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MSD of Steuben County approves meal-policy change, vendor switch and price adjustments
Summary
The board approved a recommendation to continue serving reimbursable meals to students regardless of account balance, accepted a vendor switch for milk expected to save about $15,000 annually, and endorsed modest meal-price increases guided by state reimbursement rates.
The MSD of Steuben County Board voted to adopt several changes to the district's school nutrition program after a presentation from school nutrition director Mrs. Poe.
"Last year, we served over 262,000 lunches and just shy of 71,000 breakfasts — over 333,000 total meals," Mrs. Poe told the board, citing a 74% participation rate and an average daily participation of 2,019 students. She recommended eliminating the practice of providing alternate meals when a student's cafeteria account is in deficit and instead continue serving the reimbursable meal so students are not singled out at the register.
Mrs. Poe said community donations allowed the district to clear nearly $800 in negative balances at the end of the school year and pledged ongoing notification procedures for families: "We will continue to send daily notifications for any negatives, and my assistant and I will attempt to call parents for any significant balances," she said.
The nutrition director also recommended switching the milk vendor from Prairie Farms to Dairy Farmers of America based on bid pricing; she estimated the change would yield approximately $15,000 in annual savings while maintaining product quality and service. The board discussed the recommendation and a motion to approve the proposed meal-policy changes and vendor adjustments carried.
Administrators noted the district would adopt modest meal-price increases consistent with a state-recommended comparison to the federal free-meal reimbursement rate ($4.60), with proposed elementary, middle and high school prices adjusted accordingly. Mrs. Poe said the district is also beginning to offer 2% white milk (chocolate remains at 1%), citing the recent "Whole Milk for Healthy Kids" statute that allows the option.
The board approved the recommendations and thanked Mrs. Poe for the changes that have increased student participation, particularly at the high school level.
