Food‑service director: Olentangy serves 2.2M meals a year, losing about $0.30 per meal but no price hike planned for 2026–27

Bethany, the district food‑service director, told the board on June 24 that Olentangy operates 27 on‑site kitchens and served roughly 2.2 million meals during the 2025–26 school year, including an average of about 1,970 breakfasts and 11,735 lunches per day.

She explained Olentangy’s food service is run as an O6 enterprise fund separate from the district’s general fund and must pay its own expenses (salaries, equipment replacement, maintenance). Bethany said federal reimbursement rules mean the district receives higher per‑meal revenue for free or reduced‑price students than for paid lunches and that, because of rising costs and overhead, the program is currently operating at a loss of roughly $0.30 per meal — about $6,500 per operating day. "We're losing money currently as a department about $6,500 per operating day or about 30 cents per meal," she said.

Officials walked the board through current meal prices and federal reimbursement examples cited in the presentation: breakfast is $1.50; elementary paid lunch is $2.50 (middle $2.75; high school $3.00–$3.50 depending on entree); federal and state reimbursements vary by meal type and eligibility. Bethany said the department has a positive carryover balance from prior years and estimated that at current loss rates the food‑service fund has roughly a year before it would fall to a recommended three‑month operating reserve. She told the board the department will not recommend raising student meal prices for the 2026–27 school year but said price adjustments may be needed if current trends continue.

Bethany also described operational changes and pilots meant to improve service and student choice: new high‑school menu concepts (Asian and Mediterranean grill bars), pilot of a beverage machine at a high school, introduction of online production records in several kitchens, and plans to move to a new point‑of‑sale system (PaySchools) for 2026–27. She noted the department successfully completed a five‑year administrative review/audit by the Ohio Department of Education Office of Nutrition and was found in compliance with program standards and procurement rules.

Board members asked about carryover reserves, special‑diet accommodations, the timeline for implementing any future federal meal‑pattern changes, and how long manufacturers need to reformulate products to meet added‑sugar limits. Bethany said manufacturers typically need months to reformulate products and that USDA has generally allowed phased approaches during prior changes.

Next steps: continue monitoring meal‑fund cash flows, rollout of PaySchools and online production records, and return to the board with additional price or program recommendations if operating losses persist.