FSD K-12 Spotlight

Operations

District cuts foodservice workers' hours to meet Obamacare

Workers will no longer receive healthcare benefits as district looks for ways to meet Affordable Care Act rules.

Operations

District loses state money because portion sizes too big

Connecticut district won't receive state funding for providing healthier meals because foodservice department says state guidelines don't provide enough food for students.

Massachusetts district employing strict measures to recoup lost school lunch money.

We built an app for our program. We did a survey of our parents and 87% wanted information either on the computer or on the phone. We were printing menus and spending a lot of money on these colorful menus that only 13% of our parents cared about. 

We offer in-classroom “catering” for parties and special events. Families can select celebration foods from a menu designed around current school meal items. This is a win-win for everyone and additional revenue for school nutrition services.

Forty-five schools have gardens and a few even have hoop houses.

The policy allows the district to seek payments from parents while still providing lunches.

As schools look for ways to meet the new school meal regulations and to increase the amount of from-scratch items, menu development training is becoming increasingly important. In April, The Culinary Institute of America opened its kitchen to 14 school fo

Program focuses on building flavor through small changes.

In an era when school foodservice is going through perhaps its biggest changes, it’s a benefit to have a leader like Eileen Staples in charge. Staples, the director of food and nutrition services at Greenville County Schools, in South Carolina, sens

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