Big Lake board approves food-service budget revisions, adds two teaching positions after presentation by new director

The Big Lake Public School District board approved revisions to the food-service budget, accepted the monthly financial report and authorized two 2025–26 staff additions — one high-school DCD/ASD teacher and one elementary teacher — following a presentation by new food-service director Alyssa Waksman.

Waksman, introduced to the board as the district’s new food-service director, outlined participation rates and program ideas. She told the board she has worked in the food industry since age 16 and has five weeks on the job. She provided school-by-school participation figures the district is using to track program performance: Liberty Elementary breakfast participation 45% (down 4 percentage points from last year) and lunch 80% (down 2 points); Independence Elementary breakfast 29% (down 9 points) and lunch 79% (about even); middle-school breakfast 8% (down 5 points) and lunch 79% (up 11 points); high-school breakfast 12% (about even) and lunch 64% (up 1 point). Waksman said the program offers extensive special-diet menus coordinated with parents and the school nurse.

The board heard that the district projects revenues from food service increased by about $32,000 while expenditures rose by about $35,000 in a midyear revision; the district projects a restricted food-service fund balance of $690,006.90. A staff presenter noted the state had waived the usual three-month operating-expenditure fund-balance requirement for 2024–25 but indicated that requirement is expected to return in 2025–26. The presenter also described a multiyear equipment-replacement plan paid from the food-service fund and said those upgrades kept the district from tapping the general fund.

Waksman described program initiatives the district plans to explore, including a Global Eats menu rotation and using an on-site hydroponic gardening system to supply fresh herbs and lettuce for school meals and to involve students in “farm-to-table” learning. She said some menu items are prepared on-site and some are premade; Chartwells, the district’s vendor, provides tools to solicit student feedback and conduct tasting sessions.

On staffing, the board approved adding two full-time-equivalent positions for 2025–26: a high-school teacher to serve students identified as DCD (developmental cognitive delay) and ASD (autism spectrum disorder), and one additional elementary teacher to reduce class sizes at Independence Elementary. The district will shift one teacher from Liberty to Independence and add one net elementary FTE because Independence needs two teachers to meet board-approved class-size ranges. A staff member said the district expects special-education funding to offset part of the high-school position but typically the state reimbursement arrives a year later and the district “gets about 60% back.” The board approved immediate posting of the high-school special-education position because it is hard to fill.

Board member Berry moved to approve the food-service budget revisions, the 2025–26 staffing additions and the financial report; the motion carried unanimously.

Going forward, staff said they will continue to monitor participation metrics, continue equipment upgrades from the restricted fund balance, and pursue student engagement strategies such as tasting sessions and hydroponic-garden integration.