District nutrition staff warn school lunch program faces rising costs, limited reimbursements

Chair opened the Committee of the Whole meeting by asking Beth and Thomas to brief the board on how the district runs food service and the budget pressures it faces.

Beth, a member of the district’s nutrition team, described how commodity allotments and supplier constraints limit menu planning. She said the district receives roughly $36,000 in USDA commodities annually, with about $8,000–$9,000 allocated for produce, and described repeated allocations that do not always match local needs (for example, receiving multiple cases of the same canned vegetable in successive years). Beth said rising market prices — she estimated food prices had risen “about 30%” in the past year — have stretched the program while reimbursements have not kept pace.

Beth explained how Titan software helps track production, vending and a la carte sales and said the district has used BOCES Market Basket purchasing to gain volume discounts and reduce wasted spending. On staffing, she said wages and limited benefits make hiring and retention difficult for food‑service employees who often prefer higher‑paying jobs outside the district.

Thomas, who provided financial context, said most food‑service revenue comes…