School food director reports 444,789 lunches served this year, district remains in federal CEP program
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Summary
The district’s food services director reported meal counts, reimbursements and programs tied to the National School Lunch Program and the CEP universal free-meal provision; the board discussed operational challenges and potential federal funding changes.
School City of East Chicago food services director Michael Hale reported to the board that the district served 444,789 lunches and 261,380 breakfasts during the 2024–25 school year under the National School Lunch Program and the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which provides universal free meals in high-need districts.
Hale said CEP allows the district to feed every student at no charge and that meal reimbursements come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He told the board the district received roughly $2,500,000 in USDA reimbursements this year, with a reported operating surplus of about $455,000 that the program can use for equipment and cafeteria upgrades.
"We qualify for what is called CEP, which is a community eligibility provision, which allows me to feed all of our students for free or at no cost to the student body," Hale said in the presentation. He described USDA nutrition regulation changes that will further reduce permitted sodium and sugar levels in school foods and said the district uses federal reimbursement dollars to replace equipment and improve meal presentation.
Hale provided a school-by-school breakdown: elementary lunch participation about 87% of enrolled students, middle-school lunch participation about 93%, and high-school lunch participation about 70%. For breakfast he reported 65% participation at elementary schools, 36% at the middle school and 26% at the high school; he noted breakfast participation is typically lower because it requires earlier arrival or additional cafeteria time.
Hale told trustees the district uses educational engagement strategies such as “So Good” (monthly features highlighting healthy foods), “Global Bites” (monthly international items), and a student voting bracket for foods during events such as “Food for Thought” (grain bracket leading to new menu items). Examples he cited included strawberry bruschetta and a winning breakfast item, maple oat bites, that will be added to next year’s menu.
Trustees asked whether the district could expand free breakfast-at-the-door programs used at one elementary school; Hale said building-level administration decides the delivery model because of instructional-time tradeoffs and building schedules. He told the board the district is currently financially solvent for food operations and is saving for larger cafeteria upgrades, including replacing a high-school walk-in cooler and freezer.
Trustees also discussed federal funding uncertainty and local sourcing. Hale said recent cuts eliminated a program that allowed direct purchasing from local farms; the district negotiated to keep some local supply lines (for example, beef from Fisher Farms and apples/pears from nearby producers) but said future federal changes could require adjustments.
The board received Hale’s report; no formal vote was required.
