North Penn SD nutrition chief outlines $8.7M fund balance, summer meal expansion and equipment, staffing plans

Melissa Green, coordinator for school nutrition services, told the North Penn School District finance committee on June 2 that the district's child nutrition enterprise finished last year with a net cash resource of about $8.7 million and is planning to spend down part of that balance on equipment, staff and program improvements.

The presentation, delivered during the committee's budget review, said the department recorded no findings from recent Pennsylvania Department of Education and USDA audits. "We had no findings for either of those audits," Green said, noting the reviews covered thousands of meals served annually.

The nut of the budget recommendation is to hold student meal prices steady for 2026'27. Green said breakfast is "no cost to all of our students," and that proposed paid lunch prices remain unchanged (elementary $2.80, middle school $3.00, high school $3.25). She said those figures reflect existing state programs and the district's four community eligibility (C) schools: Hatfield, NAP, Oak Park and Northbridge.

Green described the revenue mix for the enterprise fund: about 44% federal subsidy, roughly 20% paid student sales, 11% state subsidy, 8% USDA commodities and the remainder from catering and other program revenues. On the expense side, roughly 46% of the budget goes to salaries and benefits and about 41% to food costs.

The food service budget shows a growing fund balance that exceeds the three-month operating reserve set by federal guidance. "Our net cash resource at the end of last year was 8.7 million," Green said, adding that the three-month target is about $2.1 million and that the department has worked with the state on corrective action plans that the state has approved. Green said those plans and a targeted equipment replacement schedule justify planned spending in 2026'27.

Planned uses include purchasing and maintaining kitchen equipment, expanding a chef program that supports recipe development and student engagement, and creating or elevating several positions: assistant team leaders in elementary kitchens, a utility supervisor for preventive maintenance, a transport-and-maintenance technician and a training supervisor to oversee new-staff onboarding.

Green also described operational contingencies tied to the high school renovation. The district may rely on a mobile kitchen if the school kitchen is out of service during construction; she said the district is evaluating the purchase of a mobile kitchen and noted a one-year decision to change C program status at the high school could cost the district about $320,000 in federal funding.

The presentation covered negative meal-account balances and community support: Green said the district ended 2024'25 with nearly $79,000 in negative balances, representing roughly 28,000 meals the district provided without denying students food. She noted a local retailer's "roundup" program donated nearly $21,000 this year to the district's negative-balance fund.

Green unveiled the summer meal plan: service begins June 22, with daily meal distribution Monday through Friday at 22 community locations. The program will expand mobile service from one van to two, increase stops and offer fresh produce for families when available. Green urged outreach to families about SNAP and direct certification, which affect eligibility for the C program.

Board members asked about menu diversity, student taste-testing and commodity supply changes. Green said the district continues taste tests, hosts dietetic interns and works with a district chef to develop bulk-ready recipes such as a homemade black-bean patty. On commodities, she said refusal-item distributions and DoD produce allocations have declined in recent years but that the district has logistic capacity (including a recently purchased outdoor freezer) to use donated product.

The presentation closes with the next steps: the food service enterprise budget will be included in the broader budget materials the board votes on June 18, and staff will continue to implement corrective-action spending and plan capital/operational uses of the fund balance.

"We were able to bring a few students and staff from those schools to celebrate our program," Green said of recent outreach events, adding, "We had no findings for either of those audits."