Food services reports April loss, details collection process as board members press on ‘lunch debt’

Food-service staff told the Wallingford Board of Education operations committee on Monday that the district’s food-service operations posted a monthly loss of $11,209 for April, leaving a year-to-date surplus of $53,350, and described processes the district uses to notify families and limit unpaid balances.

“During April, we served 56,059 meals, and we're expecting $128,585 in reimbursements based on April's activity,” the food-service presenter said. The district reported state reimbursement owed of $1,664 for April.

Committee members raised concerns about unpaid lunch balances. Food services described automatic daily email notices to the parent of record whenever an account has a negative balance. The presenter said principals are notified when a balance exceeds $30 so building administrators can contact families and offer help or a free/reduced application; any balance over $100 prompts a letter and additional contact from the assistant superintendent.

“Most of that is well under $30,” the presenter said when asked about the roughly $11,000 the district tracks in unpaid meal balances; weekly totals fluctuate between about $8,000 and $11,000.

Board members and staff emphasized that students continue to receive meals regardless of account status. The assistant superintendent said the district also refers families to local resources and offers social-service supports when needed. The committee heard participation statistics: elementary breakfast participation 23.4%, middle schools 10.2%, high school 8.6%; large-meal participation about 49.3% at elementary, 53.7% at middle and 44.6% at high school.

No formal policy changes were proposed; the committee accepted the cafeteria report and moved it to the full board meeting.