District facilities staff presented exploratory designs for kitchen upgrades at Dodge Middle School and North Trail Elementary and described potential funding from the district’s food service fund reserves.

Dan, the district facilities director, said the Dodge kitchen is cramped and largely original to the building; the team is exploring reclaiming adjacent lounge space to improve service flow. "Our current estimated budget for that is a little over $1,100,000," he said. For North Trail, he described a failing dishwasher and inadequate ventilation, estimating the project at about $240,000 to swap equipment and add an exhaust hood.

Dan said changes made to food service fund rules during COVID allowed larger reserves, but the district expects to return toward a three‑month reserve and would like to use excess food service balances for these capital expenditures. He warned, however, that the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has historically disallowed certain architectural or electrical work as food service fund expenditures. "I'm not gonna stand here and tell you that we have a 100% guarantee of it," he said, noting some components could require alternate funding (general fund or LTFM).

Board members asked for a clear cost breakdown showing which items are fully fundable through food service and which are at risk of rejection by MDE before approving any bid authorization. Dan said the district will return with final designs and a written cost breakdown before the board acts.