Voorheesville schools were in the vanguard of districts opposing more strict federal school lunch program guidelines, but an ongoing operating deficit has forced the district back in line.
After the books were closed for the 2013-14 school year, Voorheesville Central School District’s lunch fund had a deficit of almost $90,500. Inventive initiatives were developed to help replace the loss of federal funding, such as offering freshly cooked dinners through its Meals to Go program, but the gap proved too great. Students so far appear more welcoming to the federal standards, which have been eased up some since the district opted out during the 2012-13 school year.
Voorheesville, like other districts, saw the number of lunches sold decreasing as food waste was increasing. Less than six months after implementing the new federal standards, school officials tossed it aside. The move brought more flexibility but less revenue.
Tim Mulligan, chef and district cook manager, had told Spotlight News in January that opting out of the federal standards was the right move to bring its lunch program into the black. At that time, the program was operating at less of a net loss than the prior year.
Mulligan said some recent revisions to the federal guidelines, such as allowing more calories per meal and upping the protein levels, made it “a little easier” for him to adjust what he had been doing for students.
“I think the kids are more understanding of it. They understand it was not really our decision,” Mulligan said. “There is not as much waste this time for some reason.”
Students still have to take a combination of fruit and vegetables equaling one cup, but the leeway has helped provide better options, according to Mulligan.
Chuck Snyder, interim assistant superintendent for business, said the main push to adhere to the standards was funding.
“The district wanted to try to get back in … the free and reduced lunch reimbursement program and also to participate in the surplus food program. Both of those would hopefully bring in some additional revenue,” said Snyder.
Voorheesville Board of Education members also took another measure to bring in more revenue: increasing meal costs.
School board members on Aug. 18 approved a 25-cent increase to most regular meals. The elementary school lunch increased to $2.75, while middle and high school breakfast and lunch increased respectively to $2 and $3.25. Reduced meal prices across all schools actually decreased 10 cents and totaled 25 cents for breakfast or lunch.
Snyder said the district is looking to break even this school year through the two-pronged approach.
“It is early on in the year so you never know how your projections will work out,” Snyder said. “Raising students prices is a thing you may hold off a year or two from doing, but this time we just felt we needed that … to get the program into a more positive situation.”
To make up for last school year’s deficit, Snyder said the district would likely dip into its savings.
“We will probably have the board pass a resolution to transfer money from the general fund balance in the cafeteria program to eliminate the debt and then move forward this year,” he said.
There is approximately $900,000 in the fund balance before tapping it to cover the loss, according to Snyder.
Mulligan acknowledges the deficit has left a significant hole to fill when the district is in fiscally tight times.
“The amount of money we lost last year is almost a teacher’s salary,” he said.
The Meals-to-Go program also is not expected to return this school year, despite mostly positive comments from community members who used it.
“As of right now, I don’t think we are going to do anything extra,” Mulligan said. “It became a big workload for me, and I kind of had to step back away from it a little bit.”
