Pasadena USD hires new child nutrition director

Ralph Peschek is the new administrator for child nutrition at Pasadena Unified School District, in California. Peschek replaces Wed Howard, who passed away in 2013. Peschek was the director of food and nutrition services at Ocean View School District, in Huntington Beach, Calif. Before that, Peschek spent more than 20 years with Sodexo, managing foodservice programs in districts including Burbank Unified School District and Hayward Unified School District.

One of Peschek's first initiatives is to get more families to fill out applications for free or reduced-priced meals, according to the Altadena Patch. Peschek will also be involved in the district's farm-to-school program.