Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Child Nutrition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Child Nutrition director: program operating but running in the red amid rising costs
Summary
Director Rene Osman reported Child Nutrition programs are operating with high staff retention and new grants but continue to run at a loss due to rising food and labor costs; free/reduced rate is 35.35% and participation dipped slightly. Board received report; no action taken.
Child Nutrition Director Rene Osman reported to the Snake River School Board that the district’s meal programs are continuing to operate despite pressures from higher food, labor and insurance costs.
Osman said the district’s free and reduced rate is 35.35% and participation has dipped slightly but remains generally steady. She explained that federal meal reimbursement does not cover actual meal costs in many cases — a pattern she identified across the state — and that the Child Nutrition program ‘‘consistently operates in the red.’’ The department raised lunch prices by 20 cents this year but Osman said breaking even would require roughly $1.50 increases that would likely depress participation.
Osman highlighted program strengths and recent investments: 100% staff retention, an increase in scratch-made meals, a new Child Nutrition Facebook page, freezer upgrades and a Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grant covering Moreland, Riverside, and Rockford schools that provides produce twice weekly. The department also received a $1,200 KitchenAid mixer through a giveaway and secured hydroponic growing systems for the junior high and high school to support curriculum and potential meal-use opportunities.
Osman thanked the board for continued support; trustees received the report as information and did not take action.
