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Board approves MOU with Los Gatos for state-funded meals after lengthy debate over costs and waste targets
Summary
The Loma Prieta board approved a 2025–26 memorandum of understanding with Los Gatos Union School District to provide state-funded universal meals, after trustees pressed staff for financial details and called the program's 5% waste target unrealistic.
The Loma Prieta Joint Union Elementary School District board voted to approve an MOU with Los Gatos Union School District to operate the state’s universal meals program for 2025–26, moving meal preparation and some staffing down the hill while keeping local employees on the payroll.
Staff explained the arrangement as a reimbursement model under the governor’s universal-meals initiative: Los Gatos would prepare bulk meals, provide a nutritionist and trucks to deliver packaged breakfasts and lunches, and bill Loma Prieta for staff time and service. ‘‘They were covering all of any costs associated with it,’’ staff (speaker 3) said, describing past arrangements and the adjustments reflected in the revised MOU.
Trustees pressed for financial clarity. One trustee (speaker 11) said the 5% target for waste was ‘‘absurdly low’’ given daily attendance swings and the logistics of transporting held meals uphill. ‘‘To try to manage it at that level ... is crazy,’’ the trustee said, arguing the labor and tracking burden fell on school staff. Staff acknowledged the difficulty and said final end‑of‑year numbers from Los Gatos’ CBO, Teresa Fiscus, would be provided in July.
Staff described steps to reduce costs in the new model — removing a rented freezer that cost about $17,000 a year, tightening meal counts and streamlining packaging — and said a nearly donated van was being sought to run daily transport. Staff also noted the program’s food-temperature rules (four‑hour holding times) and a 5% allowance intended to account for overproduction and exceptional circumstances such as flu spikes.
Board members and parents who spoke during the discussion expressed support for feeding students who need it but were skeptical the program would not encroach on instructional funding. One parent described the reimbursement rate ($4.63 cited in discussion) as inadequate for consistently higher‑quality meals. Staff said the district would monitor the program and report back with final financials and any recommended MOU adjustments.
The board recorded a motion and second to approve the MOU; a formal roll-call tally was not recorded in the transcript excerpt but the item proceeded and votes were registered on the record before the meeting moved on.
