Mehlville school food program reports steady participation; board continues universal free breakfast at four schools

The Mehlville R‑IX School District presented an update on school food and nutrition on May 22, reporting strong health inspection scores, steady participation growth and program finances the director described as stable while the department manages rising costs.

Director Katie Gegg told the board that health‑department inspections—conducted twice annually—showed only minor facility issues, not food‑safety problems. The department stores frozen USDA commodity cases off site, maintains a district warehouse and recently added a new walk‑in cooler. Gegg said participation in breakfast has risen, in part because the district has implemented universal free breakfast at several elementary schools.

Financials and capital: Gegg presented FY25 food‑service figures showing roughly $4.4 million in revenue and about $4.6 million in expenses to date, with a fund balance around $3.5 million (figures rounded; presentation date May 3). She said the department had secured a DESE grant that will cover most of a planned $300,000 equipment purchase (a dishwasher and related items) and that federal reimbursement rates for meals are expected to be announced in July.

Universal breakfast: Katie Gegg and staff explained the universal free breakfast program, which charges no breakfast fee to students while the district continues to claim federal reimbursement by each student’s eligibility category. The district requires roughly a 45% free‑and‑reduced percentage at a building to sustain the program. Gegg showed participation charts indicating a roughly 10% increase where universal breakfast was introduced and recommended continuing the program at Beasley, Beerbohm, Porter and Berkeley for 2025–26. The board approved that motion 6–0.

Operational notes: Gegg said the program is self‑funded—revenue from federal reimbursement and meal sales must remain in the food service fund—and identified challenges that include encouraging families to complete free‑and‑reduced applications, rising food costs and periodic staffing vacancies. Strengths cited included stable warehouse capacity, a trained staff and strong health inspection results.

What happens next: The food‑service department will continue to monitor participation and federal rates and report back to the board. The board’s approval allows the four schools to operate universal free breakfast in the 2025–26 school year.

Provenance: Excerpts supporting this article appear in the meeting transcript where Katie Gegg presented inspection scores, revenue/expense figures and universal breakfast participation charts and where the board recorded the motion to approve continuation of the program.