White County school nutrition director warns fund balance is shrinking as federal reimbursements lag food costs

White County Schools’ nutrition supervisor, Tanya Savage, told the school board May 27 that the district’s School Nutrition Program remains federally financed under the Community Eligibility Provision but is drawing down its fund balance as food and labor costs rise.

Savage said CEP means “all students in White County Schools eat free,” which removes student-paid charges from the program’s revenue mix. She discussed other revenue lines that support meals, including projected a la carte sales of about $42,000 next year, USDA commodity entitlement and a Department of Defense produce purchasing program that typically supplies roughly $100,000–$110,000 in fresh produce for the district annually.

Why it matters: the nutrition fund is separate from the general-purpose school fund and operates primarily on reimbursements for meals served. Savage and board members flagged a projected…