Food service director and CFO outline meal numbers, proposed price and wage changes

Julie Hickeyi, coordinator of food services for Queen Anne's County Public Schools, told the board on May 6 that the district served 713,498 meals during the 2024–25 school year — about 1,300 breakfasts and 2,600 lunches per day on average — and described program expansions and nutrition compliance efforts.

Hickeyi said four schools participate in Maryland Meals for Achievement (breakfast in the classroom) with roughly 52% breakfast participation at those schools versus about 10% elsewhere. She described summer feeding expansion that grew from about 5,500 meals previously to more than 21,000 meals in summer 2025 after adding three rural non‑congregate feeding sites; the district plans four additional summer grab‑and‑go sites and increased meal weeks and hours for summer 2026.

Hickeyi also reviewed federal nutritional rules being phased in: the district implemented limits on added sugar for cereals, yogurts and flavored milk by July 1, 2025, and is preparing to meet a sodium reduction phase scheduled for July 1, 2027. She noted local procurement efforts, saying roughly 90% of lettuce served comes from Greenville Hydroponics under a local‑food grant.

Rob Watkins, the district chief financial officer, reviewed the food‑service fund (fund 5) and said the district opened FY26 with approximately $1.812 million in that fund and used $132,413 to balance FY25 (rather than the larger amount projected earlier). Watkins said current projections reduce FY26 fund‑balance use to roughly $150,000 and project an end‑of‑year fund balance near $1.6 million.

To improve the program's sustainability, staff proposed two changes for board consideration in the June budget package: a wage increase for part‑time food‑service employees from $6.20/hour (transcript figure) to $18/hour, and a 25‑cent per‑meal price increase districtwide (raising breakfast to $2.00; elementary lunch to $3.00; middle/high lunch to $3.25; staff lunch to $4.50). Watkins said the 25‑cent increase would generate an estimated $78,000 in additional revenue based on current meal counts.

Board members asked for a clearer multi‑year plan to reduce fund‑balance reliance and for more detail on waste‑reduction strategies and projected savings from vendor changes. Hickeyi described waste controls (pre‑ordering at three elementary schools, production records, inventory adjustments) and Watkins pointed to expected savings from a new contract with Gordon Foods and tighter operations.

The board did not approve price changes at the May 6 meeting but staff said they would return with a budget that includes the proposed adjustments in the June meeting schedule.