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RCSD food service warns participation-driven model and 26.5 FTE reduction could affect operations
Summary
District food-service leaders told the Board food programs are 100% reimbursed by state and federal meal reimbursements and therefore tightly tied to student participation; administrators defended proposed 26.5 FTE reductions as responsive to meals-per-labor-hour staffing, while commissioners pressed for details on school-level impacts and menu quality.
The Rochester City School District’s food service leaders told the Board of Education on May 5 that the program is essentially self-sustaining and that every meal served directly generates reimbursement. “Food service within the RCSD is 100% funded through federal and state reimbursements,” Chief Scott said, adding that the program has “very little to no cushion.”
That funding model, officials said, means participation drives revenue and staffing. District leaders defended a budget line that reduces about 26.5 full‑time‑equivalent positions in food service as the result of a meals‑per‑labor‑hour staffing model and a number of unfilled or vacant positions. “When participation increases, we have to add more employees,” Chief Scott said. “If participation drops, funding immediately is impacted.”
Director of Support Operations for Food Service Bandeli Akenili described how student taste tests guide menus and reduce waste, citing examples such as a 92% approval rating for a peach pancake bowl and about 9% approval for mac-and-cheese bites, which were removed from menus after poor ratings. He said the department conducts roughly 19 taste tests to inform planned menus and purchasing.
Board members pressed for details about where the FTE reductions would occur and what they would mean for food quality at specific schools. Commissioner Santiago said the presentation largely recapped known program practices and asked how staffing cuts would affect meal quality in schools that already feel understaffed. Chief Scott and Akenili said some of the reductions reflect vacancies the department has not filled, and that participation gains would allow the department to restore positions where needed.
Commissioner Malloy and others asked for more granular figures: which positions are vacant, which schools would see reduced hours, and whether fund balance dollars have been used to support food-service investments. Administration said less than $1 million remains in the food-service fund balance, which has been used in the past for kitchen upgrades and equipment replacements. The presenters also pointed to a projected $1.6 million reduction in the consumable food line (object code 5410) in the proposed budget.
Officials reiterated that the department operates on a break‑even basis and reinvests any surplus into equipment and program improvements. “We operate on a break‑even basis,” Akenili said. “Whatever we receive, we reinvest back into the program.”
Next steps and requests from the board included: an itemized list of the 26.5 FTE reductions and how many are vacant versus active positions; clarification of how charter‑school meal contracts affect district staffing and accounting; and a school‑by‑school breakdown of how kitchen configuration, lunch period length and attendance affect participation rates and staffing decisions.
The board’s questions reflected concerns that labor cuts could shift the program toward more prepackaged or reheated meals in some buildings and that reductions could worsen food quality and participation in the long run. Administration said they would provide the requested school‑level staffing and vacancy detail.
