinski reported, noting the savings over the previous contract. The services will be paid through the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Fund.

The Board also reviewed the bid results for district-wide milk procurement. Prairie Farms Dairy Inc., the district’s incumbent provider, was the sole bidder.

The proposed 2026-2027 unit pricing utilizes an “escalation/de-escalation” flexible model based on the USDA Federal Milk Market Price. The starting rates are $0.295 for 1% White Milk, $0.315 for Non-fat or 1% Chocolate Milk, and $0.999 for Lactaid.

Board President Maurice Brown questioned the protocol for handling a single-source bidder, expressing concern that a vendor without competition might submit artificially high prices.

“If a vendor is out there knowing they’re going to be the only bidder, hey, you know what, I’m gonna give them a price. Take it or leave it,” Brown said.

Okrasinski assured the Board that Director of Food Service Pamela Pansa actively cross-references the submitted prices against a broader purchasing cooperative to ensure competitiveness.

“Bid results were lower than the purchasing cooperative,” Okrasinski confirmed, adding that Prairie Farms is one of the largest regional dairy providers, effectively cutting out the middleman.

Board Secretary Janine Woolfolk inquired why the administration was only recommending a one-year contract if Prairie Farms was the preferred vendor. Okrasinski explained that the contract is for one year with options to extend for up to four additional years, giving the district an easy exit strategy.

“If we don’t like it after one year, it gives us an out,” Okrasinski said. “If we’re happy, we can just continue to extend and not go back out to bid.”

The Board will officially vote to award both contracts at its May 19 regular meeting.