Tony, district finance staff, told the board the Nutrition Services Fund was marked with “yellow triangles” to flag a matter of slight concern: the state Healthy School Meals for All program’s revenues and expenditures are not aligning, creating funding uncertainty for the district’s universal free‑meal provision.

“All regular meals are free for our students,” Tony said, and the nutrition fund is financed primarily by the state Healthy School Meals for All program, the National School Lunch Program and any a‑la‑carte charges. He told the board the state program’s initial revenue projections were higher and expenditure estimates lower than actual experience, and said, “they don't have enough money to sustain Healthy School Meals for All.”

Tony said the Colorado legislature responded by placing a ballot measure on the November ballot that would let the state retain certain revenues otherwise returned under TABOR (the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights) to bolster the program. He said if the ballot measure passes, the program could be maintained in its current form; if it fails, Healthy School Meals for All would continue but not universally.

Under that scenario, Tony explained, only schools that meet the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) threshold would be fully covered. He said district staff estimated all but nine schools in the district would qualify under CEP pooling; the remaining schools could need to revert to individual family meal charges unless other local measures were adopted.

Tony described pooling options used to meet the CEP threshold — combining schools so a group crosses the 40% free‑ and reduced‑eligibility floor — and noted possible future federal changes to the CEP threshold have been discussed but are not settled. He told the board the district would need contingency planning, communications with families and further conversations about mid‑year operational changes if the ballot measure does not pass in November 2025.

Board members did not take formal action on the nutrition fund during the study session; Tony said staff would continue monitoring the issue and develop contingency steps and communications plans if needed.