Conestoga Valley reports rising meal participation, outlines unpaid meal‑debt and no price increase plan

The Conestoga Valley School District on May 13 reported that student participation in school meals is recovering from pandemic lows and outlined steps to address unpaid meal charges, while recommending no student meal‑price increase for 2024–25.

Board members heard a detailed presentation from the district’s food‑service lead, who said breakfast participation fell from a pre‑COVID high (about 195,000 served in an earlier year) and lunches peaked during COVID (about 459,000 served) but that participation is now climbing again. The presenter said the nonprofit food‑service fund balance is projected to be positive as of June 30 and therefore recommended no price increase for the 2024–25 school year.

The presentation focused on unpaid meal‑charge practices and mitigation efforts. The presenter said managers send weekly and monthly notices, the district uses robo‑calls and email outreach, and it accepts donations earmarked to reduce meal debt. She noted that after one year unpaid meal balances are treated as "bad debt" and must be covered from a non‑federal source if not collected. The district cited a current negative balance of about $29,600 for the year in the meal‑charge accounts while still reporting a positive overall fund balance, and said community donations (including a recent $438.01 gift) have helped lower debts.

Administration also mentioned pending or proposed policy efforts at higher levels: the presenter referenced HR 7639 and a proposed national advisory council on unpaid school‑meal debt as an example of policy work intended to help districts address this issue. Board members discussed outreach to families, the district’s student‑need fund as a donation vehicle, and the confidentiality and annual reapplication process for meal benefits.

“a student … cannot be denied a meal,” the presenter said, summarizing the district’s current operational rule for meal service.

District staff provided a food‑service budget snapshot: projected revenues were presented in the meeting materials as approximately $2,791,237 with projected expenses around $2,693,195, yielding a modest projected net position. Board members asked clarifying questions about collections, staffing (noting upcoming retirements among key food‑service employees) and how potential federal or state changes to universal meal programs might affect long‑term planning.

The board did not vote on any policy changes at the meeting. Administrators said items related to meal policy and operational staffing will be the subject of future work and that they will continue community outreach and solicitation of donations to address unpaid balances.