School district food service faces another deficit

Yet another deficit year for Boundary County School District food service concerns department supervisor Gail Reoch.

The answer might be increasing lunch prices for a second year in a row, or laying off employees, which could mean no more free breakfasts.

“I don't know what more to say,” Reoch told the school board last week when she and other administrators filed requests for next year's budget. “We've cut everything to the bone. My staff has worked really hard.”

Trustee chairwoman Melanie Staples said the board would review the situation and get back to Reoch.

Reoch told The Herald the food service department, which serves breakfast and lunch to the district's more than 1,500 students, ended 2006-07 with a $115,000 deficit. She expects a deficit for the current school year - possibly 10 to 15 percent lower than last year.

Prior to the four-day school week being instituted in 2004, the food service department experienced an annual $18,000 to $20,000 deficit, Reoch said.

“That fifth day is 20 percent of our income,” she said. “We're loosing all those meals that day. We're still paying overhead and are still paying staff to be here a little longer.”

Evergreen, Mt. Hall and Naples are one-cook kitchens. That means one person prepares breakfast and lunch for all students, including breads and cookies from scratch. That's 65 breakfast and 90 lunches at Naples, 30 breakfasts and 40 lunches at Evergreen and 100 breakfasts and lunches at Mt. Hall. The number of meals at Mt. Hall jumps to 140 when the migrant workers' children are in school.

Valley View Elementary has three people - a manager, cook and baker.

“They do some cooking for the high school,” Reoch said. “Food is transferred to the high school because we never have had a kitchen in the high school.”

Bonners Ferry High School serves 110 breakfasts and 95 lunches and does $200 to $300 in ala carte sales daily.

Boundary County Middle School serves 150 breakfasts and 250 lunches. The middle school is staffed by three employees, who work from a full-size kitchen.

In addition, food costs are increasing.

“Flour costs are going to double,” Reoch said. “I got an e-mail from the State Department (which purchases flour every six months). Prices have gone up 100 percent. They are encouraging everyone to bake their own (bread). We already bake over 90 percent.”

About 52 to 54 percent of students could qualify for free and reduced-price lunches.

“You can make a lot of money to qualify,” she said. “There's kind of a stigma to it. If people would fill out the paperwork, this would be a great advantage.”

Participation in the government-funded program benefits the school district.

“I get more per meal for a reduced (lunch),” she said. “It's pennies, but it adds up when you do thousands per day.”

U.S. Department of Agriculture funds the breakfast program, but with fewer workers, “it could be eliminated,” Reoch said.