Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Child Nutrition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Child Nutrition director reports 1.3 million meals served in 2024–25, pilots breakfast‑in‑cafeteria and menu changes
Summary
Director Kim Prowl told the board that CISD served about 1.3 million meals in 2024–25, piloted breakfast‑in‑the‑cafeteria at several elementary schools to reduce waste, and plans menu, staffing and regulatory adjustments for 2025–26.
Kim Prowl, CISD director of Child Nutrition, updated the board on June 16, 2025, on meal service, staffing, reimbursements and program changes, reporting about 1.3 million total meals served during the 2024–25 school year and several operational changes to improve quality and reduce waste.
Prowl said breakfast counts were down slightly while lunch participation rose; total reimbursable meals included roughly 1,460,000 breakfasts and 3,357,000 lunches in an accounting table she presented (the combined federal reimbursement figures shown to the board were used to reimburse purchases rather than indicate net revenue). Prowl explained that a la carte sales — snack and extra‑entree sales — provide local revenue to pay for equipment and kitchen upgrades and that a la carte receipts were up, particularly at the high school.
The district trialed breakfast‑in‑the‑cafeteria at several elementary campuses to reduce waste seen in classroom breakfast programs. Prowl said the program reduced discarded milk and other items and that campuses established share stations for unopened, approved items so other students can take food rather than it being discarded.
Prowl described planned changes for next year including expanded student taste testing, menu enhancements, increased fresh fruit and vegetable offerings, more culturally diverse meals and continued vendor testing. She also noted an upcoming Texas requirement to remove food dyes from school food that will require vendor coordination during the 2025–26 year.
On staffing and prices Prowl said student meals remained free under the program; staff breakfast is $2.50 and staff/adult lunch $4.25; visitor and student visitor pricing varies by campus. Prowl said staff trainings included health inspection, menu planning, recipe training and manager certifications.
Prowl told trustees the department plans to redirect some high‑school snack traffic to a bistro area to reduce congestion at the reimbursable lunch lines and to continue monitoring student satisfaction and waste. No board action was required.
