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School Nutrition director warns of budget strain; district to test cost-saving changes and after-school supper
Summary
School Nutrition Director Katie Rogers told the board November meal participation and outlined cost-saving measures — increased commodity use, staffing reductions, Dominos partnership and a new after-school supper program to improve reimbursements.
School Nutrition Director Katie Rogers told the Minidoka County board that November food-service participation totaled 12,156 breakfasts and 32,115 lunches across 14 school days, and that the program is "really hurting" financially this year.
Rogers outlined steps the department plans to take to reduce costs and increase revenue: use more USDA commodity items in upcoming menus, reduce staffing by not filling several vacant positions, pilot two-line service and grab-and-go options at middle and elementary schools, and bring back pizza from a vendor to boost participation. Rogers also said the district will start an after-school supper program in January because reimbursement rates for supper are substantially higher than current two-item reimbursements for afternoon snacks: "Starting in January, we will start after school supper ... We will see $4.45 reimbursement for $1.85-$2.00 food costs," Rogers told the board.
Rogers said the department will send a survey to parents, staff and students to guide menu and service changes and that she will report tabulated results back to the board. The Nutrition report included a district reimbursement summary and a flagged negative-balances total of -$11,402.41 across school accounts in the submitted balance summary.
