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Nutrition director: free breakfast expanded, federal rules changing — more funding needed
Summary
District nutrition director reported three state reviews, described a spend‑down plan that funds free breakfast at elementary schools, and warned that proposed dietary guideline changes would strain local budgets without additional federal funding.
The district’s nutrition director told the board that state reviewers completed administrative, resource‑management and procurement audits and that the department is using a federal ‘‘spend‑down’’ plan to invest available federal money in student nutrition programs.
Under the spend‑down the district is providing free breakfast at all elementary schools this year and purchasing kitchen equipment — actions intended to reduce carryover in the federal O6 fund while improving student access. According to the director, the elementary sites have seen sharp increases in breakfast participation; Riverview had served 20,432 breakfasts through February in the current school year.
The director warned that forthcoming federal dietary‑guideline changes — including reductions in added sugar and saturated fat and recommendations to increase protein at breakfast — will require new equipment and changes to procurement. “Manufacturers need time to reformulate,” she said, and the district’s largely heat‑and‑serve kitchens are not currently equipped for expanded scratch cooking. She and board members said they lobbied congressional staffers in Washington D.C. to request additional funding to meet the new rules.
The director also noted that current reimbursement is approximately $4.70 per free meal, which must cover labor, benefits, food and equipment, and that the district will continue to track audit items and corrective actions as staff finalize resource‑management and procurement reviews.
