Assistant Superintendent Corbin and Food Service Director Bridal briefed the Board on federal and state meal programs and the district’s recent choices: middle schools have recommitted to the federal School Breakfast Program (SBP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) for 2025–26 under New York State’s universal-meals rollout, while the high school has not rejoined the federal program because officials project a shortfall tied to lost a la carte revenue and product limitations under federal meal rules.

Why it matters: Governor Kathy Hochul’s New York universal school meals policy for 2025–26 makes every public-school student in the state eligible for free breakfast and lunch, but districts must participate in the federal program (NSLP/SBP) to receive state reimbursement. Corbin and Bridal told the Board the prerequisite federal enrollment, federal nutrition requirements and the design of the high school’s snack shacks make high-school participation fiscally and operationally complex.

Most important facts
- Federal programs: School Breakfast Program (SBP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) require participating schools to serve meals meeting federal meal-pattern nutrition standards and to file menus and documentation with state and federal offices.
- New York State universal meals: Officials said Governor Kathy Hochul’s program (effective 2025–26) will reimburse participating districts for meals beyond federal reimbursements, but schools must be enrolled in the federal program first; application deadlines were referenced as July 31, 2025 (earlier communications) and July 31, 2026 for future participation decisions.
- District decisions: Middle schools were returned to the federal SBP/NSLP for 2025–26; administrators reported the high school did not rejoin the federal program before the current year because many popular a la carte items do not meet federal nutrition rules and those items generated roughly $180,000 in a la carte revenue last year.
- Financial projection: The food-service team projected approximately $88,000 in additional federal/state reimbursement if the high school were enrolled, but also estimated a roughly $100,000 gap (that is, lost a la carte revenue minus new reimbursement) that would have to be covered from the general fund in the current year if participation levels were insufficient.
- Operational concerns: Federal program rules would require all food sold during the school day to meet meal-pattern guidelines (affecting snack shacks, fundraisers and a la carte lines); portion sizes and permitted products differ from the district’s prior offerings.

Discussion vs. decisions
- Discussion: Board members and staff discussed program differences (state vs. federal), the district’s prior opt-out history, student voice and choice, and how to engage students and families in menu design.
- Direction/assignments: Staff proposed continuing monitoring of middle-school participation and planning student-engagement activities (menu-chats, wellness-committee discussions) to inform a high-school decision before the next application window.
- Decision: The district reported that it returned its middle schools to the federal program for 2025–26 and that the high school remained off the federal program for now; no formal board vote on joining the program for the high school was recorded at this meeting.

Quotes (from meeting participants)
- Assistant Superintendent Corbin: "In order to receive state funds, the prerequisite is you have to be on the federal program."
- Food Service Director Bridal: "If we're part of that program, we cannot serve" certain a la carte items that students currently purchase.
- Public commenter Christine Lehi (during public comment): "We were very excited when it was announced that the kids would get free meals at school. But we were very surprised and disappointed to hear that FM declined participation for the high school program...it would have been even better to ask the high school students their thoughts."

Next steps
Staff recommended continued student engagement (monthly "menu chats"), collaboration with the wellness committee, tracking middle-school participation rates this year, and revisiting a high-school application before the next state deadline if participation and financial projections support it.