JAY — At the Feb. 17 Regional School Unit 73 Board of Directors meeting, Food Service Director Laura Merrill said there is encouraging participation in the school meal program.
Merrill compared data for the number of meals served on the 99th day of school this year and last.
“We served three times the number of meals this year as last year,” she said. Conservatively, about 40% of students were in house last year, she added.
Fewer absent students and last year helped with participation, Merrill noted as two big factors affecting the number of meals served.
For each school she provided the average number of breakfasts served in September, the average for February, and for Feb. 15 in particular based on the total number of students at each school.
Primary school numbers were 60.4%, 65.3%, and 69%, respectively.
Elementary school: 60.4%, 66.4%, and 64%.
Middle school: 34.5%, 42.75%, and 45.3%.
High school: 34.5%, 50.9%, and 57%.
A similar trend was seen for lunches during those same time periods.
Numbers for the primary school were 54%, 57%, and 59.73% respectively.
Elementary school: 56.7%, 67.5%, and 63%.
Middle school: 55.98%, 58%, and 63.7%.
High school: 44%, 48%, and 50%.
“We’re seeing great participation, the staff is encouraged,” Merrill said. The district continues to see labor shortages and supply chain issues, she noted.
Director Joel Pike asked how changes month to month in the number of meals served were planned for.
“We always overproduce,” Merrill said. Each kitchen serves like products, they may be on the menu at another building the next day, she noted.
The menu is changing daily as the department never knows what is going to come in, Merrill said. There is a cereal shortage now, she added.
In other business, the district is in the planning stages and a new website should be up after February vacation, Technology Director Chris Hollingsworth said. RSU 73 is working with the same company as the Lewiston district, he noted.
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