Board creates nutrition services operations manager as meal service volumes jump

The Barstow Unified School District board approved creation of a nutrition services operations manager after hearing that meal service across district sites has grown substantially since the prior year.

Veronica Calderon, the district’s director of nutrition services, told trustees the department now serves 13 school sites and operates a central kitchen. She said the program has experienced a marked year‑over‑year increase in meals served and that staffing and on‑site monitoring needs have grown as a result. Calderon summarized recent gains: increased scratch and semi‑scratch meal production, expanded on‑site monitoring and staff training, and equipment upgrades to meet demand.

“Our department is vital to the success of our students’ academic success,” Calderon told the board, explaining the operations manager would focus on food‑safety monitoring, personnel evaluation, and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures across sites.

Calderon provided aggregated metrics to show expanded service: she told trustees the district served tens of thousands more meals this year than last year, citing increases in breakfasts, lunches and summer meals, which she said together amounted to more than 61,000 additional meals compared with the prior year.

Trustees approved the position by voice vote during the consent/discussion sequence. The new role will support ongoing efforts to hire and onboard nutrition staff and to sustain fresher menu options and quality improvements across campus sites.

Next steps: staff will integrate the new manager into ongoing operations, continue on‑site monitoring and report back to the board on staffing and program outcomes.