Rockport-Fulton ISD nutrition director reports meal participation gains, flags federal program changes

Valerie Fountain (identified in the agenda as the child nutrition presenter) told the Rockport-Fulton ISD board on June 19 that the district served 192,182 breakfasts and 374,364 lunches during the 2024–25 school year, an increase of 7,161 total meals compared with the prior year. Fountain said the program’s first goal is to feed as many students as possible and noted that a second-chance breakfast program averaged about 140–147 participating students daily at the high school.

Fountain described summer feeding being offered Monday through Thursday with Thursday lunches including weekend meal packs that are available to the wider community. She highlighted the district’s recent honors in state farm‑fresh challenges (the district received a “cream of the crop” recognition) and described participation in the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program at Live Oak Learning Center starting in October, which includes classroom-based taste‑testing and an educational component.

Fountain also discussed forthcoming federal changes that could affect district operations: the district is in a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) cycle through 06/30/2027, but she said proposed eligibility changes (referenced in her remarks as raising a threshold from 25% to 60%) could affect whether the district remains on CEP; she said the final implementation timing and effect on the current CEP cycle were uncertain. Fountain summarized upcoming USDA school nutrition standard changes that will add product-based limits for added sugars in breakfast cereals, yogurts and flavored milk, and a scheduled sodium reduction in 2027–28. She said the district is tracking nondomestic food‑purchase caps and estimated its current nondomestic purchases at roughly 7% of dollars spent; she described steps to document nondomestic purchases to meet future caps.

Board members praised the child nutrition staff for increasing participation despite enrollment and attendance challenges; one trustee asked whether the nondomestic percent was measured by dollars (Fountain said yes). Trustees also asked how the sugar limits might affect local menus; Fountain said she has been reducing grain-based desserts and expects minimal near-term impact. She also noted the district had received a small Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program award for Live Oak and said local pilot items such as pea pods remained on menus after introductions.

Why it matters: School-meal participation affects student nutrition and district meal revenue/operations; federal program and nutrition standard changes could alter eligibility, reporting and menu planning during the next CEP cycle.

District staff did not take formal action on nutrition items at the meeting; trustees requested continued monitoring and updates if federal eligibility or standard changes are finalized.