Dartmouth Public Schools to expand scratch-cooking pilot, boost local sourcing in school meals

Cady Molloy, Dartmouth Public Schools' director of school nutrition, told the School Committee on June 8 that the district will expand scratch cooking and increase local sourcing in its school meal program.

As of May 31, 2026, Molloy said the district had provided more than 330,000 lunches and over 102,000 breakfasts for an average participation rate of about 20 percent and employs 36 kitchen staff. She said the department spent this year building food-safety and culinary training, standardizing recipes and acquiring small wares to support more scratch preparation.

Molloy described a pilot for the 2026–27 school year that will use an 80 percent scratch-cooking menu at DeMello and Cushman schools and a 30–50 percent scratch-cooking menu at Dartmouth High School, Dartmouth Middle School, Quinn and Potter. She said the district has joined the statewide Northeast Food for Schools Challenge to increase purchases from New England and New York and is working to grow local partnerships in Bristol County.

"The focus this year was to build a strong foundation specifically around food safety training, culinary training, standardized recipes," Molloy said, describing the groundwork that will allow staff to cook more meals from scratch.

Molloy also set procurement targets for next year: 30 percent of produce sourced in New England and 40 percent of beef sourced in Dartmouth. She described family and student engagement efforts — including a grant-funded Farm to School dinner at DeMello attended by about 150 people — as a way to build trust and increase participation in school meals.

The presentation included a financial overview and references to kitchen upgrades and grants received to support culinary training and local purchasing. Committee members did not take formal action on the presentation; Molloy’s proposals will proceed through the district’s operational planning for 2026–27.