Upper Dublin food service details finances, menus and local procurement; no price increase planned for 2026

Kristen Deli, director of food services for Upper Dublin School District, told the Finance Committee on Feb. 19 that the district’s food service program operates under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs and that the department is managed as an enterprise fund separate from the district’s general fund.

Deli said the department runs like a business, follows USDA nutrition and procurement rules, completes a PDE procurement review every three years and a comprehensive administrative review every five years, and uses federal commodity entitlement to buy products such as frozen broccoli or bulk cheese. “All food service operations conducted by our department are principally for the benefit of school children and all the revenue from which we use, which is used solely for the operation or improvement of food services,” Deli said.

The presentation summarized recent program initiatives: a welcome video to help families and students navigate meal lines; a “peak season processing” project in June that converted local produce into ready-to‑serve items; a more fully integrated participation in the PA Harvest of the Month program; larger student taste‑testing pilots with vendors that yielded more than 1,000 responses; and kitchen renovations at Fort Washington Elementary.

Deli broke down revenue and expense categories and described how state and federal reimbursements interact for breakfasts and lunches. She said Pennsylvania’s supplemental state payments under the current Universal School Breakfast arrangement shift state contribution levels so that, for paid-category breakfasts, the federal portion (about $0.39) and a state supplement (about $1.98) together make meals free for families under current budget assumptions. Deli warned those state supplements could change if the universal breakfast policy or federal contributions shift.

On pricing, Deli said the district charges $3.10 for elementary paid lunches and $3.35 for secondary paid lunches and that she is not recommending an increase in meal prices for the 2026 school year. “We are not going to be making any recommendations to increase meal prices for the 2026 school year,” she said, adding she will formalize that stance at a later meeting.

Committee members pressed on vulnerability to changes in federal reimbursements and on negative lunch debt. Deli said the department is financially healthy, with a fund balance that provides short‑term flexibility, but noted program rules such as paid lunch equity limit how some funds can be used. She said negative lunch debt has been consistent at about $12,000 and that universal breakfast has eliminated negative breakfast debt.

Deli described staffing and capital priorities: a proposed five‑year capital improvement plan to modernize service lines and equipment across kitchens, a focus on recruitment and retention, and expanded professional development for culinary and equipment maintenance skills. She also discussed food cost pressures, noting food accounts for roughly 41.6% of the department’s expenses and that a cooperative RFP with 60 surrounding districts has helped stabilize pricing.

The committee also heard that the district has a line item on the agenda to accept $5,000 in Acme gift card donations to support food service equipment needs. Deli said those donations and future “round up at the register” campaigns help chip away at equipment gaps.

Deli closed by asking the committee for continued support as the department seeks greater local procurement, recipe reformulations to meet updated USDA meal pattern requirements for sodium and fats, and consistent equipment upgrades across schools to equalize students’ meal experiences.

Committee members thanked Deli and praised staff work and community partnerships. The presentation proceeded to committee questions and ordinary meeting business.