BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
The Palo Alto Unified School District, which is facing an estimated $33 million in budget cuts next year, bought two sushi machines for $56,599 last year, purchasing records show.
The machines are called “Xtop R1.” They can make 240 to 360 rolls per hour in different sizes, according to the vendor.
The district spent $18,067 with East Bay Restaurant Supply on Jan. 13, 2025, and $38,532 with Culinary Depot on June 6, 2025, according to purchasing reports submitted to the school board. The district bought the machines using a kitchen infrastructure grant from the California Department of Education, said district spokeswoman Lynette White.
The Student Nutrition Services Department bought the machines because sushi was the second most requested lunch entree by students, only behind pizza, White said.
“We hand-rolled sushi several times, found it too labor-intensive, and ultimately decided to request quotes for sushi-rolling machines,” White said.
Every school in the district now has a “sushi specialty day,” White said.
“We offered California rolls with surimi instead of real crabmeat, and vegetarian sushi with fresh red, green, and yellow bell pepper strips, shredded carrots, and cucumber sticks,” White said.
The purchases were brought to light on Wednesday by school board candidate Avery Wang during an interview with the Daily Post. He mentioned the machines after being asked about how, if elected, he would address the budget hole the district is facing. Current estimates say the district will have to cut $33 million next year, which will mean layoffs.
Wang said he was concerned to see the budget outlook because property tax revenue is going up, and student enrollment is going down.
Wang said sushi machines are a tiny fraction of the district’s budget but could represent a larger problem.
“I’m convinced there’s a lot of waste,” he said.
Wang said he wants to hire an independent auditor and end no-bid contracts. Governments often bid for products and services in order to obtain the best price from a list of qualified bidders. Without bids, governments sometimes pay more than necessary.
For example, the district hired the company Right At School to run an after-school program instead of continuing with the nonprofit Palo Alto Community Child Care as the sole provider. Wang also criticized the board for hiring the firm WestEd for $563,414 to develop tests for students to skip a level in middle school math.
“This is fiscally suboptimal when free options are available,” Wang said at a board meeting in February 2025.
Wang said the board should look into an increase in spending on administrators during the nine-year tenure of former Superintendent Don Austin.
More extravagance and waste from the Don Austin Era. And this was happening under the nose of our current school board. When teachers lose their jobs next year, they’ll be thinking about these sushi machines.