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The 2023 K-12 Power Players

Food Management lists the 25 largest school districts in the country and what they’ve been up to recently.

Mike Buzalka, Executive Features Editor

February 1, 2023

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Like the rest of the school nutrition community, meal programs at the nation’s largest school districts were hit with the expiration of emergency universal federal school meal subsidies last summer, meaning that districts faced the 2022-23 school year again having to collect applications to determine which students were eligible for free or reduced price meal. Some got around the meal waiver expiration by qualifying for CEP (Community Eligibility Provision) status either district wide or at least for some of their sites, while a few others were fortunate enough to be in states like California that had adopted their own universal free meal policies after Congress passed on extension of the federal policy.

Meanwhile, enrollment declines have meant fewer customers and fewer potential sales for meal programs in affected districts, impacting revenue generation at a time when labor and food costs are rising significantly and the termination of universal free meals leads to lower participation.

Here’s what’s going on in the 25 largest public school districts in the country as determined by enrollment…

About the Author

Mike Buzalka

Executive Features Editor, Food Management

Mike Buzalka is executive features editor for Food Management and contributing editor to Restaurant Hospitality, Supermarket News and Nation’s Restaurant News. On Food Management, Mike has lead responsibility for compiling the annual Top 50 Contract Management Companies as well as the K-12, College, Hospital and Senior Dining Power Players listings. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English Literature from John Carroll University. Before joining Food Management in 1998, he served as for eight years as assistant editor and then editor of Foodservice Distributor magazine. Mike’s personal interests range from local sports such as the Cleveland Indians and Browns to classic and modern literature, history and politics.

Mike Buzalka’s areas of expertise include operations, innovation and technology topics in onsite foodservice industry markets like K-12 Schools, Higher Education, Healthcare and Business & Industry.

Mike Buzalka’s experience:

Executive Features Editor, Food Management magazine (2010-present)

Contributing Editor, Restaurant Hospitality, Supermarket News and Nation’s Restaurant News (2016-present)

Associate Editor, Food Management magazine (1998-2010)

Editor, Foodservice Distributor magazine (1997-1998)

Assistant Editor, Foodservice Distributor magazine (1989-1997)

 

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